|
Idwal Cottage > llyn Bochlwyd
> Glyder Fach > Glyder Fawr > Y Garn
|
|
Distance: 6.58 miles
(10.6km)
|
Height Gain: 3403 ft (1037
m)
|
|
Overview: Circular walk from Idwal
Cottage, over the Glyders and down via Y Garn
|
Maps: Ordnance Survey OL17 / LR 115
|
|
Overall Grade: 4
|
Start Point: SH
649 603 - Idwal
Cottage
|
Idwal Cottage, next to Llyn Ogwen and complete with handy Youth
Hostel has a great mountain feel with the Carnedds on one side of the
road and the Glyders on the other. This week's route is a classic
mountain route that bypasses the crowds on Tryfan and takes you
straight up onto Glyder Fach's rocky plateau, leads you across Glyder
Fawr then down to the top of the Devil's Kitchen, then, in a neat
twist, heads up Y Garn and back down to the starting point via one of
the lesser uses ridges of Y Garn. Simply a lovely walk taking in
three of Snowdonia's 3,000-foot summits :-)
Section 1 Idwal Cottage to Bwlch Tryfan
|
Length: 1.28 miles (2.06
Km)
|
Height Gain: 1378 Ft (420
m)
|
From the car park at
Idwal Cottage -
SH
649 603 -head south-east on the
obvious paved path towards to the far end (south) of Tryfan. The path
splits where it crosses a small footbridge, with the paved section
trending south west to Llyn Idwal and the Devil's Kitchen. At this
point continue south east using
Bwlch Tryfan, the dip between
the southe end of Tryfan and the start of Bristly Ridge, as a guide.
The path is now simply a track across the open hillside, which can
be difficult to locate at times. The ground gets steeper as you climb
towards Llyn Bochlwyd (below). Keep the stream to your left till the
lake appears, then cross Nant Bochlwyd and contour ar ound the north
end of the lake over boulders. From here the path is obvious,
climbing steeply to Bwlch Tryfan where you cross the style to a
junction in the path.
Section 2 - Bwlch Tryfan to Glyder Fach
|
Length: 1.22 Miles
(1.96Km)
|
Height Gain: 951 Ft (290
m)
|
At
Bwlch Tryfan several routes all come together. To
the left is the route up the south end of Tryfan, and to the right
lie two routes up Glyder Fach - but not our chosen path. One of the
two routes up Tryfan takes a direct line up the rocks of
Bristly
Ridge, a grade 1 scramble, while the other takes a line up the
unstable scree slope that comes down from the summit plateau.
Straight ahead you can easily pick out an obvious route that cuts
diagonally across the hillside to the west ridge of Glyder Fawr, and
this is our route. Continue south-east along this path as it slowly
climbs the flank of the ridge till it meets the Miners Path from
Pen-Y-Gwryd at SH
667 582.
Turn right here, along the ridge back up to the summit plateau of
Glyder Fach. You emerge onto a rock strewn plateau that has
more than a hint of a lunar landscape. Pass the famous Cantilever
and continue west to Castell Y Gwynt (Castle of the WInds) with its
amazing natural boulder sculpture and on the few metres to the summit
of Glyder Fach.
Section 3 - Glyder Fach to Llyn Y Cwn
|
Length: 1.49 Miles (2.4
Km)
|
Height Gain: 282Ft (86
m)
|
The path to Gyder Fawr continues along the ridge, with Y Gribbin
seperating Cwm Bochlwyd from Cwm Cneifion (The Namelss Cwm) on your
right. From the summit of Glyder Fawr the route curves north
west, leaving behind the rock jumble of the summit plateau as it
descends a steep scree slope which can be precarious in sub-zero
conditions.
In bad weather it's worth making sure you don't miss the point at
which the path changes direction -SH
641 578. The path descends through the middle of the scree slope
to another junction, at SH
638 585, where the popular descent via the Devils Kitchen to llyn
Idwal sets off on the right. Immediately to the left is Llyn y
Cwn (lake of the dogs).
Section 4 - Lyn Y Cwn to Idwal Cottage
|
Length: 2.53 Miles (4.07
Km)
|
Height Gain: 742 Ft
(226m)
|
From the north end of Llyn y Cwn cross the main
Llanberis pass to Llyn Idwal path and take the long climb north west
up the flank of Y Garn. The going is much easier here, having
left the rocks of the Glyders behind, and the views down into the
Ogwen Valley and across to Pen Yr Ole Wen can be spectacular.
I've seen more temperature inversions from the Glers and Y Garn
than anywhere else in the country, and the view across to Tryfan in
winter is a match for almost anything in the Alps. At SH
634 593 you reach the edge of Cwm Clyd and the path turns left to
skirt the edge of the cliffs. Follow the edge round, and up the final
100m to the summit of Y Garn - the third summit over 3000ft on
this walk.
From the summit a short descent, again following the edge with the
cliffs providing a "handrail" on your right, leads to the ridge that
defines the northern side of Cwm Clyd. This is the north east
ridge of Y Garn, and the route down to Llyn Idwal.
|
|
|
Looking across to Cwm
Idwal from Pen yr Ole Wen
|
Although narrow in places the path is always obvious, with big drops
to both sides. As the path approaches the top of Pinnacle Crag it
does an "S" before bringing you out onto level ground between Llyn
Idwal and Idwal Cottage. The path now moves left again, heading north
east to a gash in the rocks and the last few metres back to your
start point.
pete ashton
