Cadair Idris

Cadair Idris is a mountain in southern Snowdonia, near Dolgellau in Gwynedd. Its name means ‘Idris’s Chair’, after a giant or a 7th-century prince who once held sway here. The peak rises from a landscape of Ordovician rocks shaped by ancient glaciers. Three main paths climb to the top, each offering different challenges and views. The summit ridge is strewn with scree and crowned by a trig point and a small stone shelter. The mountain’s cliffs and cwms tell of powerful ice movements in past ages. The mountain is famous for its dramatic landforms and wild stories. The cliffs above Llyn Cau show hard basalts and tuffs left by vanished volcanoes. Llyn Cau itself fills a cirque hollow carved by a glacier up to a square kilometre in size. Nearby Llyn y Gader reaches about 13 metres deep and shelters Arctic–alpine plants like purple saxifrage. These features have drawn walkers for generations, with routes such as the Pony Path, Fox’s Path and Minffordd Path. Visitors find a stark upland world of rock and water. The Minffordd Path leads past Llyn Cau and along Craig Cau’s rim to Penygadair. The Fox’s Path cuts straight up the northern face but has become dangerously eroded. The Pony Path winds gently from Dolgellau or the Mawddach estuary for six kilometres. At the top, the shelter offers a place to rest before gazing across the valleys below.