Itinerary Planner

Southern Eryri Weekend | Cadair Idris, Dolgellau and the Dyfi Hills

Southern Eryri (Southern Snowdonia) is the quieter half of Eryri National Park, the land around Cadair Idris, the Mawddach estuary and the Dyfi hills. This weekend is based in Dolgellau and mixes a mountain, a lake and a couple of easy walks with good places to eat and sleep. It's a good choice at any time of year.

Friday: Dolgellau

Dolgellau is a stone-built market town at the foot of Cadair Idris, with narrow streets, pubs and independent shops. Stay just outside town at the Penmaenuchaf Hotel, a country house hotel above the Mawddach at Penmaenpool.

Saturday: Cadair Idris

If you're fit and the weather is clear, climb Cadair Idris. The Minffordd path from the Dôl Idris car park, where there's a visitor centre and tea room, is the most dramatic route: about six miles there and back, with 900 metres of climbing, past the glacial lake of Llyn Cau. Allow five to six hours. For something gentler, drive up to the Cregennan Lakes above Arthog for a walk with wide views over the estuary. Spend the evening at Gwesty Pen-y-Bont, a 16th-century coaching inn on the shore of Tal-y-llyn lake, with log fires.

Sunday: the Precipice Walk and Dinas Mawddwy

The Precipice Walk, north of Dolgellau, is a three-mile circuit on a path cut into the hillside high above the Mawddach, with views of Cadair Idris and the Rhinogs. It's mostly level, with steep drops on one side. Then drive south-east to Dinas Mawddwy and Melin Meirion Mill, an old woollen mill with a shop selling Welsh blankets and throws, and lunch at the mill's coffee shop.

Good to know

• Cadair Idris is a serious mountain. Check the mountain forecast, carry a map and waterproofs, and turn back if the cloud comes down.
• Dolgellau has no railway station; the nearest are Morfa Mawddach and Barmouth on the Cambrian Coast Line.
• More on our hills and mountains page.