Cambrian Way rerun: Dinorwig to Llyn Ogwen

Thursday 5th June 2025

The weather forecast for this walk was for rain, on and off, which should have convinced me to not do a mountain top route over the Glyderau, but the winds were not too high and after almost three weeks on the Cambrian Way I wanted to keep to the correct route. When I first attempted to do the Cambrian Way last year bad weather intervened which prevented me from following the route throughout most of Eryri (previously known as Snowdonia). This year, so far, I was more successful, but I still encountered bad weather in southern Snowdonia which had prevented me from going over Cadair Idris so, if possible, I wanted to keep to the route for the rest of the Cambrian Way. The penultimate stage of the Cambrian Way starts from Pen-y-Pass, but a lack of accommodation at the youth hostel meant I had spent the night at the Dinorwig Hostel above Llanberis. Rather than going via Pen-y-Pass I decided I would take the direct, mountain top route over Elidir Fawr and Y Garn, which initially meant heading north before turning back towards the mountains on an access road for the Marchlyn reservoirs. At Marchlyn Bach Reservoir I turned right to climb along a clear path heading south towards Elidir Fach with views behind me out to sea while temporarily enjoying an easing of the rain.

There were many places on this walk when I could or should have turned off the treacherous mountain top route and the first of these was at the start of the access road where I could have followed the Snowdonia Slate Trail to Bethesda, which is what I did last year. Instead I slowly headed up to Elidir Fach, soon disappearing into the clouds, and at the top I turned left to follow a fence steeply up the hillside as the rain inevitably came back. Despite the promise of low winds, this was a blustery location which gave me a lot of problems as I tried to put my waterproofs on. With hindsight, I should have put my overtrousers on before leaving the hostel and as a result my trousers stayed wet for the rest of the day. I got very annoyed and frustrated with my difficulty in putting my waterproofs on in the windy weather but eventually I was ready and set off up the stony hillside. The wet conditions meant the rocks were very slippery so I had to take extra care as I climbed up to the summit ridge and along the top in the murky weather. I love Elidir Fawr as it feels like a proper mountain, like a Munro in Scotland, but I often have bad weather when climbing it, so I want to return some time in good weather so I can really appreciate its merits and this route up appears to be the best. Eventually I reached the stone shelter that marks the summit and since it was already almost noon I stopped there to have my lunch.

When I set off again I slowly made my way along the bouldery ridge until I eventually came off the rocks and onto a path which negotiates an excitingly narrow ridge with glimpses through the clouds to my left down to Marchlyn Mawr Reservoir. As I crossed the head of Cwm Dudodyn I was rather frustrated to see the sun shining in the valley, around Llanberis, while I brooded under dark clouds with rain never far away. At the lowest part of the col I saw the stile I had crossed last year after passing over the windswept hills of Carnedd y Filiast and Mynydd Perfedd. I had escaped the winds on that occasion down the grassy slopes into Nant Ffrancon and I could have taken the same escape route this year, but instead I kept going along the ridge, though I bypassed the minor top of Foel-goch, before climbing the zigzags all the way up to the top of Y Garn while the weather slowly improved around me. At the summit I was astonished to encounter some people, my first of the walk, with many more wearily climbing the broad grassy slopes on the other side. At Llyn y Cŵm, at the bottom, I could have turned left into Tŵll Du, the Devil’s Kitchen, but this was another escape route on this walk that I ignored as I set off up the horrible scree slope of Glyder Fawr. This is one of the worst paths in Britain, either in ascent or descent, and so I soon wished that I hadn’t decided to take this route. Initially it zigzags up a scree slope but eventually deteriorates into a steep, featureless slog on a path that is heavily eroded down to bare earth.

