Y Garn from Ogwen

Y Garn, Welsh for the cairn, is listed at 947m at the northern end of the Glyderau, the tenth-highest mountain in Wales and one of the fifteen Welsh 3000s. Wikipedia describes its south-western side as a gentle slope to the Nant Peris valley, while the north-eastern side, the one this walk climbs, falls through two steep-sided cwms, Cwm Clyd and Cwm Cywion, to Llyn Idwal and Ogwen Cottage. The Eryri National Park Authority records that the National Trust bought the cottage in 2014 and that its Glyderau and Carneddau wardens work from it.

Walking Britain starts the circuit at Idwal Cottage, beside the Ogwen Centre car park that the Authority owns and manages and says fills quickly at busy times. The TrawsCymru T10 links Bangor, Bethesda and Betws-y-Coed and stops at Ogwen. A constructed stone path reaches Llyn Idwal in under a mile, passes the Idwal Slabs, a climbers’ crag, and then bears left of the Devil’s Kitchen to level ground at Llyn y Cwn. From there the guide calls the last stretch a dull slog on grass, with a view down on the right onto the two small lakes of Llyn Clyd. The way down follows the shoulder above Llyn Clyd and rejoins Llyn Idwal near its outflow. Llanberis is the nearest base on this site.

Walking Britain gives 7.3km and 639m of ascent, graded mod/hard, at around four hours ten minutes. The route is a walk throughout and asks only for stamina on the way up and steady footing on the way down. It suits a walker who wants a Welsh 3000 without using hands; it does not suit anyone who came for rock, because nothing on it needs a scramble. For that, Tryfan rises across the valley by a grade 1 scramble, and the guide notes Y Garn can also be joined to other Glyderau summits for a longer day.