SNOWDONIA: NORTH LOW-LEVEL AND EASY WALKS SNOWDON, THE OGWEN AND CONWY VALLEYS AND THE COAST by Alex Kendall JUNIPER HOUSE, MURLEY MOSS, OXENHOLME ROAD, KENDAL, CUMBRIA LA9 7RL www.cicerone.co.uk © Alex Kendall 2019 First edition 2019 ISBN: 978 1 85284 984 9 Printed in China on behalf of Latitude Press Ltd A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated. © Crown copyright 2019 OS PU100012932 CONTENTS Map key ...................................................... 5 Route summary table .......................................... 6–7 INTRODUCTION .............................................. 9 Updates to this Guide The walks .................................................... 10 Landscape ................................................... 11 While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guide- History ...................................................... 12 books as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edi- Wildlife ..................................................... 15 tion. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone When to go .................................................. 18 website (www.cicerone.co.uk/984/updates), so please check before plan- Getting there ................................................. 18 ning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such Accommodation ............................................... 19 things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way What to take .................................................. 19 can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any The Countryside Code .......................................... 20 discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by Maps and GPS ................................................ 21 email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, Juniper House, Understanding Welsh placenames ................................. 21 Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, Kendal, LA9 7RL. Safety ....................................................... 22 Register your book: To sign up to receive free updates, special offers Using this guide ............................................... 22 and GPX files where available, register your book at www.cicerone.co.uk. THE NORTH COAST AND LOWER CONWY VALLEY .................. 23 Walk 1 Conwy Mountain/Mynydd y Dref ......................... 24 Walk 2 The Druid’s Circle/Meini Hirion .......................... 30 Walk 3 Aber Falls/Rhaeadr Fawr ................................ 35 Walk 4 Craig y Dulyn ........................................ 38 Walk 5 Trefriw ............................................. 42 BETWS Y COED AND GWYDYR FOREST ........................... 49 Walk 6 Gwydyr Forest ........................................ 50 Walk 7 The Fairy Glen and Conwy Falls .......................... 55 Front cover: Heading towards Cwm Idwal from Idwal Cottage (Walk 13) Walk 8 Pont Gethin .......................................... 60 Walk 9 Dolwyddelan ........................................ 63  Walk 10 Lledr and Llugwy ..................................... 67 Walk 11 Crafnant and Geirionydd ................................ 73 SNOWDON AND THE OGWEN VALLEY ............................ 79 Walk 12 Capel Curig .......................................... 80 Walk 13 Cwm Idwal .......................................... 83 Walk 14 Bethesda and Penrhyn .................................. 87 Walk 15 Cwm Pen-Llafar ....................................... 90 Walk 16 Moel y Ci ........................................... 94 Walk 17 Llanberis and Dolbadarn ................................ 98 Walk 18 Llyn Padarn ......................................... 102 Walk 19 The Miners’ Track .................................... 108 Walk 20 Cwm Llan .......................................... 112 Walk 21 Beddgelert to Pen-y-Gwryd ............................. 118 THE VALE OF FFESTINIOG AND THE WEST ........................ 125 Walk 22 Nanmor and Aberglaslyn ............................... 126 Walk 23 Cwm Croesor ....................................... 133 Walk 24 Blaenau Ffestiniog .................................... 138 Walk 25 The Vale of Ffestiniog ................................. 145 Walk 26 Coed Llyn y Garnedd ................................. 152 Walk 27 Coed Felinrhyd ...................................... 156 Walk 28 Cwm Pennant ....................................... 159 Walk 29 Tremadog .......................................... 165 Walk 30 Moel-y-Gest ........................................ 170 Appendix A Useful contacts ................................... 