Trip Report: Cader Idris

Llyn Cau
Originally uploaded by Pete Roberts (rhayader_wanderer)

If you asked most people to name two Welsh Mountains most would say Snowdon and then be stumped but a few would add Cader Idris as an immediate second choice.

Cader is an old friend for me I first climbed in in 1988 as a student leading a group of local scouts and its now almost reached the list of summits I have visited in every month of the year.

Today it had a few surprises for me, the first a whacking great £4 parking fee at Minfordd. Exit straight away and park in the layby halfway up the pass.

The next was how much fun it is to walk with a dog having been joined by a fried with a gorgeous pointer. The walk itself was classic Cader. Its a while since I climbed Gau Graig first and and this and Mynydd Moel were the aim for the day I left the layby and cut across hillside to the fence leaving two well wrapped up plane spotters on the ridge. From here its a straight climb up to the summit along the fence for the most part but occassionaly veering off to the right most notably at the obvious talus pile as you find a track thought the rocks.

The track finally bring you out on the much underrated Gau Graig, a little pimple walked the other way but a great viewpoint and sense of achievement after an hour.

The walk now unfolds before you heading West along the northern Cader scarp. This is a walk not to be rushed but neither one that overstresses the body despite appearances.

Passing the cairns of Mynydd Moel the trigpoint finally bursts into view against a foreground of white powder snow.

The other benefit of walking this way is that you are almost always facing the sun and at -9degress C on the way to the start that was more than welcome today. However sooner or later you have to drop into Cwm Cau and its shadow and sheets of ice on the hanging valley part of the path.

The final descent is via the woodland on the hillside wooden steps were added several years ago but they are starting to show signs of wear. For some the wood is broken and for many the gravel and soil has been washed out leaving an inch or more to trip the unwary descentant.

All told it was nice to revisit an old friend and nicer still to take a direction that I have tended to ignore in the past


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