All walks › Eryri: Cadair Idris and the Mawddach
Eryri: Cadair Idris and the MawddachCadair Idris by the Minffordd Path
The finest way up the mountain, climbing into the cwm above Llyn Cau and round the rim to the summit, with the lake below the whole way.
- Distance
- 5.9 mi / 9.5 km
- Time
- 5 hr
- Ascent
- 900 m
- Difficulty
- Strenuous
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
The Minffordd Path climbs steeply to Llyn Cau, then round the rim over Craig Cau to Penygadair, descending by the north ridge. Steep at both ends.
Worth knowing
- Steeper and harder than the Pony Path but far more dramatic.
- The drop from the rim into Llyn Cau is severe; keep well back in wind.
- Nine hundred metres of ascent. Treat it as a full mountain day.
What you’ll see
Llyn Cau in its cirque, the crags of Craig Cau, and the whole of Cardigan Bay from the top.
Background
Llyn Cau is a textbook glacial cwm lake and was used by Darwin and others to argue that Wales had been glaciated.