Y Garn, Devil's Kitchen & Cwm Idwal

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Route: Idwal Cottage, Pen y Benglog, Y Garn, Castell y Geifr, Cneifion Duon, Twll Du, Cwm Idwal, Idwal Cottage

Date: 06/09/2019
From: A5 - Idwal Cottage

Parking: Laybys on A5
Start Point: Idwal Cottage
Region: Snowdonia

Route length: 4.5 miles (8.5 km)
Time taken: 02:20
Average speed: 1.9 mph
Ascent: 731m
Descent: 728m

Summits: Y Garn (947m)

Other points of interest: Twll Du, Llyn Idwal

With our move to Sydney just around the corner (literally, in three days time) we've moved out of All the Gear HQ and are living a nomadic lifestyle out the back of the car. Fortunately, the last two weeks in the UK have been bookended with friends weddings meaning we've been staying at friends and in hotels in various parts of the country. The last of these was in north Wales giving me the perfect opportunity for one last Snowdonia outing.

With time and the weather both against me, I opted against Snowdon or Tryfan, instead, looking to Y Garn for a short-ish outing that would avoid the worst of any wind or rain but still get into the higher mountains.

Tryfan

Starting from Idwal Cottage I was lucky enough to find one of the free parking spaces vacant when I arrived. After getting kitted up I set off, passing the information building and climbing the steps a short distance away from the road. A second path leaves the paved one to climb through a ravine, the remnant of a long-disused quarry. Low clouds were shrouding much of the mountain but the forecast was for them to lift during the day.

The old quarry below Pen y Benglog

The route up the northeast ridge starts from the north end of Llyn Idwal and can be reached by crossing the footbridge at the lake's outlet. Heading west, the path climbs steeply for 250m around the rear of Pinnacle Crag. The entire climb up Y Garn is pretty steep but there is some respite when you reach Cwm Clyd, one of two glacial cwms that make their home on the slopes of Y Garn.

Y Garn stands shrouded in cloud

Clouds on Pen yr Ole Wen

Y Garn

The route up alongside Pinnacle Crag

The Idwal Slabs

Cwm Cneifion

Looking east along the Ogwen valley

Once at Cwm Clyd, the route continues up the northeast ridge proper, a path that gets very steep towards the top but provides tremendous views down into the cwms on either side. The summit sits a short distance from the top of the ridge.

The great mass of Y Garn

Pen yr Ole Wen, Tryfan and Glyder Fach

Y Garn over Cwm Clyd

The east ridge of Y Garn

Cwm Cywion backed by Foel-goch and Y Llymllwyd

Y Garn's east ridge

The many lakes and tarns of Ogwen

Looking down the east ridge

Clouds over the Glyders

Y Garn

It was fairly blustery on the summit, much cooler than recent days and a reminder that autumn is not far away. Of all the Welsh mountains called Y Garn (translated as 'the cairn' or 'the rock'), this particular variant is the tenth highest in the country and has a superb panorama thanks to its location on the bend of the Ogwen valley. To the east is Llyn Ogwen, Tryfan and the Glyders while Nant Ffrancon stretches away to the north. To the south stands Crib Goch, Garnedd Ugain and Yr Wyddfa, hidden in the cloud.

Y Garn's summit

A cloudy Glyder Fawr

Glyder Fawr

 After pausing in the summit shelter on Y Garn I started down the southeastern slope, making a short diversion along Castell y Geifr, a rocky rib that protrudes out from the slopes and gives further impressive views. From here, it was a short descent down to the top of the Devil's Kitchen (Twll Du).

Tyrfan and the Glyders

Castell y Geifr and Cwm Clyd

Y Garn

Castell y Geifr

Castell y Geifr panorama

The Devil's Kitchen is a deep cleft in the wall of crag above Cwm Idwal. The Welsh name for Devil’s Kitchen is Twll Du, meaning ‘black hole’, which is a fairly apt description. The name Devil’s Kitchen comes about because of the plume of water that is often seen rising from the crack resembling a chimney. It’s said when water (or steam) can be seen rising from the chimney, the Devil was cooking.

Clouds cap Glyder Fawr

The path leading to the top of Twll Du

Descending into Twll Du

Twll Du

Cwm Idwal

Twll Du

Cwm Idwal

The shattered rocks below Twll Du

A new footbridge crosses one of the streams below Twll Du

After hopping down the slippery boulders below Twll Du, I took the path leading off to the right towards the Idwal Slabs. I remember there being a tricky stream crossing along this section but it seems a new footbridge has been built to avoid such a challenge. As with many of my visits to Cwm Idwal it had started raining heavily by now so the remaining photos are limited. Nice to see Wales giving a proper send-off.

The Idwal Slabs

Idwal Slabs

The dark crevice of the Idwal Staircase

Y Garn and Llyn Idwal

I arrived back at the car and bade farewell to north wales with a customary drive along the A5 and a stop off in Betws-y-Coed to have one last rummage through the gear shops. I'll miss hiking in the UK but a whole new adventure awaits just around the corner - watch this space.