Llyn, gorge and mountain

WALK: Beddgelert, Llyn Dinas, Cwm Bychan and the Aberglaslyn Pass, Gwynedd

Right in the heart of Snowdonia, surrounded by craggy, frost-cracked mountains, is the cosy village of Beddgelert. For a taste of this dramatic landscape, follow in the footsteps of Julie Brominicks

“The trees were so thick that a man on a white horse could not be seen from Llyn y Dinas to Pen y Gwryd,” wrote English poet John Leland after visiting Llyn Dinas (pictured) in 1538. Today, the lake can be easily accessed on a multi-user trail

Imagine. Frosted bracken, a frozen lake. Snow silence. Ice-white, cloud-white, breath-white. Beddgelert’s encircling summits may well be snowy in January, and icy weather still does occasionally visit this route that traverses the low terrain of central Eryri (Snowdonia).

It weaves through or alongside National Trust Cymru land, from Beddgelert at the confluence of the Glaslyn and Colwyn rivers, to glassy Llyn Dinas, the remnants of Sygun Copper Mine, Bwlchy-Sygun, and the path clutching Afon Glaslyn. But more often than snow, you’ll encounter rain. Listen. The gusting of wet wind, the gurgle of streams. Afon Glaslyn’s crashing crescendo.

“When I am gone, I hope my friends will not… follow blindly in the track which I have trodden,” said Octavia Hill, one of the founding members of the National Trust in 1898. “New circumstances require various efforts – the quick eye to see, the true soul to measure, the large hope to grasp the mighty issues of the new.” Climate change being a mighty issue of the new (and congestion on narrow roads being a tedious one), it is in Hill’s spirit that I recommend beginning this walk not at the National Trust car park at Nantmor, but at Beddgelert – where there are pubs, cafés, a pleasing legend about a dog and, crucially, buses to and from Porthmadog and Caernarfon.

Clockwise from top left: A footbridge crosses the Afon Glaslyn where the river flows out of Llyn Dinas; The path hugs the river through Aberglaslyn Pass; Look for industrial relics at Sygun Copper Mine

THE ROUTE

5.5 miles/8.8km | 3.5 hours | MODERATE-CHALLENGING

1. VALLEY WANDER

From the village toilets on Stryd Street, cross the footbridge then turn left, following Lôn Gwynant – alow-level walking route that links Beddgelert with Nant Gwynant.

2. PRECIOUS METAL

After a mile or so, you will arrive at Sygun Copper Mine, which is closed at times in winter but worth bearing in mind for summer. Meanwhile, rusting wheels, pulleys and relics are visible elsewhere on this route. Opened in the 18th century, Sygun produced copper that was traded in Abertawe (Swansea) until small mines became uncompetitive.

3. PLACID WATERS

At Llyn Dinas, the white noise of Afon Glaslyn cedes to the silent glacial lake, framed here by a Photos: Alamy, National Trust Images filigree of branches and an escort of peaks – Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) herself and consorts. Turning immediately right, take the stony path that climbs roughly south up Bwlch-y-Sygun.

4. PLATEAU VIEWS

After half a mile and 150m of ascent you will reach a boggy plateau, with views back to Llyn Dinas, set in an ice-scoured landscape. Enjoy, too, the copper and burnt sienna hues of plants around the spoil tips, which themselves are still too toxic for regeneration. Follow signs pointing left to Aberglaslyn.

5. HILLTOP RELICS

A further half a mile and 100m of ascent brings you to Bwlch-y-Sygun. Take the left path and descend south then south-south-west down Cwm Bychan, passing copper-mine pulleys and wheels, confronting sea views and coastal wind.

Bearing right along a tributary to Afon Glaslyn, mixed woodland leads you to the National Trust car park and toilet block at Nantmor.

6. GURGLING GORGE

The Fisherman’s Path returns you, thrillingly, to Beddgelert. Treacherous when icy, this trail is hewn from the rocky bank, providing passage along the river as it tumbles, all cauldrons and angry jacuzzis, torrents and chasms and pools. Cross the narrow-gauge railway then a footbridge to return to Beddgelert along the left bank.

SITE DETAILS
The National Trust looks after the Craflwyn and Beddgelert Estate. NT car park and toilets at Nantmor. nationaltrust.org.uk/craflwyn-and-beddgelert

Julie Brominicks is a landscape writer who lives in Wales.

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