We’re in Snowdonia, should we try to climb Snowdon or not?
That was the big question we asked ourselves on this trip and it caused a huge amount of deliberation. For a start, as a group of four, we weren’t entirely kitted out in the right gear.
- The wrong trousers: three out of four were in jeans, the fourth in leggings.
- The wrong footwear: three out of four had proper walking boots, the fourth had trainers.
- Bad knees: one of the four was happy to go up but hours of walking downhill would kill him.
- Lack of time: if we were to tackle the trip we would need a good few hours and some of us had trouble getting out of bed.
We did consider taking the mountain railway but this was deemed a cop-out and anyway, it was rather expensive and some of us weren’t keen on squeezing up close to strangers on a train. The ideal compromise would have been to walk up and take the train down (save on the knees) but this wasn’t possible as you can’t book just a return train journey.
In the end, poor old Snowdon was given the heave-ho and we opted for a walk around nearby Cwm Idwal. This would be an ideal test: if we could do this, we could maybe invest in decent walking gear and tackle Yr Wyddfa another day.
Whenever I plan trips I have a tendency to over-organise. I should know by now that it’s wise to follow one set of directions and one map. Instead I downloaded a route for Cwm Idwal from the National Trust website and another from the official Snowdonia National Park website. I was unaware that each walk was slightly different.
- National Trust: Hard walk, 3 hours, 3 miles
- Snowdonia National Park: Easy Mountain Walk, 2 hours, 3 miles
If I had looked at each map I would have known that, despite it saying ‘hard’ and ‘3 hours’ the National Trust advice showed an easy walk around the lake whereas the Snowdonia one showed a much steeper ascent away from the water. In hindsight I think the National Trust walks are graded to cover all types of walks in the whole country whereas the official Snowdonia routes are grading walks within, funnily enough, Snowdonia.
On the day itself I was oblivious to all of this. I was excited to be visiting Cwm Idwal as it brought back so many memories of geography field trips both at school and university. A cwm is the same as a corrie/hanging valley/cirque: a typical feature of glacial erosion. Scooped out by ice thousands of years ago, the cwm holds the beautiful Llyn Idwal, sitting very pretty and hidden from the main valley.
I do like to know about the history of a place as well as its geography so was quite touched by this tale about the valley. In the 12th century Owain, prince of Gwynedd, entrusted the care of his son, Idwal, to Nefydd Hardd. Bad decision as Nefydd was envious of clever Idwal (his own son was not so talented) and somehow, in his care, Idwal was drowned in the lake. Nefydd was banished and the lake named Idwal in memory of Owain’s son. It is said that no bird flies over the lake’s surface and that a wailing voice can be heard when there is a storm. I can’t say I noticed whether there were birds or not but there was definitely some wailing from a couple in our party when the route became a bit tricky.
Thankfully we chose a glorious day for our little trek – just the right amount of sunshine and shade, no rain, just a little breeze. Once we had started on our walk and the lake itself appeared to us, we knew we had made a great decision to come here as it was a stunning sight.
One of the walking notes suggested if we looked to the east towards the mountain of Tryfan, we would see a reclining facial image: Neolithic man, Indian chief with headdress or Homer Simpson? You decide.
We spotted the Darwin Idwal boulders, noted by the great man himself during his field visit in 1842. We also admired the terrific Idwal Slabs, a training ground for many pioneering mountaineers including Edmund Hillary and his Welsh team mate Charles Evans. The slabs are named Rhiwiau Caws in Welsh which means ‘slopes of cheese’. I had visions of Wallace and Gromit clambering up them in the vain hope of finding a stash of Wensleydale at the top.
It was here the two walking routes parted company. The National Trust one told us to follow the path down right towards a level area. It did suggest there was an alternative high level route but it warned it ‘should only be attempted by competent hill-walkers as it involves very rough, steep ground and a difficult stream crossing’. As the Snowdonia one didn’t mention this choice, we carried on, unaware we had now classed ourselves ‘competent hill-walkers’ .
There was indeed a difficult stream crossing and I was tempted to turn round and go back until our son, Rory, surprised us all by taking charge and leading us further upstream to negotiate the crossing at a slightly easier junction.
Having reached the halfway point, we admired the spectacular view. We then noticed the lower path which we might well have taken if we had known what we were doing. I’m so glad we did persevere in order to see this extraordinary sight.
We headed back down via an area of large boulders which had been left there by the retreating glacier before eventually finding a series of steps which led us back to the lake, civilisation and our comfort zone.
Like childbirth, I totally forgot the scary parts and basked in the afterglow of achievement. We found a place selling lamb and mint pasties at the visitors’ centre and ate them with gusto, telling ourselves that actually the walk had been a doddle.
