This was out first SOTA outing for a short while, and we thoroughly enjoyed this nice hill.  The OS Map indicates no PROWs - either a private path or no path - but the reality was that there were concessionary / permitted paths all the way to the summit.  (Although I am probably talking in pre-RTR language here).

Our outward route was M56 across Cheshire towards Wales (more miles, but less minutes than A534), then instead of continuing directly to Queensferry to pick up the A55, left on the M53 past Chester to pick up the lower A55 and A483(S) towards Wrexham.  We left the A483 near Llangollen to pick up the A5, but only after the customary hot breakfast under the Golden Arches.  We took the A5 to Corwen, and then counted 5 left turns to the one we required to Llangwm.  Through this little village, we turned left into a narrow lane that headed up towards our hill.  A useful amount of both horizontal and vertical distance was achieved by doing this, and we parked on a bit of waste ground where the lane became a track leading to Cwm-llan farm, by the entrance to Cesseilgwm farm.

   

A short distance south down the track, the quad-bike track beared off to climb the hill on the right.  The map indicated that the path followed the left hand fence of the next field, but in fact it hugged the right-hand side.  This small haul was gentle enough, but was the steepest climb of the whole ascent, passing a sheep's skeleton on the way.  We then followed the ridge towards the summit, but fences not on the OS map prevented a direct assault, and we needed to bear left of the rising ridge and continue on the level path around the lip of the steep sided valley around Cwm-llan.

We went through the gate at the coll between Foel Goch and Orddu, and then immediate right over a stile onto another unmapped but well-established permitted path.  This one now climbed and winded its way all the way to the summit trig, where it was very windy, and increasingly cold as the early afternoon wore on.  Liam and myself opted to stay as we were, but Jimmy went into his daysack for an extra fleece, gloves and then demanded first go on the hot Highland Broth.