Cadair Idris

Sunday 30th May 2004

I had a great time over the Spring Bank Holiday in 2004 where glorious weather greeted me every time I set off on a walk. I was staying at the Corris Youth Hostel and it was on this occasion that I was introduced to the delights of Earl Grey Tea and I have been drinking not only that blend of tea ever since, but also the brand of tea that was in the youth hostel: Clipper. This would have made it a memorable weekend for me if only for that reason, but the walking was also sensational with fabulous weather over some truly great mountains. The previous day I had driven over to this southern end of Snowdonia and walked up to the highest point in the Aran range of mountains. These are rarely visited mountains despite being the highest point in Britain south of Snowdon, however there is a mountain nearby that, though smaller in height, draws in the crowds. Although Cadair Idris is topped by the nearby Aran range it has all the other characteristics that make a mountain popular.

There is a main road all around the base of the mountain that provides easy access from many different locations resulting in several popular named paths to the summit. More significant than that is that it dominates the view from Barmouth and the Mawddach Estuary as it rises from sea level all the way up to the top giving the impression of having a much higher height than it actually has. Even from its higher neighbours its distinctive top draws the eye and draws people to climb this striking mountain. It is no wonder that this is probably the second most popular mountain in Wales, after Snowdon. The September before this walk I had come to Snowdonia for the first time to climb mountains and on that occasion climbed Snowdon twice. It took me less than a year for my attention to be drawn south and towards this most regal of mountains.

I had heard that the best route up Cadair Idris was from the south, from the Minffordd Hotel so that was the route that I took, parking near the hotel. There is a heavily manufactured path that climbs steeply through woodland past spectacular waterfalls. I came back to Cadair Idris in 2009, but was not blessed with the good weather that I had on this first visit having instead encountered low cloud and rain. The path eventually levelled off in the glorious surroundings of Cwm Cau where craggy cliffs look steeply down on the glacial lake of Llyn Cau. In good weather this bowl is an awesome sight and it was no less inspiring when I returned in less than ideal conditions. The fabulous path continues less distinctly around the edge of the cwm gradually climbing to the top of Mynydd Pencoed while the pointed peak of Penygadair, the highest point on Cadair Idris, constantly attracted my attention.

Image by NotFromUtrecht [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

After passing over Mynydd Pencoed I didn’t continue making my way around the top of Cwm Cau towards Penygadair, but headed out across the broad western slopes of the mountain to the edge of the northern cliffs of Cadair Idris, above Llyn Gadair. During this walk I had the aim of bagging all the significant peaks on Cadair Idris. I had already bagged one of them in Mynydd Pencoed, but in order to bag Cyfrwy (also known as The Saddle) I had to make a detour past the Pony Path that comes up the northern slopes and make my way to this cliff-edge top. Nowadays I wouldn’t be so bothered about going out of my way to bag a top unless I had a good reason, but back in 2004 I was eager to get to the top of all the mountains in Wales, including their subsidiary summits. Once I had visited the cairn at the top of Cyfrwy I joined the Pony Path for the final ascent to the summit of Cadair Idris.

The top was packed with people who were also prompted to climb this popular mountain in the good weather on this Bank Holiday weekend, so it wasn’t long before I set off again from the summit following the edge of the northern cliffs. After stopping briefly at an unnamed 852m top that has minimal re-ascent I continued heading east visiting the top of the fourth and final significant top of Cadair Idris, Mynydd Moel, before continuing along the ridge descending until I reached an old fence. The ridge had now levelled off and continued until eventually I reached a cairn above the terminal cliffs of Gau Graig. At this point I turned right and followed a fence that heads south-east off the ridge plunging steeply down to easier slopes on Mynydd Gwerngraig. I remember being rather concerned about whether I’d find a way down this steep slope, but in the event I found a well-graded path that handled the contours competently.

On easier ground I made my way down the grassy slopes beside the fence all the way down to the road at the top of the pass. A short section of road walking was required before I was able to safely follow a bridlepath down Cwm Rhwyddfor almost all the way back to the Minffordd Hotel. The weather continued to be fabulous and I had a pleasurable stroll back to my car. I remember someone asking me when I got back to my car where I’d just walked and he expressed surprise at the distance that I had just done. However, I didn’t feel like I’d walked a great distance as I was elated at having just walked over a fabulous mountain in sensational weather. It was a pity that the weather was not as good when I returned in 2009 and even more a pity that I have never been back since to renew my acquaintance with this fabulous mountain.