All walks › Eryri: Ogwen and the Carneddau
Eryri: Ogwen and the CarneddauLlyn Ogwen Circuit
Round the lake below Tryfan on the old road, with the mountains stacked either side and none of the climbing that everyone else in the valley is doing.
- Distance
- 4.3 mi / 7 km
- Time
- 2 hr 20
- Ascent
- 120 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- 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 old drovers’ road runs along the northern shore away from the traffic, returning on the A5 verge or by the same path. Level throughout.
Worth knowing
- The northern shore path is the line of the old Holyhead road, well away from the modern traffic.
- Excalibur is supposed to have been thrown into this lake, one of several Welsh candidates.
- The lake is shallow, barely three metres at its deepest despite the setting.
What you’ll see
Tryfan and the Glyderau reflected in the water, Pen yr Ole Wen at the western end.
Background
Telford rebuilt the road along the southern shore in the 1820s as part of the London to Holyhead route; the northern track is older.