Cadair Idris
893 m
United Kingdom
Also known as Cader IdrisAlso known as
Cader Idris
- Elevation
- 893 m
- Prominence
- 608 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- May–Jun
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2The most popular and most scenic route: from Dôl Idris near Tal-y-llyn, up steep woodland steps beside Nant Cadair into Cwm Cau, then round the rim of the cirque above Llyn Cau over Craig Cau and Bwlch Cau to Penygadair. 9 km return, 788 m of ascent, about 6 hours.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 4.7 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +874 m
- −82 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 893 m
- Time Up
- 3h 40m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 2h 37m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at the Eryri National Park car park at Dôl Idris (about 100 m), next to the T2 bus stop at Minffordd. Go through the kissing gates past the visitor centre and climb the long stone staircase through oak woodland beside the Nant Cadair waterfalls to open hillside. Bear left at the fork (do not cross the bridge), keeping the stream on your right, and follow the pitched path into Cwm Cau. Before the lake, take the left fork towards the summit; the right fork leads to Llyn Cau. The path climbs the southern rim of the cwm, marked by cairns, with views down to Llyn Cau and its cliffs and south over mid Wales. The section up to Craig Cau (791 m) is steep, loose and badly eroded; cross the stile at the top. Follow the cliff edge steeply down to Bwlch Cau (about 700 m), passing the top of the 'Stone Shoot', a dangerous gully down to Llyn Cau, then climb a final steep, slippery zigzag and a few minutes of easy scrambling to the summit Penygadair, with its trig point and roofed stone shelter. Return the same way. About 25 m past the ruined fireplace below the summit the path forks: keep left, as the right fork descends the north side. The National Park grades the route hard/strenuous and says navigation skills are essential; the cliff edges of Cwm Cau are a danger in mist and high wind.
Start
Dôl Idris101 m
- TrawsCymru T2 (Bangor–Dolgellau–Machynlleth–Aberystwyth) stops at Minffordd (Hotel for Cader Idris), two minutes from Dôl Idris
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dôl Idris → Penygadair | 4.7 | 874 | 82 | 3h 40m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Dôl Idris101 m
Pay and display; toilets; T2 bus stop 'Minffordd Hotel'
- Feature: Llyn Cau448 m
The path stays on the rim above the lake; the lake itself is a side trip
- Shoulder: Craig Cau790 m
- Col: Bwlch Cau712 m
- Summit: Penygadair893 m
Key Passages
- Woodland staircase beside Nant Cadair
- Rim of Cwm Cau above Llyn Cau
- Eroded climb to Craig Cau
- Stone Shoot gully at Bwlch Cau
- Final zigzags to Penygadair
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
The great escarpment above Dolgellau at the southern end of Eryri (893 m): a ridge of Ordovician volcanic rock with deep glacial cwms, Llyn Cau the finest of them, and a summit, Penygadair, wrapped in Welsh legend. Three good paths reach the top in 5–7 hours.
Cadair Idris (also spelt Cader Idris) is a long ridge running roughly east–west between the Mawddach estuary and the Dysynni and Tal-y-llyn valleys. Its north face is a line of cliffs above Dolgellau; on the south side the ice carved Cwm Cau, whose dark lake sits beneath 400 m crags. The highest point, Penygadair, has a trig point and a small roofed stone shelter maintained by the National Park wardens.
The Minffordd Path from Tal-y-llyn is the most popular and most dramatic route, circling the rim of Cwm Cau; the Pony Path from Tŷ Nant near Dolgellau is the traditional route and the least steep; a longer path comes up from Llanfihangel-y-Pennant to the south-west. All are graded hard/strenuous by the National Park because of steep, loose ground and the need to navigate in mist, but none requires more than a few easy scrambling moves in summer.
The mountain is part of the Welsh Three Peaks challenge, a National Nature Reserve with Arctic–alpine plants, and one of the most visited summits in southern Eryri.
Climbing Notes
Expect 730–790 m of ascent and 5–6 hours return on any of the main paths, on steep, rocky and in places badly eroded ground. The National Park says navigation skills are essential: carry OS Explorer OL23 and a compass, and know the cliff edges, especially the Stone Shoot at Bwlch Cau and the north face. The summit is often windy and much colder than the valleys.
The Minffordd Path is best for a first visit; a traverse up the Minffordd and down the Pony Path needs transport between the two car parks. In winter the upper slopes can be icy and snow-covered, and an ice axe, crampons and winter skills are needed.
History
The name means 'Idris's Chair', after either a legendary giant or Idris ap Gwyddno, a 7th-century prince of Meirionnydd said to have fought the Irish on the mountain. Legend says that anyone who spends a night alone on the summit wakes as a poet or a madman, and the lakes are said to be bottomless; Gwyn ap Nudd's hounds, the Cŵn Annwn, are said to hunt here. In the 18th century Richard Wilson's painting of Llyn Cau introduced the landscape to many people. In 1800 Mary Jones of Llanfihangel-y-Pennant, at the mountain's foot, walked about 25 miles to Bala to buy a Bible, a story linked with the founding of the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804. Much of the massif became a National Nature Reserve in 1957. In 2016 the National Park adopted the spelling 'Cader' on its signs, against the advice of the Welsh Language Commissioner.
Season
Best May–Jun- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Winter conditions possible; ice axe and crampons
- Feb
- Snow and ice likely on upper slopes
- Mar
- Variable; late snow
- Apr
- Usually snow-free; busy at Easter
- May
- Long days, often dry
- Jun
- Long days; Three Peaks challenge groups
- Jul
- Busy; Dôl Idris car park fills early
- Aug
- Busy holidays
- Sep
- Often settled, quieter
- Oct
- Shortening days; wetter
- Nov
- Wet and windy, short days
- Dec
- Winter conditions possible
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Pay-and-display parking at the National Park car parks at Dôl Idris (Minffordd) and Tŷ Nant
- Rules
- Cadair Idris National Nature Reserve: keep to paths to limit erosion; dogs on leads near livestock
- Park only in designated car parks; do not block field gates or residential access
- Getting There
Dolgellau
Manchester (MAN) or Liverpool (LPL)
- TrawsCymru T2 (Bangor–Porthmadog–Dolgellau–Machynlleth–Aberystwyth) stops at Minffordd, two minutes from the Dôl Idris car park
- Rail to Machynlleth or Barmouth (Cambrian Line), then bus
- By car: A487 to Minffordd for Dôl Idris; minor road south-west of Dolgellau for Tŷ Nant
Hazards
- Weather
- Exposure