Snowdonia | Stepping Outside

Pen yr Ole Wen, Carnedd Dafydd and Carnedd Llywelyn from Llyn Ogwen

Emma — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 13:35:16 +0000

Starting at the east side of Llyn Ogwen, this route climbs the three highest mountains in the Carneddau range. With brilliant views of Tryfan, an exciting scramble to Pen yr Ole Wen and fantastic ridge paths, this is one of my favourite routes in Snowdonia.

Start and End Location: Lay-by parking alongside the A5 at the east side of Llyn Ogwen.
Start Postcode: LL24 0EU, approx. only
Distance: 14.2km
Time: 5-6 hours
Facilities: Public toilets next to the Ogwen Partnership Centre at the west side of Llyn Ogwen.
GPX Download: Link below map
Grade: Hard Mountain Walk, with a few short scrambles

Download file: PEN%20YR%20OLE%20WEN,%20CARNEDD%20DAFYDD%20AND%20CARNEDD%20LLYWELYN.gpx

At the east edge of Llyn Ogwen, head north on the road to Glan Dena. Continue over the wooden ladder stile and follow the wide gravel track.

When the track bears left, continue straight ahead on the stone path, marked with a National Trust pole.

The path runs alongside Afon Lloer and crosses the river once. Use the ladder stile to cross the drystone wall and continue north, following the stream.

The path gradually bears left, away from the stream. At the fork, go left and scramble up across the rocks. There are a few narrow gullies to climb – if you have a dog with you, it will probably need a ‘boost’ to reach the top.

The path reappears, with great views of Tryfan and the lake to the left.

Follow the well-defined footpath to reach the summit of Pen yr Ole Wen, which is marked with a small cairn.

Continue straight ahead and then bear right along the ridge to Carnedd Dafydd.

The path, often very faint, heads east and runs along Cefn Ysgolion Duon ridge and Bwlch Cyfryw.

Zigzag along the loose scree path to reach Carnedd Llewelyn summit, which is marked with a cairn and stone shelter.

From the summit, head south-east. The path is very clear and crosses the moorland before narrowing to follow the ridge.

Scramble down the rocks; the route slightly left of centre is the most straightforward.

Looking back at the scramble down.

At the junction, take the steep, right hand path down to Ffynnon Llugwy Reservoir.

The path runs alongside the reservoir and crosses a small bog before reaching the road.

Turn left and follow the quiet farming road back to the A5.

Cross the A5, turn right and continue along the road to return to the car parking area.

The post Pen yr Ole Wen, Carnedd Dafydd and Carnedd Llywelyn from Llyn Ogwen first appeared on Stepping Outside.

Aran Fawddwy Ridge Walk

Emma — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 17:13:39 +0000

The Arans, in southern Snowdonia, are one of Wales’ best kept secrets. Aran Fawddwy, the highest peak in the range, sits at 905m and the views from the summit rival Snowdon.

As the area is often mistakenly overlooked, you’ll have the mountains to yourself for hours on end. The linear ridge walk is one of the most straight-forward routes in the region and the panoramic views include the peaks of north Snowdonia, Bala Lake and much of mid-Wales.

Start and End Location: Car Park on the B4403 south of Llanuwchllyn, just before the road bends sharp left and crosses the river
Start Postcode: LL23 7TR, approx. only
Distance: 16km
Time: 6 hours
Facilities: Public toilets on the B4403 north of Llanuwchllyn, where the road crosses Afron Dyfrdwy river
GPX Download: Link below map
Grade: Medium Mountain Walk

Download file: Aran%20Ridge.gpx

From the car park, cross the road and turn left. Do not cross the bridge; instead go through the farming gate straight ahead. There is a blue sign on the gate for the Aran Ridge.

Follow the farming road as it bears right and continues uphill. A few metres after crossing the cattle grid, go over the ladder stile on the right.

Follow the grassy footpath across the field, with brilliant views down to Bala Lake behind.