Snowdon? Bring it on!
My other posts about our trip to Wales
Mum’s gone to Wales: Caernarfon
Oh, that looks right up our alley, Trish! At least you were clever enough to print out your (slightly divergent) maps: when we were trying to find our ‘secret’ beach last weekend in Cornwall, we thought the Coastal Path would be a bit better marked than it was – and then ended up sadly trying to get a mobile signal to see if we could figure out where we were meant to be going…sigh. We did get there, though. I think it was very noble of you not to name names, by the way. Clearly, you had your hiking boots at the ready! ; ) Gorgeous photos, we really need to get to Wales – but first, Cambridge!x
Things are never as simple as they seem. You’re right, markings not always that clear and it just takes one small detour and chaos can ensue.
Definitely still on for Cambridge whenever you’re ready. September/October will be a great time to visit x
Fabulous walk and some amazing views. A good challenge too for those who had not enjoyed the experiences of geography field trips. 🙂
It was just the right amount of excitement/hard work to want us all to do more of this in future. I think if we had tackled something bigger we would have struggled and it might have put us off.
What a beautiful place! Thanks for sharing the history too. That’s so interesting about the lake! Although quite sad too…
I was staggered at how beautiful it was – such a good choice for our walk. It was sad thinking of the history and legends of the lake.
Looks so majestic, like Scotland. I hadn’t realized this area was so beautiful, have only done the coast there. What a great walk!
We had never visited as a family before (I had been once as a child) and it really was stunning. Will definitely return, so much to see.
Slopes of cheese! How fantastic. Hope you take the right trousers next time so I can get to see more shots from high up! Great post.
Absolutely – the right trousers are on my shopping list!
Oh my gosh, it’s absolutely beautiful! I haven’t made it to Snowdonia yet, but it’s firmly on my list!
Emma we were spellbound. I love Scotland and the Lake District for their mountains but had no idea what Snowdonia had to offer – the answer is lots!
Beautiful photos of Snowdonia. We chickened out of doing Snowdon too the last time visited. Hello from Scotland & #MondayEscapes
Why be a sheep and do the same as everyone else – that’s what I said when we chickened out too!
Hello Scotland – will be seeing you very soon 🙂
Ah, that sounds just like something that would happen to the husband and I. For some reason, we are incapable of actually completely a route without getting lost at least once. Whether we’ve got the map attached to the front of our bikes and following a GPS, or we’re following a signposted route, I can guarantee we’re going to get lost at some point!
It all makes for a good story in the end though!
I love the photos and it does look like a gorgeous hike!
~ K
It always seems so easy with GPS or a map, doesn’t it, and yet they aren’t foolproof. Glad to know we aren’t the only ones who constantly take the wrong route!
Stunning photos! This sounds very similar to when we climes Snowden in the gog. We weren’t as prepared as you and hadn’t looked at the routes. We thought we’d take the easy route but ended up following some people,precariously balancing on the ķnives edge,crib Goch. It was only on our decent we realised the pyg track is a much easier route to take especially in bad weather! Thanks for sharing #MondayEscapes
Oh my, I feel dizzy just thinking about that!
We follow people too, although on this trip I think some hikers followed us with their dog and I’m not sure they expected to be taking the hard route either.
I see the Indian chief! My husband is a very keen climber. If he sees a hill or a mountain he has to climb, or better still, run it, so we’re often trailing after him. He’s just told me he’s ‘only’ climbed Snowdon twice so he’d adore some time in Snowdonia with the three of us. Think we’d be taking one of the easier routes though!
Thankfully as a family we are pretty much of the same standard, though our son, at 20, obviously has much more energy. I do think I would like to go back and try Snowdon, even if it does take all day. I imagine your husband would love exploring with the family this time.
I passed up a hiking trip to Snowdonia, while living in London, especially because it was mentioned that it was a difficult hike. Enjoyed reading about your hike around Cwm Idwal and the story of how the lake got its name. Glad you were able to enjoy the amazing views, despite the steep inclines you encountered!
Climbing Snowdon itself can be difficult, though some trails are easier than others, but there are so many other hikes to tackle in the same area and well worth it. Cwm Idwal was a great place to start and we’ll definitely return.
What a beautiful place, I never heard of it before, even though I notice that it’s well known in the UK 😀
Not sure I could finish the hike though haha… but it looks totally worth it! Way to go!
Thank you for joining #MondayEscapes 😀
We do have some beautiful mountain ranges in the UK and people do have their favourites.
I’m sure you could do the hike – I did and I’m usually a wimp.
So beautiful – we really don’t live that far from here and It’s embarrassing that I’ve never been. I must go soon. xx #mondayescapes
Isn’t that always the way. We never truly appreciate what’s on our doorstep.