On Monday 13th May we left Bristol for the Snowdonia National Park at 10am. The route taken involved the M5, A449, A442, M54 and A5 took 4 hours 20 minutes with a 15 minute stop near Shrewsbury. On arrival at Rynys Farm Camping Site Nr. Betws-y-Coed LL26 0RU I received a warm welcome from Carol and Gareth Williams, set up my driveaway awning had a quick lunch before heading off for our first walk.
The start of our first walk Cwm Idwal walk was located at Ogwen Cottage, Nant Ffrancon, Bethesda, LL57 3LZ. I parked in the main car park and paid £3. There was free parking about a quarter of a mile back along the road and some vehicles were parked on the deep pavement just outside the main area which had toilets and a cafe selling cold and hot drinks and food.
The walk from Ogwen Cottage and Ranger Base, grid ref: SH 650603 and is listed as moderate, 3 hours and 3 miles (4.8 km). I took 3 hours to complete with at least 1 hour of additional walking and photography, so I am sure this could be completed in a couple of hours.
It is a beautiful walk the start can be found to the left of the visitor centre and takes you up to a gate and on to a oak bridge. The boulder path then turns right and up to Lake Idwal. The walk can be taken clockwise or anti-clockwise around the lake which is surrounded by the peak of Y Garn and the headwall of Cwm Idwal, known as ‘The Devil’s kitchen’.
On returning to the campsite it was time for a shower and dinner followed by a leisurely walk up in the woods. I am so glad I took my camera to capture the beautiful bluebells.
In the morning after a good breakfast it was time to undertake our main walk up Mt Snowdon. It was our plan to take the train up and walk down but this plan was ruined when I found out they do not allow dogs on the train. Carol helped by explaining that she advises all campers to walk up the PYG route and walk down the Miners route from Pen-y-Pass. We set off on the A5, through Betws-y-Coed to Capel Curig, then left towards Llanberis, then right by the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel up to the pass. Parking is at the top on the left and costs £10. The PYG walk starts in the left hand corner of the upper car park and ascends steeply. We picked a great day for the weather and enjoyed the fantastic views of the 3 lakes on the left hand side of the path. It took 3 hours to walk to the summit due to the heat and the many fluid and photography stops.
After a short stop at the top we made our way back down. We retraced our tracks for a while until a marker pointed the Miners route. The Miners route was an easier route but longer to finally return to the Pen-y-Pass car park. The route takes you along the banks of the lakes and past the old Miners buildings and workings.
Our next planned walk meant returning to Ogwen Cottage LL57 3LZ. I had a printed Walking Britain Walk 3019 Y Garn & Carnedd y Filiast Walk which was a personal account of the walk so I went into the National Trust Office and checked the route. The staff were very helpful especially Mary who read through my route and explained the main points to look out for. The start point for this walk is to the left of the information office but on starting up the steps aim right up a gorge. The path ahead leads over the fields towards a stone wall with a wooden gate. Going through the gate the steps in front can be followed with the steep ascent of Y Garn. The ascent is steep and took 2 hours with a difficult area of loose stone on the final ascent. On the way up the views back over Lake Idwal, Lake Ogwen and along Nant Francon out to Bangor were fantastic.
From the summit of Y Garn the route descends north keeping to the edge of the crags, which are on the right hand side. Another descent and ascent to Mynydd Prefedd with an excellent view looking north with Bangor and the North Wales coastline in the distance. On reaching the final summit, Carnedd y Filiast the high level section has been completed. The descent into the valley is rough and largely without a path. The path at the top section is marked with loose slate and is at 75 degree angle from the top and finally arrives at the quiet road at the bottom of the valley. I found a track that worked towards Ogwen Cottage which is visible on the decent until I came across a small waterfall. It is worth noting that the ground is marshy at the bottom
Our final day started by visiting Swallow Falls approximately 2 miles west of Betws-y-Coed on the A5. I parked a quarter of a mile after passing the entrance to the falls in a free parking area and walked back. The entrance fee is £2 and once inside there are good areas on different levels to photograph the falls.
Later we travelled to Harlech Castle where we found a local walk up above in the hills overlooking the castle and down to Tremadog Bay.
Rynys Farm campsite is set in a scenic and peaceful location ideally positioned for Betws-y-Coed approximately 2 miles away and Mt Snowdon a 25 minutes drive. The campsite had a friendly atmosphere with spotlessly clean facilities. Carol was very helpful with her local knowledge and I look forward to returning when I next travel to Snowdonia.