MYNYDD CARN Y CEFN
Sorry about the useless photos - as you can see though, Carn Y Cefn is an imposing ridge overlooking a major road through the valleys. As you approach by road, it starts to grow in stature, belying it's modest height of 1804 feet. I went up from a small hamlet called Coalbrookvale, meeting a local farmer on the way who warned me off his land - I was trying scrupulously to stick to the public path, but its a hard one to follow on this changing landscape of new fences, gulleys and farm tracks that bear little resemblance to the map. Still, when I happily agreed to keep off his patch and asked him to tell me the quickest way off it, he gave me a friendly pat on the back and said "Have a good day up there" or somesuch, which was nice.
Above the enclosed fields, the hillside steepens dramatically but a zig-zag path makes the whole thing runnable. I was up and back in about 40 minutes, having found the trig on the summit with ease on this relatively clear day. Its a good run - a nice mountain - but the difficulty finding a hassle-free route means I'm unlikely to visit again. This was a real contrast from yesterday's exertions on The Black Mountain, where there is no sign of human life at all, let alone any issues of access and ownership.
Generally in Wales I don't encounter as much "get off my land" as I used to in England, but there are always going to be exceptions.