Continue on the path to a second gate and ladder stile. Go over the stile and follow the grassy track to the large wooden gate in a dry stone wall. To the right of the gate, there is another ladder stile. Cross the stile and continue straight ahead, keeping the fence to the right. The path climbs before dropping down, with Moel Ddu appearing ahead.

Continue straight on as the path steadily climbs towards a dry stone wall. Use the stiles to cross the fence and then cross back on the other side of the stone wall.

The path gradually moves away from the fence and climbs across the moorland; the grassy footpath is well defined and marked with a few wooden posts.

Eventually, a large cairn appears at the base of a steep slope. Behind the cairn is a wide path of loose scree. To the right of the scree, a faint footpath zigzags uphill. Take this footpath, which soon becomes more defined and continues uphill to reach a fence and a ladder stile. Cross the stile and follow the path as it bears right across rocky terrain.

The path drops slightly to meet a fence on the right, with a ladder stile ahead. The views to the left are superb.

Do not cross the ladder stile. Instead, keep the fence to the right and follow the footpath along the edge of the fence as it bears right and then uphill.

For the rest of the route, the path follows the fence line until the final 20-30m scramble to the summit of Aran Fawddwy. Along the way, there are various ladder stiles leapfrogging the fence to avoid walking too closely to the edge of the ridge and to avoid marshes. At the summit of Aran Benllyn, the path bears left, a few metres away from the fence, but the fence should never leave your sight; the Arans are notoriously difficult to navigate and the fence line provides an extremely helpful guide.

After passing the summit of Aran Benllyn, the path continues downhill to reach two ladder stiles and a large gap in a fence. This is also the end of the fence line which has been used as a guide.

Go through the gap in the fence and follow the rocky path as it zigzags steeply uphill. When the path levels out, the summit is to the left.

After taking in the views, retrace your steps to the car park.

The post Aran Fawddwy Ridge Walk first appeared on Stepping Outside.

Cadair Idris by the Minffordd Path

Emma — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 18:23:55 +0000

Cadair Idris is the second most popular mountain in Wales. The views are spectacular and, as the location is slightly more remote, you don’t get the Snowdon crowds.

Start and End Location: Minffordd pay and display car park (£5 for the day)
Start Postcode: LL36 9AJ
Facilities: There are toilets in the car park and a small café a few minutes into the walk
Distance: 9.6km
Time: Approx. 5 hours
GPX Download: Link below map
Grade: Medium Mountain Walk

Download file: CadairIdrisMinfforddPath.gpx

The well marked path begins to the right of the toilet block in the car park. After crossing the river and passing the café, go through the wooden gate on the right and climb up through the woods.

The path emerges from the woods and follows the edge of a river. Do not cross the river. Instead, continue with the river on the right and follow the path as it bears left.

After a short climb, Llyn Cau comes into view.

Llyn Cau

Keep left when the path forks (the right hand fork leads to the edge of the lake if you want a closer look). The well marked path climbs steeply and Llyn Cau can soon be seen down to the right.

From here, the path to Craig Cwm Amarch summit is very clear. There is small section of loose scree just before the summit is reached.

The descent from Craig Cwm Amarch is harder to find, especially if there are low lying clouds. Keep right, but a safe distance from the edge of the cliff, heading north/north-east. The path soon becomes more visible as it climbs to the final summit.

Cadair Idris Summit

Views from Cadair Idris Summit

There’s a stone hut just below Cadair Idirs summit, which is often a huge relief when the weather is awful!

From the hut, head north-east/east to reach a large, flat, grassy path. The path becomes more visible as you continue to Mynydd Moel.

Eventually, the path turns right and follows a fence-line steeply downhill.

The descent from the Cadair Idris

Cross the stile and follow the paved stone path to the river. Go across the river and join the initial path through the woods to retrace your steps to the car park.

The post Cadair Idris by the Minffordd Path first appeared on Stepping Outside.