Weekly Route: Glyders And Y Garn

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.

---

Route Map - bigger version

 

---