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Creigiau Gleision and Llyn Crafnant from Capel Curig

By Dave Roberts   

on December 22, 2015    No ratings yet.

Posted as a walk in – Europe, Snowdonia National Park, The Carneddau, Wales

Creigiau Gleision and Llyn Crafnant from Capel Curig

Route Essentials

Route Summary

Remote walk to this outlying Carneddau summit.

See the end of the article for local information about parking, public transport facilities, pubs and cafes.

Distance

19.25 km

Ascent

942 m

Time

6 hours

Calculate the time using Naismith’s Rule and factor in your own pace.

Start Location

Capel Curig

Difficulty

Hard Walk

Hazards

Navigation can be tricky and the going can be quite wet in places.

Weather Forecast:

Met Office Snowdonia Mountain Weather

Check out our Best Mountain Weather Forecast?
Remember that we cannot outline every single hazard on a walk – it’s up to you to be safe and competent. Read up on Mountain Safety , Navigation and what equipment you’ll need. 

Creigiau Gleision and Llyn Crafnant from Capel Curig Ordnance Survey Map and GPX File Download

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Creigiau Gleision and Llyn Crafnant from Capel Curig

This walk up the outlying Carneddau summit of Creigiau Gleision is a slightly easier option than the tougher Llyn Cowlyd route, returning through the pastoral Cwm Crafnant which couldn’t be much more of a contrast. There’s even a cafe at the lake, how civilised is that!

Creigiau Gleision and Llyn Crafnant from Capel Curig Route Description

This route, like a few others from Capel Curig, starts off from opposite the Pinnacle café.

1 Follow the footpath past the old chapel, climbing through fields before soon entering woodland. The woodland is replaced, too soon by wet moorland as the path crosses Nant y Geuallt and a good built path ascends to the bwlch.

Creigiau Gleision and Llyn Crafnant from Capel Curig

2 Crimpiau can be ascended or walked around – with the usual route taking us to Bwlch y Geuallt and then a rather sketchy path followed to the summit. You can walk around Crimpiau, but the view from its 475m high summit is one of the best!

Creigiau Gleision and Llyn Crafnant from Capel Curig

3 Descends steeply from Crimpiau to the bwlch and a good ‘path’ now ascends the minor summit of Craig Wen.

Creigiau Gleision and Llyn Crafnant from Capel Curig

4 From Craig Wen, avoid the boggy col, by whatever means necessary, and ascend to Craiglwyn by another wet path. Don’t worry about keeping feet too dry, as if this bit’s wet, it doesn’t get any better! It really is a matter of walking the long way around to avoid it if necessary! If you wanted off path, you got it! Craiglwyn is a named summit, a Nuttall, so blink and you’ll certainly miss it. It’s now along the broad ridge, with the going still boggy, but an improvement on the previous sections!

Creigiau Gleision and Llyn Crafnant from Capel Curig

5 The summit of Creigiau Gleision is an easy ascent, barely 50m, but the path can be easily lost. We walked under the crags to the west of the top, and a path that becomes clearer once you’re on it, to the summit.

Creigiau Gleision and Llyn Crafnant from Capel Curig

6 Continue in a roughly NNE direction, descending towards Creigiau Gleision Northern top. You may as well continue over it, as I’m sure trying to avoid the extra 50m or so of ascent brings it’s own problems.

Creigiau Gleision and Llyn Crafnant from Capel Curig

7 Descend to the fence, roughly ENE, and follow this fence to a junction at SH741 624. Turn right along the fence towards the forest, with this section being very boggy in places.

Creigiau Gleision and Llyn Crafnant from Capel Curig

8 Finally, in the forest, descend along an easy to follow path, but so boggy! You can continue along the path, or take the forestry road at SH740 614, which is recommended if the path in the conifers was a mire of black sticky mud.

9 The going really does become easier now! Just take care with the forestry tracks, they don’t quite match up to the map. We followed a long loop, and a bit of map work and common sense should see you descending the final good section of track to Llyn Crafnant. You can descend to the western end of the lake and cut an hour or so off the walk.

Creigiau Gleision and Llyn Crafnant from Capel Curig

10 At the end of Llyn Crafnant, follow the minor road back around, making sure to visit the café (cash only last time!).

Creigiau Gleision and Llyn Crafnant from Capel Curig

11 The minor road ends at Blaen y Nant, where a green track pulls steeply up to the bwlch you left at step 2 and you just need to retrace your steps back to Capel Curig.

Local Information and Recommended Maps and Guidebooks

Route Summary:

Remote walk to this outlying Carneddau summit.

This walk includes the Washi of Creigiau Gleision

This walk includes the 2 Hewitts of Creigiau Gleision, Creigiau Gleision North Top

This walk includes the 3 Nuttalls of Creigiau Gleision, Creigiau Gleision North Top, Craiglwyn

Route Start Location: Capel Curig

Distance
 Ascent
 Time
19.25 km 942 m 6 hours

Calculate the time using Naismith’s Rule and factor in your own pace.

Activivity Type: Hard Walk

Summits and Places on this Route

Facilities

Pubs and Siabod Cafe in Capel Curig along the A5. Plas y Brenin also has a bar that’s open to the public and the most convenient to the walk.

Hazards

Navigation can be tricky and the going can be quite wet in places.

Remember that we cannot outline every single hazard on a walk – it’s up to you to be safe and competent. Read up on Mountain Safety , Navigation and what equipment you’ll need.

Parking :

National Park car park behind Joe Brown.

Public Transport:

The Snowdon Sherpa service serves Capel Curig.

Traveline for UK Public Transport

Weather Forecast:

Met Office Snowdonia Mountain Weather

Check out our Best Mountain Weather Forecast?

Recommended Maps: 

Guidebooks:

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Dave Roberts

Dave Roberts founded Walk Eryri in 2004, with the aim of providing routes that are off the beaten track. Walk Eryri is now part of Mud and Routes which continues to provide more off beat routes and walks in Snowdonia and beyond. Dave has been exploring the hills of Eryri for over thirty years, and is a qualified Mountain Leader. Dave also established Walk up Snowdon, Walk up Scafell Pike and Walk up Ben Nevis just to mention a few.

More Posts by Dave Roberts

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