Half way up it started to rain again, which just added to my misery, as I slowly headed up to the summit of Glyder Fawr. The Cambrian Way takes a different route up Glyder Fawr, climbing the southern slopes from Pen-y-Pass and now I wished I’d taken that route, which I have previously taken only once before, back in 2006 in descent. With the rain now falling quite heavy, I made my way across the barren summit to Bwlch y Ddwy-Glyder where I was confronted with a wall of rock and no sign that the path ascends that way, but I knew that I had to scramble up the rocks. Trusting in my memory of the route and taking extra care on the wet rocks, I scrambled up and after a brief rest, and a check of my bearings, I continued the scramble until I reached the rocks that mark the summit of Glyder Fach. This was a very difficult place to walk in this treacherous weather and so I couldn’t help thinking of all the opportunities I had ignored to escape this torturous terrain, but I had no choice now except to keep following the route of the Cambrian Way and trust in my experience of walking in mountains to see me safely down. The path eventually led me to a large cairn where a trail of helicopter bags seemed to mark where a path was being constructed, however this didn’t match the path marked on my map so I stayed at the top of the ridge until I reached a much more slender path which finally swung into Cwm Tryfan to descend across the steep hillside, but this was a very difficult path to follow in the wet weather. 

Further down I came upon a clear manufactured path, the bottom of the path I had seen earlier, and probably should have taken, but the good path was short-lived and soon I was struggling again along a narrow, rough path until I eventually reached Bwlch Tryfan. A good, manufactured path led the way beyond, but was still slippery in the wet weather, although the rain had now eased as I slowly made my way down to Llyn Bochlwyd and the path continued beyond beside Nant Bochlwyd on a tricky, steep descent until eventually the gradient eased and I was finally able to accept that I had survived a traverse of the Glyderau in wet weather. It has been said that I am a fair weather walker because I will usually not go walking in bad weather, which is true. I walk purely for pleasure and not to challenge myself so I don’t see the need to walk in bad weather, which is why on the Cambrian Way I didn’t go out of my way to reach every checkpoint if the weather was not right. This is my holiday and I do this for enjoyment, so I don’t care if I miss a few checkpoints so long as I am enjoying the walk. However, on this walk I had challenged myself to keep to the mountain tops despite the bad weather and I survived and my waterproofs kept me dry, except where I had failed to put them on in time, though I was very relieved to safely reach the youth hostel at Idwal Cottage.

Cambrian Way rerun: Nantlle to Dinorwig

Wednesday 4th June 2025

By this point my trek along the Cambrian Way had been going on for two and a half weeks and over the remaining three days I was faced with traverses over the highest mountains in Wales. I could say that after two and a half weeks of strenuous walking across Wales starting from Cardiff I didn’t have the energy left to climb those mountains but I could also say that I was now so fit from all that walking I could climb anything. The reality, of course, was in between with the weather being a key factor. In my second week on the Cambrian Way I had a lot of rain and strong winds that prevented me from keeping to the trail, but fortunately the weather on my third week was better, though not as good as on my first, and so now with the weather on my side I felt revitalised and able to set off towards Yr Wyddfa, better known as Snowdon. When I attempted to do the Cambrian Way last year the weather was so bad I rarely followed the trail during the second half of my trek, including on the day when I should have gone over Snowdon, but on this, the rerun, my second attempt, I was going to reach the highest point on the Cambrian Way, the highest point in Wales. The demands of accommodation meant that I started this walk a long way from the route of the Cambrian Way, so instead of being in, or near, Beddgelert, where this stage begins, I was actually in the village of Nantlle, almost eight miles away. After walking just over half that distance along the road to reach the village of Rhyd-Ddu, instead of turning south towards Beddgelert, I kept heading east to head straight up Snowdon along the Rhyd-Ddu Path.

