Walking - Snowdonia - Cwm Idwal nature trail

 Another fabulous adventure in Snowdonia! And on this occasion the area really lived up to it's name! It really is starting to become one of my favourite places in the country.

Distance 3 miles (4.8km)

Minimum time 2hrs 30min

Ascent/gradient 1,706ft (520m)

Level of difficulty Medium

Paths Well-defined paths, 2 stiles

Landscape High mountain cwm

Suggested map aqua3 OS Explorer OL17 Snowdon

Start/finish SH 649603

Dog friendliness Dogs should be on leads

Parking Small car park at Ogwen

Public toilets At car park

Llyn Idwal

 If you cannot find a parking spot at Idwal cottage, there are a few other car parks around Lynn Ogwen, a little further up the A5, so you don't have to dump your car on the pavement like some people do!

 The route

1 The Cwm Idwal nature trail starts to the left of the toilet block at Ogwen and climbs up the hillside to pass some impressive waterfalls before turning right and continuing up the hill.

                                                                      Look, it's Prince William's helicopter!

2 Go through a gate in a fence, that marks the boundary of the National Nature Reserve, and turn left along the side of Llyn Idwal's eastern shores. The clear footpath climbs into the dark shadows of Cwm Idwal.

3 Now you leave the nature trail, which turns right to complete a circuit around the lake. Instead ascend beneath the rock climbing grounds of the Idwal Slabs and across the stream of Nant Ifan, beyond which the footpath zig-zags up rough boulder ground to the foot of Twll Du - the Devil's Kitchen. If the weather, and preferably the forecast too, are fine climb to Llyn y Cwn at the top of this impressive defile, if not, skip this bit and go to Point 6.

4 To ascend Twll Du climb the engineered path as it angles left up the rock face, which will now be on your right-hand side, above an extensive area of scree and boulder. At the top you come to a relatively gentle (by comparison) grassy hollow between the rising summits of Y Garn, to the right, and Glyder Fawr, to the left.

5 Just beyond the first grassy mounds you come across the small tarn of Llyn y Cwn - the dog lake - which makes a great picnic spot. Now retrace your steps carefully to the bottom of Twll Du.

6 From here descend the rocky ground down to the western side of Llyn Idwal. The path reaches, then rounds, the northern shoreline to meet the outward route at the gate near the outflow stream, Point 2. Now follow the route of your outward journey back to the car park at Ogwen.

Snow hole video