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Walks on Cader Idris and Nearby

By Dave Roberts   

on May 14, 2020    No ratings yet.

Walks on Cader Idris and Nearby

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About Walks on Cader Idris and Nearby

The Cader Idris Range includes the main ridge of Cader Idris as well as it’s neighbouring hills of the Tarren and Dyfi Hills that don’t quite fit anywhere else.

There are many walking routes up Cader Idris, which is also known as Cadair Idris*, and as it’s in South Snowdonia is much quieter than the honeypots in the north of Snowdonia National Park. There are walks up Cadair Idris of varying difficulty, though this is a mountain walk and all routes need respect and no walk up Cadair Idris is easy! We’ve summarised them in out easy to follow All the walking routes up Cader Idris just for you.

The Summit of Cader Idris is 893m high, and is actually called Penygadair. It’s the entire mountain that’s correctly Cader Idris, or Idris’ Chair.

Cader Idris is one of the iconic Welsh Mountains and forms part of the Welsh Three Peak challenge along with Snowdon and Pen y Fan. It’s actually the same geology as Snowdon, something that’s quite apparent as you walk up the Minffordd Path.

There are four main routes up to the Summit of Cader Idris.

The Pony Track – the more straightforward route from Ty Nant.
The Minffordd Path – The more rugged route via Llyn Cau
The Fox’s Path – Eroded scree -and best avoided if you like your feet on firm ground.
Pony Path from Llanfihangell y Pennant – A Long, meandering walk

There are also a few less popular walks up Cadair Idris:

Craig Cwm Amarch from Llanfihangell y Pennant
Mynydd Moel from Minffordd
Cader Idris from Dolgellau – Via Gau Graig, along the entire mountain.
Tyrrau Mawr and Craig y Llyn – the outliers, but with views that make them worth doing. This route is to follow soon.

Please note that some people have been ending up on the wrong side of Cader Idris near Dolgellau on private land by following the post code that Google had for the Pony Path and possibly Cader Idris. We think this has been resolved, but ensure you use the one provided above – LL40 1TN – and ensuring you end up in the car park and not actually on the lane at the start of the path. Use this link –  Ty Nant  – in order to get directions EXACTLY to the Pony Path car park

*We’ve decided to keep the name as Cader even if this hasn’t yet been updated on the OS Map.

Walks on Cader Idris and Nearby – All the Routes and Articles