Eryri: Cwm Idwal

Okay so Cwm Idwal is a pretty busy place. With easy access from nearby parking, the lovely Llyn Idwal isn’t exactly a place you visit for tranquility, but walk a little further from the water and you’ll actually find yourself some decent personal space. Especially in winter. And especially on a cold and cloudy day.

Having left home in Hertfordshire at the crack of dawn, I was glad to arrive after a four hour drive to find parking in one of the many lay-bys on the A5 a little down the road from the National Trust hut. Grabbing my gear and walking westwards to the lake, I enjoyed a stroll along the river, taking in the sounds of the waterfalls and birds before the majority of Dryrobes-and-white-trainers crowd arrived. The ground here can be a little boggy but isn’t that part of the fun?

As the day passed, with much faffing of camera gear and awkwardly self aware performances of walking past the camera looking wistful, I made my way uphill and began looking for a quiet corner to spend the night. Venture off the path and there are plenty of small pockets with reasonably flattish pitches. I could see head torches across on Pen Y Ole Wen late into the night, and the following morning I saw plenty of campers down by the llyn, but nobody had disturbed me in my little secret corner of the Ogwen Valley.