Initially I was on a wide gravel path that brought me to a junction and a signpost that directed me to turn left along the Rhyd-Ddu Path while keeping to the wider path would have brought me to Bwlch Cwm Llan where I could have rejoined the Cambrian Way at the start of the ascent along the southern ridge of Snowdon that passes over Allt Manderyn. Instead I decided to keep to the Rhyd-Ddu Path, partly because it is more direct, but perhaps more because I had only once before been on the Rhyd-Ddu Path, back in 2009, when there was snow on the ground and so conditions were much worse. Now, my only problem was a large crowd of people standing around on the path that I had to negotiate around before reaching the point where the terrain steepens on a great path with awesome views behind me back towards Nantlle while a cold wind picked up. As I slowly climbed, the path became less distinct amongst the stones until I eventually reached the top of the ridge, Llechog, where I had views across Cwm Clogwyn and up towards the top of Snowdon, but I still had a lot of walking to go. When the path steepened again a fence guided me up the zigzags that meander across the slope before passing to the left of a sharp peak, which the Cambrian Way traverses and on the other side I was finally reunited with the trail for the exciting traverse of the narrow ridge of Bwlch Main. 

My ascent continued as the ridge broadened until I eventually reached the visitor centre with the crowded summit just beyond. I was last on Snowdon in 2019 and before that in 2015, both occasions starting from Llanberis. At one time I was climbing Snowdon twice a year, but by 2012 I was fed up with the crowds so stopped, and so this was the first time since 2012 that I had climbed Snowdon from somewhere other than Llanberis. Although Snowdon is a great mountain, I don’t understand why so many people climb it, other than its superior height, but at least it leaves those discerning few to enjoy all of the other great mountains in Wales. After lunch I rushed down the busy path, mainly to get away from the strong, cold wind, past the tourists who were struggling to climb up, and down, the path, and to avoid the crowds I branched off onto the Snowdon Ranger Path which is a route I have often taken, mainly because it is relatively quiet. However, if my goal was to escape the cold wind then this was not the path to have taken. The Cambrian Way goes in the other direction to descend the Pyg Track which may have been more sheltered. This stage of the trail ends at Pen-y-Pass where there is a youth hostel, which I stayed at last year despite not going over Snowdon, but this time there was no accommodation available there so I once again had to divert off the Cambrian Way.

Gradually I descended along the ridge of Clogwyn Du’r Arddu before traversing steep rocky terrain on zigzags to reach a more sheltered, grassy landscape with views back towards Snowdon and the ridges that I had taken in ascent and descent. After crossing a fence I turned right to follow a good path up to Bwlch Maesgwm and down into the valley. This was the route I had taken off Snowdon in 2015 and I enjoyed the good, clear path that provided me with a relaxing route off the mountain and all the way into Llanberis. After buying some food I followed the route of the Snowdonia Slate Trail, and my own of last year, through the woodland up the slopes above Llyn Padarn until I reached Dinorwig where I stayed in an independent hostel. Despite the crowds, Snowdon is a great mountain so any walk over it is going to be amazing especially if the weather is kind, which it was on this occasion, despite a cold wind.

Cambrian Way rerun: Vale of Ffestiniog to Nantlle

Tuesday 3rd June 2025

While planning my accommodation for the final week of the Cambrian Way I tried to avoid a problem I’d encountered last year when I first attempted to do the Cambrian Way. The accommodation in Beddgelert is very expensive and I didn’t want to camp again, so I eventually booked a B&B that was a little further away, but without checking where it was and in fact it was almost eight miles away, in the village of Nantlle. Coincidentally, I passed through Nantlle last year after bad weather forced me to take a course around Yr Wyddfa, better known as Snowdon, on the Snowdonia Slate Trail. Since Nantlle in nowhere near the Cambrian Way I decided to make an alteration to the route, which would take me through the village. Therefore, the day before I had come off the Cambrian Way while descending the Rhinog Mountains and headed to the town of Porthmadog rather than to the Vale of Ffestiniog on the Cambrian Way. My intention for this day was to climb the long slopes of Moel Hebog before crossing the Nantlle Ridge, but after more than two weeks of walking along the Cambrian Way, and following a poor night’s sleep, I didn’t fancy the strenuous walk. A similar thing happened to me last year at this point when I ignored the mountains of Moelwyn Mawr and Cnicht for an easier route between them and now once again I decided to take a low level route. However, I was not in Porthmadog, despite finishing my walk there the day before as I had actually spent the night in the Vale of Ffestiniog, at the same campsite I had stayed in last year. 

