| This walk is currently being updated, it will be finished soon.
The starting point of this trek is the car park
at Minffordd, just off the B4405 as it leaves the A487
Main Road from Dolgellau to Machynlleth, it is well
kept and also has toilet facilities. Parking here is
no longer free and for those planning to do the whole walk you will need to pay an extortionate four pounds of your hard earned cash. The facilities have in my opinion got worse since the car park started charging so I've no idea where the money is going but lets hope eventually it is put back into the facilities provided.
Dol-y-cae Track
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Nant Cadair & Moel Mynydd
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The start is found by going through the gate behind the toilet block. Turn right down the track and over the bridge. The track then turns left and passes the old National Trust building
at Dol-Y-Cae, after that it crosses a tumbling Nant Cadair. Here head through the gateway on the right and take the woodland path heading steep up hill with the tumbling falls of Nant Cadair on your right. The path here is more like a staircase in places. You will after a while pass a bench on the right of the path, ideal an excuse for a sit down, the views down into the falls of the Nant Cadair another excuse. Continuing up hill on the path it crosses a stone slab brideg over a small stream and the ater a while starts to open up above the woodland now below. The views back over the valley here are fantastic.
Once the path gets to the top of the climb through the woodlands it will reach a path junction with the signposts pointing and saying Cwm Cau left and Moel Mynydd right. Here take the left path still heading up hill into the valley above. The path to the right here over the hug slate slab bridge will be bottom of the descent path later. The
path will now round Ystrad-gwyn and lead you through the wide Nant Cadair
valley up and into the awesome Llyn Cau. As you get closer to Cwm Cau itself you will see the huge natural wall of morraine caused by the retreatin glacier. The path also passes some huge boilerplate slabs to its right as it gets closer to Llyn Cau. You will eventually
need to go left at the Llyn Cau but I suggest first
a walk down to the shores of Llyn Cau, stand and look
around 360 to gaze in awe at the huge cliffs of Bwlch
Cau that fall from the summit of Penygadair and the stunning profile of Craig Cwm Amarch straight ahead. From here you can follow the line of your route from left to right skirting the rim of this huge basin.
Llyn Cau
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Standing Stone
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Head back to the path at the point where you left it by the boilerplate slabs. Turn right and head south up the steep but well laid path to the col on Craig Lwyd high above. Once at the top of the col head right or west up a rough but obvious rocky path which will take you through heather and past some lovely quartz in rocks. The path
Cliff edge path on Craig Cau
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Stile on Craig Cau path
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You will eventually see the fence which seems to run
all the way across the mountain and this can be used
as a great placement tool for knowing where you are
on the mountain. There are a few stiles over the fence
and no matter which one you end up taking they all end
up either joining the Pony Path which comes from the
North Western side of the mountain or the path you should
be following, but if you do end up misplaced just head
for the summit.
The path to the summit continues to be well posted
with rock piles. The final climb to the Penygadair summit
is covered in some hug boulders which can be quite difficult
and slippery in bad weather. Once the summit is finally
reached you will on a bad day see absolutely nothing
and on a good day see one of the best 360 views in Britain.
The Barmouth estuary, Cambrian Mountain, Brecons and
Snowdonia are all fantastically seen from this summit
on a good day.
Summit Hut
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Summit Hut Shelter
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The summit cairn at 893M high is clear on top of a
mass of boulders and the famous summit hut lies just
underneath standing proud and almost invincible to the
battering it must take from the winds of the Irish Sea.
The hut is a great relief on a bad day as I learnt on
my first visit to the summit. The hut is a modern version
of a 19th century hut that was made famous by an old
lady who would climb early in the morning to the summit
and rewarded tea to all those who visited.
Summit Hut Views
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Penygadair Summit
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Now leave the summit cairn heading South East towards
the path that leads round the top of the Llyn Cau cliffs,
this path is very close to the edges and care must be
taken in bad visibility. After a 1 1/2 mile trek and
crossing the small waterfalls the path will eventually
bend round to the right and then the decent back down
to the Nant Cadair stream begins. Once descended you
will be back at the point where you earlier took the
path to the left so just join the path and follow the
descent down the valley again and through the forest
back to the car park.
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Duration
: 5.5 Hrs
