Ogwen Valley, Wales
By The Alpines · Updated 2025-02-15 · 7 min read
Cwm Idwal is the most accessible mountain scenery in Snowdonia. In just a couple of hours and 5km of walking, you enter a glacial cwm surrounded by 600m cliffs, walk around a dark mountain lake, and stand beneath the Devil's Kitchen — a dramatic gash in the headwall where mist pours through the rock like steam.
The walk starts from the Ogwen Valley car park and follows a well-made path into the cwm. Llyn Idwal sits in a natural amphitheatre formed by the cliffs of Glyder Fawr, Y Garn, and the Idwal Slabs. The lake circuit is mostly on good paths with some rocky sections on the far side. The scenery is out of all proportion to the effort — you're surrounded by the same cliffs that mountaineers and rock climbers travel from across the UK to tackle.
Cwm Idwal was the first National Nature Reserve in Wales, designated in 1954 for its unique Arctic-Alpine plants that survived the last Ice Age in these shaded, north-facing cliffs. Charles Darwin studied the geology here and recognised the evidence of glaciation. It's a walk with layers — dramatic scenery, natural history, and geological interest all packed into a short circuit.
From the Ogwen Valley car park (by the A5), a well-maintained stone path climbs gently into the cwm. Within 20 minutes the landscape transforms — the road noise fades and the cliffs close in around you. Llyn Idwal appears below, dark and still, ringed by scree and rock. The Idwal Slabs — a famous rock climbing venue — rise steeply to the left.
Follow the path around the lake. The eastern (left) shore is the easier path on stone slabs. At the head of the cwm, the Devil's Kitchen comes into view — a vertical cleft in the cliff where water seeps and mist gathers. The return along the western shore is rougher, with some boulder-hopping and rocky sections that require care when wet. The full circuit brings you back to the outflow and the path down to the car park.
Cwm Idwal is walkable year-round and impressive in every season. Winter is arguably the most dramatic — the cliffs can hold ice and snow, and the Devil's Kitchen steams in cold air. The cwm is quiet and atmospheric in winter, though the western shore path can be icy.
Spring brings Arctic-Alpine flowers to the cliff ledges. Summer is busy — the car park fills early on weekends and bank holidays. Autumn is excellent, with quieter paths and moody skies that suit the landscape. Cloudy days are actually better here than clear ones — the mist in the Devil's Kitchen and the brooding cliffs are most dramatic when the weather is atmospheric.
A short, gentle walk with one rougher section. The path into the cwm is excellent. The western shore of the lake involves some boulder-hopping that requires sure-footedness. Overall, this is one of the easiest mountain walks in Snowdonia.
120m of easy climbing on a well-made stone path into the cwm
The western shore of Llyn Idwal has boulders and wet rock — requires careful foot placement
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Last updated: 2025-02-15 · 7 min read