My plan would have required that I catch a bus back to Porthmadog, but instead I thought I would just walk straight to Beddgelert and then decide which route to take. So, I set off from the campsite, past Maentwrog and the Oakeley Arms Hotel, climbing up to Tan-y-Bwlch Station on the Ffestiniog Railway. I now had a pleasant walk on a quiet, narrow road that weaved through the landscape, undulating up and down across the lower, western slopes of the Moelwyn Mountains with views to my left towards Porthmadog, while ahead of me was the distinctive peak of Cnicht. Despite a weather forecast for showers, the sun was out, and even though it was cloudier than the day before, I felt hopeful for a good day. Soon, I reached the village of Croesor and joined the Snowdonia Slate Trail, which is the route that I had followed last year, and after climbing out of the village I was rejoined by the Cambrian Way, fresh off Cnicht, which dominated the view behind me. The path down was very wet following the heavy rain of the past week, including the previous night, which had left a stream of water pouring down the path and adding to the erosion. Eventually I reached a road that led me through woodland and into the village of Nantmor, soon reaching Pont Aberglaslyn and the start of an awesome path through the Pass of Aberglaslyn beside the roaring waters of the Afon Glaslyn.

Despite coming this way last year I was overjoyed that my change of plans would mean that I was walking along this fabulous path again. This was an epic walk along a rock-lined path that was not too easy as it hugged the raging torrent that was the river through gorgeous woodland, but all too soon I was through the Pass of Aberglaslyn and in the village of Beddgelert. After stopping for a cup of tea and something to eat I set off again along the Snowdonia Slate Trail while the Cambrian Way headed into Nantgwynant on its way towards Snowdon. My route took me onto the slopes of Moel Hebog, which I had originally planned to climb this day, but since the morning sunshine had now disappeared under heavy clouds I decided to keep to my route of last year along an excellent cycle path that took me through the conifer plantation of Beddgelert Forest and it wasn’t until I finally emerged from the trees that the long promised rain arrived. Fortunately the rain didn’t last long and had stopped by the time I reached the village of Rhyd-Ddu and, after passing through more conifers, at the top of a ridge I was afforded with views through the gap of Drws-y-coed and into the valley of Diffryn Nantlle. 

I enjoyed the walk at this point through the tremendous scenery dominated by the rock plug of Clogwyn y Garreg as I slowly descended against a strong wind into the valley where a stretch of road walking led me to a campsite, around Llyn Nantlle Uchaf and into the village of Nantlle and my accommodation. This walk was surprisingly enjoyable, despite not being anything like I’d planned and mostly covering paths I’d walked the year before. The distance was about twenty miles so it took me just as long my original route over Moel Hebog would have done, but without climbing any mountains. Nevertheless, this was an awesome walk.

Cambrian Way rerun: Cwm Bychan to Porthmadog

Monday 2nd June 2025

My second attempt to do the Cambrian Way was more successful than my first last year because I managed to walk over the Rhinog Mountains which I had previously gone around on the route of the Ardudwy Way. The day before this walk I had climbed into the hills from Barmouth through low cloud and strong winds to the two hills that name the range, Rhinog Fach and Rhinog Fawr, before descending into Cwm Bychan where I camped. I knew that better weather was forecast so I had battled through the bad weather and as I descended I was rewarded with sunshine as the clouds cleared to reveal the complex, craggy terrain of the Rhinogydd. The campsite was dominated by campervans which did not provide me with a comfortable atmosphere to camp in and in the morning the air was filled with midges so I set off as soon as possible up the side of the hill, through bracken to a clearer path that took a gentler course below the steep crags of Clip while behind me were gorgeous views across Llyn Cwm Bychan. 

