Llyn Idwal a small walk with big views

If I am visiting North Wales it is almost given that I’ll be doing a lap of Llyn Idwal at some point. Situated in the Ogwen Valley one of my favourite parts of the Eryri National Park (Snowdonia).

This is a perfect hike to take in some of the simply gorgeous views of some of the biggest mountains in Wales, without the pressure of having to go up any. There is some steps involved and some hard trails so it is still not accessible to all but it will be for many.

Llyn Idwal is central to Cwm Idwal the landscape carved by glacial movements during the last Ice Age. Evidenced in the cliffs and rocks that surround the lake and the alpine plants.

The Route

Now the paths are all open, my favourite route to take is a nice figure of eight pattern. Heading from the visitor centre, the first junction on the path gives you a choice of heading through a rocky gorge or carrying on the rock paved path. Then you can follow the loop around the Llyn.

The surrounding summits

One of my favourite things about Llyn Idwal is the views. It is surrounded by summits of the Glyderau range with some further views of the Carneddau mountains too.

I do just adore the view of Pen Ye Ole Wen from Idwal. Even though the summit is not the tallest in the valley, and its on the opposite side, it presence still feels dominant over the landscape.

I have camped at this spot on a few occasions. This might not be the wisest of places to camp though. Not only is there a possible risk of falling stones (or boulder from the devils kitchen route) this area also contains quite a bit of wildlife. Now I don’t mind the smaller creatures, but these mountains are also the home to quite a few wild ponies. My last camp here got scratched at two am as two of the ponies appeared to be battling for supremacy. Unfortunately this battle was happening rather close to my tent, and they move with some speed and determination.

Officially camping is not allowed in the park. Although if you follow the correct guidelines for respectful wild camping and don’t turn into fly campers you should face few issues.

If I returned to the valley to camp though I would be pitching much higher up, there is quite a plateau at the top of the Kitchen route between the Glyders and Y Garn that when dry appears to be a suitable location.

Leading paths

The circular around Llyn Idwal leads to so many amazing mountain paths. I really enjoy heading up the Devils Kitchen or Twll Du towards the heights of the Glyderau range. I’ve included it in hikes to take in Glyder Fawr & Glyder Fach and I also took the same route up when I bagged Y Garn on a separate occasion.

There is also the route to get to the south face path up Tryfan from the lake although that is the one mountain in the range I am yet to tick off. It’s also not really on my list. As much as I simply love hiking up mountains, ridge paths scrambles are less my thing. Is it possible that one day I head up Tryfan, yeah it possible. I will also only ever consider summiting Tryfan during the stillest and clearest weather patterns.

The Legend of Llyn Idwal

According to legend, the lake is named after Prince Idwal, son of Owain Gwynedd. It has been said that he was drowned here after being betrayed by his jealous uncle. Local folklore says birds refuse to fly over Llyn Idwal out of respect for the young prince. Other forces may have been at power stopping the birds when that legend came to fruition though as I have seen many of them when I’ve been in the area.

The Devils Appendix

There is literally hundreds of small waterfalls flowing into Llyn Idwal, the biggest is the Devil’s Appendix. Officially it is the tallest single-drop waterfall in Wales and one of the highest in the UK, plunging over 300 feet. It follows down from the Glyderau summits before feeding into Llyn Idwal itself.

Llyn Idwal at sunset

Since it is a valley in a valley, the last of the sun disappears prior to the official sunset. That does mean that into the evening the valley can get quite cold. It also means that as the sun does hit the hidden horizon a soft pink and orange glow gets the chance to highlight the mountain ridges. If you’re hanging around for the last of the sun be sure to have a torch in you pack as once that the sun passes the horizon the dark of the valley can kick in quite quickly.

Parking in the Ogwen Valley

There is quite a few options for parking in the Ogwen Valley. Be warned that even with a lot of options in good weather at the weekend (any time day or night) it can be difficult to get a spot.

There is a selection of free car parking options along the A5 as you approach Llyn Ogwen. There is road side parking for a big stretch. This is before a few bigger free car parking areas on either side of the road. These car parks are also suitable for overnight parking for those with camper. Not bad if you enjoy car camping like me too.

There is also paid parking at the visitors centre, which also offers a few spaces right outside for free for 15 minutes. Helpful if you need to stop to use the facilities.

Ogwen Valley Facilities

That is another good aspect of the Ogwen Valley, unlike many parking areas in the National Park this one has 24/7 toilets available. This is a massive bonus for those heading for sunrise/sunset hikes, or those parking up to stay overnight.

There is also a small cafe which opens during day with seasonal opening times, they make a cracking brew there though.