175 Route symbols on OS map extracts (for OS legend see printed OS maps) route start/finish point alternative/link start point route 0 ½ mile direction of walk finish point 0 1:50,000 1km 5 Tanygrisiau Reservoir, with the power station in the distance (Walk 24 and 25) SNOWDONIA: NORTH – LOW LEVEL AND EASY WALKS ROUTE SUMMARY TABLE Walk no Walk Start Distance Ascent Walking time Page The North Coast and Lower Conwy Valley 1 Conwy Montain/Mynydd y Dref Conwy 10km (6 miles) 320m 3hr 24 2 The Druid’s Circle/Meini Hirion Penmaenmawr 8.5km (5¼ miles) 360m 2hr 45min 30 3 Aber Falls/Rhaeadr Fawr near Abergwyngregyn 6.5km (4 miles) 140m 2hr 35 4 Craig y Dulyn near Tal-y-bont 9km (5½ miles) 280m 3hr 38 5 Trefriw Trefriw 9km (5½ miles) 150m 2hr 30min 42 Betws y Coed and Gwydyr Forest 6 Gwydyr Forest Betws-y-Coed 7km (4½ miles) 260m 2hr 15min 50 7 The Fairy Glen and Conwy Falls Betws-y-Coed 11.5km (7¼ miles) 170m 3hr 15min 55 8 Pont Gethin Pont-y-pant 5.6km (3½ miles) 60m 1hr 30min 60 9 Dolwyddelan Dolwyddelan 10km (6 miles) 140m 3hr 63 10 Lledr and Llugwy Dolwyddelan 18km (11¼ miles) 450m 5hr 15min 67 11 Crafnant and Geirionydd Capel Curig 15.5km (9½ miles) 360m 4hr 30min 73 Snowdon and the Ogwen Valley 12 Capel Curig Capel Curig 5km (3 miles) 130m 1hr 30min 80 13 Cwm Idwal Idwal Cottage 4.1km (2½ miles) 120m 1hr 15min 83 14 Bethesda and Penrhyn Bethesda 5km (3 miles) 70m 1hr 30min 87 15 Cwm Pen-Llafar Bethesda 11km (6¾ miles) 380m 3hr 15min 90 16 Moel y Ci Tregarth 8km (5 miles) 390m 2hr 45min 94 17 Llanberis and Dolbadarn Llanberis 6.7km (4½ miles) 190m 2hr 98 18 Llyn Padarn Llanberis 8.5km (5½ miles) 270m 2hr 30min 102 19 The Miners’ Track Pen-y-Pass 9.5km (6 miles) 250m 2hr 45min 108 20 Cwm Llan Bethania 7km (4½ miles) 270m 2hr 15min 112 21 Beddgelert to Pen-y-Gwryd Beddgelert 13km (8 miles) 390m 4hr 118 The Vale of Ffestiniog and the West 22 Nanmor and Aberglaslyn Beddgelert 16km (10 miles) 230m 4hr 30min 126 23 Cwm Croesor Croesor 7.7km (4¾ miles) 370m 2hr 30min 133 24 Blaenau Ffestiniog Blaenau Ffestiniog 11.5 km (7¼ miles) 370m 3hr 30min 138 25 The Vale of Ffestiniog Blaenau Ffestiniog 21.5km (13½ miles) 480m 6hr 15min 145 26 Coed Llyn y Garnedd near Maentwrog 6km (3¾ miles) 250m 2hr 152 27 Coed Felinrhyd near Maentwrog 4km (2½ miles) 190m 1hr 30min 156 28 Cwm Pennant Cwm Pennant 11km (6¾ miles) 240m 3hr 15min 159 29 Tremadog Tremadog 8.7km (5½ miles) 370m 2hr 45min 165 30 Moel-y-Gest Porthmadog 13.7km (8½ miles) 380m 4hr 170 6 7 SNOWDONIA: NORTH – LOW LEVEL AND EASY WALKS Llyn Llydaw and Glaslyn underneath Snowdon are easily reached by the Miners’ Track (Walk 19) INTRODUCTION Snowdonia is one of the most popular too often be overlooked. It is on these walking destinations in the UK. The low-level walks that you’ll discover soaring peaks, incredible views over the marks of mankind’s part in the his- the mountains and sea, and unique tory of North Wales. Neolithic settle- Welsh highland culture have inspired ments and Roman ruins stand beside mountaineers and writers for gen- the medieval castles of Welsh Princes, erations. But alongside the routes that right up to the modern remnants of the aim for the peaks are endless miles of mining industry. It is in these places low-level trails, which often provide that the human story of Snowdonia far greater variety than the high-level is best revealed, a story that is just as routes without sacrificing the exhila- much a part of the land as the millions rating views. of years of rock and ice. These low-level trails are the Wales is well known as the coun- focus of this book. Here you’ll find try with the most castles per head ancient woodland, mountain streams of population of any country in the and sparkling lakes, sandy beaches world, but there must also be a greater and heather moorland. Some low concentration of myths and legends hills are included, mostly outliers to than most other places on Earth. Just the greater mountain ranges that can in the area we’ll visit on these walks 8 9 A bridge crosses a stream towards Cwm Idwal, with the Glyderau beyond (Walk 13) SNOWDONIA: NORTH – LOW LEVEL AND EASY WALKS LANDSCAPE we meet King Arthur and Merlin on THE WALKS LANDSCAPE this landscape lay under the sea. the slopes of Snowdon, visit the scene There is no strict definition of what The shattered mountains and rough The most famous of these are the where heroes from the Mabinogion constitutes ‘low-level’ in this book. moors of North Wales have been in mudstones that were compressed fought in the Vale of Ffestiniog, and In general the trails are short, easy the making for hundreds of millions of over time to form slate, but there are hear about the terrifying Afanc, a to navigate and have no technical years. The rocks that form the moun- also limestones, especially in the monster who used to flood the Conwy