After crossing a wall I branched left to climb up to Bwlch Gwylim where I turned left again to reach the top of Clip where I had extensive views in all directions with the most notable being across the estuary to Porthmadog, while the high mountains to the north around Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon and Rhinog Fawr to the south sulked under dark clouds. My route north took me across a complex terrain of crags and small lakes that was a joy to walk over in this clear weather, negotiating a fascinating landscape that left me wishing I could have stayed longer. My instinct was to seek out every single top adorned with a cairn, a pile of stones, but there were too many so I fought the urge to explore and concentrated on sticking to the trail. I returned to Bwlch Gwylim and then crossed the top of Craig Ddrwg before descending to Llyn Corn Stwc and around a craggy hill to another lake, Llyn Du, where a clear path took me around another crag before heading up grassy slopes to the top of Moel Ysgyfarnogod which is decorated with a trig point. 

Beyond that was Foel Penolau, then the broad top of Diffwys before crossing the narrow top of Moel Gyrafolan and finally descending to join the bypassing route that I had taken last year. However, due to problems with my accommodation and to keep my pack as light as possible, I needed to come off the trail and head towards Porthmadog. With hindsight I wish I had stayed on the trail longer and completed the traverse even if that meant having to climb back up out of Cwm Moch. Instead I turned off before Diffwys and descended the broad slopes west of Cwm Moch until I reached the path that I had taken last year which took me to a bridleway that led me down the hill with stunning views towards Porthmadog. A walk through beautiful, lush scenery eventually brought me to a farmer’s access road where my descent continued through the woodland of Coed Caerwych. Even though I was off the trail, I was still enjoying the walk in warm sunshine through a part of Eryri / Snowdonia that is little visited and better for it. 

It was lovely countryside and I had a relaxing walk, however all too soon I was walking on roads or pavements that didn’t help with my sore feet following my trip through the bogs of Rhinog Fawr the previous day. Narrow country lanes meandered through low hills until I finally reached the main road beside the coast, and crossed the Afon Dwyryd, passed through the town of Penrhyndeudraeth and over the Cob, the seawall that led me into the town of Porthmadog. By this time my feet were really aching despite repeatedly tending to them and frequently changing my socks. It was surprisingly early in the afternoon and I felt a little frustrated at not maximising the good weather, but I was so tired I didn’t really care. I took advantage of the supermarket in Porthmadog before catching a bus to my pre-booked accommodation. 

Given how late I arrived in Cwm Bychan the previous evening I couldn’t help thinking that this was the wrong place to stop and it should have been earlier, perhaps before Rhinog Fawr, since if I had stayed on the Cambrian Way I would have also reached the end of the stage very early. Nevertheless, I loved finally being able to traverse the Rhinog Mountains, which had been my biggest disappointment from last year’s failed attempt at the Cambrian Way. Almost as soon as I came home from that holiday I had started to make plans to return to the Rhinogydd, though this ultimately became a complete rerun, but it was my desire to traverse the Rhinog Mountains that was always my primary goal and having done that I was satisfied. The rest of the Cambrian Way could have been a washout for all I cared and I would still consider it a success. But the poor weather I encountered on the first day prompts me to consider making another visit to the Rhinog Mountains and why not?

Cambrian Way rerun: Barmouth to Cwm Bychan

Sunday 1st June 2025

The previous day to this walk I took a day out of the Cambrian Way, which is something I’d never done before on any other trail, but after my experiences last year, when I first attempted to do the Cambrian Way, I planned to take two whole days off the trail, of which this was the second, and I found it to be a great help for me, especially during a three week trail like the Cambrian Way. The following morning the weather did not look too bad, though there was strong wind blowing, which is not pleasant to walk in as there in nothing you can do about it except battle through. I don’t like to walk in very strong winds, but I judged these to be at the peak of what is bearable and I was hopeful for the better weather that was forecast for later in the day. Plus, I desperately wanted to do this section of the Cambrian Way after bad weather last year had forced me to take a diversionary route along the Ardudwy Way instead. So, I set off from the Bunkorama bunkhouse that had been my home for the past two nights back onto the Cambrian Way and along a ridge towards the Rhinog Mountains. At first I was sheltered from the winds, but it wasn’t long before I emerged into their full force while walking along a rocky path with heather decorating the hillside. I would have really enjoyed this walk if it wasn’t for the wind that kept me walking slowly and pausing frequently, including at Bwlch y Llan, where I had passed through last year on the Ardudwy Way, but this year I was determined to keep going on the Cambrian Way, which took me along the ridge slowly climbing over the tops of several unnamed hills while enjoying the shelter of a wall. 

