CONWY/GWYNEDD FIFE 23 LLYN IDWAL 24 ST ANDREWS WALES SCOTLAND uDistance: 3 miles/4.8km uTime: 2 hours uGrade: Easy uDistance: 2½ miles/4km uTime: 1¼ hours uGrade: Easy PLAN YOUR WALK PLAN YOUR WALK FEATURE FEATURE SEE SEE ON PAGE 34 ON PAGE 77 PHOTO: PHOTO: LENBANISTER ROUTE KEITHFERGUS ROUTE Start/parking A pay and Start/parking North Looking back on Llyn display car park off the St Andrews cathedral Haugh car park, St Idwal from the south. A5 with visitor centre and St Rule’s Tower. Andrews, KY16 9RJ, near West end of Llyn grid ref NO501168 Ogwen, LL57 3LZ, Is it for me? On pavement CHOSEN BY… Start grid ref SH649604 CHOSEN BY… head uphill towards St Andrews Stiles None LEN BANISTER 1From the car park, walk Is it for me? Most of the KEITH FERGUS town centre. At Grannie Clark’s This short walk makes up the path to the L of the route is on the lakeside, St Andrews is a Wynd, go L and walk to reach PLANNING a great introduction visitor centre. Go through if you wish to avoid marvellous, lively The Old Course. It’s thought Nearest town the steep section and to some of the best mountain the ornamental gate. At the and historic town, one that that golf has been played St Andrews ford at the south end of Refreshments scenery in North Wales. It fork, go R until you reach bestows superb views along here since the 1400s. Follow the lake you can do so The Vic, St Andrews takes you up into the rugged Llyn Idwal. by turning R at point 3 the Fife Coast. As well as being path carefully across 18th then (Tel: 01334 476 964 ) uplands of Snowdonia, around Stiles None the ‘Home of Golf’, it also has 1st fairway (to the L is famous Public toilets East Sands, the beautiful ice-sculpted ⅔ mile/1km a plethora of fascinating and Swilken Bridge). At crossroads West Sands, Church Cwm Idwal – a bowl-shaped 2Fork L with the lake on PLANNING important buildings, including keep R, follow narrow road to Square, The Harbour, hollow filled with the your R – look up and to the Nearest towns the ruins of St Andrews Castle Golf Road (the amazing West all St Andrews Betws-y-Coed Public transport Buses L to the carefully-balanced Sands sit short distance to L). crystal-clear waters of Llyn Refreshments and the St Andrews Cathedral. from Edinburgh and Idwal. The valley is famous for Darwin Rocks which were Snack bar at start This scenic route visits a Turn R, walk past Old Course Dundee to St Andrews its rock formations and is first noted by Charles Darwin Public toilets number of the town’s finest Clubhouse to The Scores. Maps OS Explorer 371; worth exploring in spring for during his field visit to Cwm Visitor centre at start landmarks. And as the walk is Landranger 59 its rare and fragile arctic- Idwal in 1842. Continue until Public transport short, time can be taken to ⅓ mile/0.5km alpine plants, including the you reach another fork. Snowdon Sherpa buses explore the town and its Follow The Scores east run from Betws y Coed 2 insectiverous sundews. More and Bangor to Ogwen buildings, and enjoy its many through town for ½ mile to before being destroyed and adventurous walkers may 1¼ miles/1.9km car park, see: restaurants and cafes. reach magnificent 13th century subsequently rebuilt on several want to continue beyond the 3Go straight on (going www.gwynedd.gov.uk St Andrews Castle and fabulous occasions, particularly during headwall of the cwm, and R would give a shorter circuit Maps OS Explorer OL17; Start view along coast. It was once the Wars of Independence. The explore the path up beside of the lake). Soon you have Landranger 115 1From North Haugh car park, main residence of Scotland’s castle (entry £6) is well worth a the Devil’s Kitchen. to ford a stream – you may ➥ turn R onto Links Crescent, bishops and archbishops visit. Continue until roads ends ➥ GRADIENT PROFILE GRADIENT PROFILE 600 600 400 400 200 200 metres metres 0 0 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 ✁ SCOTLAND WALES FIFE FEBRUARY 2018 CONWY/GWYNEDD FEBRUARY 2018 24 ST ANDREWS 23 LLYN IDWAL uOS Explorer map 371 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop uOS Explorer map OL17 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop START 1 2 DATE WALKED DATE WALKED DATE 2 1 START ©CROWN COPYRIGHT 2018 ORDNANCE SURVEY. MEDIA 007/18 ORDNANCE SURVEY. 2018 COPYRIGHT ©CROWN 4 MEDIA 007/18 ORDNANCE SURVEY. 2018 COPYRIGHT ©CROWN 3 5 TIME TAKEN TIME TAKEN 3 4 then follow paved path, which The cathedral went on to 2 miles/3.25km drops steeply to Shorehead at become Scotland’s largest 5After passing through St Andrews Harbour and medieval church. West Port archway, turn R another fine view. onto Alexandra Place, follow 1½ miles/2.5km it to the roundabout, keep Ignore a steep, rough path rejoining the path. A gate YOUR RATING YOUR YOUR RATING YOUR DON’T MISS... 1 mile/1.5km 4Turn L from cathedral straight on along City Road. downhill and climb until you takes you across a bridge. 3Shorehead continues south grounds back along A917 then At Pilmour Links golf course go The rock reach a junction with a good Now go L, retracing your beneath walls of St Andrews R onto South Street, admiring L, continue to Links Crescent, climbers who path. [If you continue up you steps, to the car park. Cathedral. Turn R onto The many lovely buildings lining return to the start. are invariably will reach the Devil’s Kitchen… Pends, which rises gently, soon road. Go R along narrow South practising their skills the rock-face with its dramatic sweeping R under two stone Castle Street, L onto Market on the almost sheer cleft which offers an awesome © Country Walking February 2018 February Walking © Country VIEW THE WALK ON 2018 February Walking © Country VIEW THE WALK ON archways to A917. Bear R, Street then L onto Baker Lane. OS MAPS ONLINE: faces of the Idwal view of the lake below]. OS MAPS ONLINE: follow pavement to entrance Beyond archway keep L back lfto.com/cwroutes Slabs near point 3. lfto.com/cwroutes of St Andrews Cathedral and onto South Street, continue 1½ miles/2.5km St Rule’s Tower. Work began through St Andrews. Keep eye IN ASSOCIATION WITH 4Go R at the juntion. IN ASSOCIATION WITH in on cathedral in 1160 but was out for Madras College and find it easier to cross a few Descend carefully here to only dedicated, in presence of Dominican friary, thought to metres below the path. eventually walk along the King Robert the Bruce, in 1318. date from 15th century. OS MAPS Your route swings L uphill. lake-edge beach before OS MAPS ✁.