It was great to be walking over these hills while sheltered from the wind and admiring the views under overcast skies which stretched over the mouth of the Afon Mawddach and back up the river. Beyond Bwlch y Rhiwgyr, which I had also passed through last year, I was more exposed to the wind while the terrain was grassier and less interesting, and soon I plunged into low cloud which robbed me of any views for the next four hours. The gradient eased and I had a relatively easy walk, except for the winds, along the undulating ridge, beside a wall, heading into the hills of the Rhinogydd until I eventually reached the top of Diffwys. I had previously visited these hills in 2005 when the weather was not much better so I was glad to be back but disappointed not to have better weather now. I encountered the strongest winds on the walk while crossing the saddle beyond as the ridge narrowed, becoming craggy, which required that I take my time, choosing each step with great care over the rocky terrain. The ridge of Crib-y-rhiw would have been a pleasure to traverse in good weather but I was not that fortunate and eventually the gradient steepened to reach the top of Y Llethr, the highest point in the Rhinog Mountains, even though it is just a grassy dome with a tiny cairn in the middle. On the northern edge beyond the summit a heavily eroded path zigzagged down the hillside and was difficult to follow with many loose stones underfoot.

This was very difficult terrain and at some point I took a wrong turning where the trail turns sharp right and I continued to descend so when I realised I had to find a way across the steep terrain until I reached the path that was now beside a wall. The lake Llyn Hywell was suddenly revealed to me as I carefully made my way along the craggy path across the saddle and up a gloriously rocky path towards Rhinog Fach. I previously climbed this mountain two days after my walk up Diffwys and Y Llethr, but in perfect weather, which is one reason why I had never been back until now. I enjoyed the climb up to the summit of Rhinog Fach, but the descent was horrible as an increasingly steep, narrow path led me down the other side through the heather. When I climbed this mountain in 2005 there were no paths on this side, but now clear paths lay like scars across the mountain. I didn’t enjoy this prolonged, steep descent so I was glad when I eventually reached the pass of Bwlch Drws-Ardudwy, but the Rhinogydd was not done with me yet. While the weather slowly improved with the view opening out eastwards across Coed y Brenin Forest I began to climb Rhinog Fawr initially traversing the eastern slopes which were saturated after the recent rain and at one point I sunk into the mud and water all the way up to my knee, so my tricky ascent continued with a wet foot.

Since I was now sheltered from the wind which was also easing, I embraced the climb and slowly made my way all the way up to the summit of Rhinog Fawr, which was still briefly clinging to the clouds, before setting off back down the other side towards Llyn Du. The Cambrian Way takes a wide route west before turning east towards this lake, but there are paths that take a direct route and I was keen to get down as quickly as possible since it was getting late. As the cloud continued to lift and the sun came out, revealing a fabulously rocky landscape ahead of me, I carefully made my way down until I reached Llyn Du where a rejoined the Cambrian Way but it was still difficult to keep to the route as I continued to descend, now in glorious sunshine, to reach the path known as the Roman Steps. There I turned left to follow this over the pass of Bwlch Tyddiad and down to eventually reach Cwm Bychan where there is a simple campsite. This was an amazing, though very tough, day that finally saw me do the traverse of the Rhinog Mountains that I had wanted to do for a long time. I wish I hadn’t had low cloud and strong winds, but I was so determined to tackle it I refused to let this stop me. I particularly enjoyed the climb up to Rhinog Fach, but I did not enjoy the steep descent down the other side or the boggy traverse of the eastern slopes of Rhinog Fawr. This was a long day that left me exhausted by the time I reached Cwm Bychan, but I was glad to have accomplished it.