Walk Glyder Fach, Castell y Gwynt and Glyder Fawr from Ogwen Cottage, Llyn Ogwen
A very steep ascent and descent
This 5½ mile, Grade 6 (Moderate), easy-to-follow, hand-crafted walk, complete with GPS Waypoints, starts at Llyn Ogwen in Snowdonia & will take you about 5 hrs to complete.
Detailed walk route map PDF | ||
Vital Statistics: | ||
| Walk No.: | gw115 | |
| Length: | 5½ miles (9km) | |
| Ascent: | 2854 ft (870m) | |
| Time: | 5 hours | |
| Grade: | ![]() | |
| Walk Type: | High Mountains | |
| Gear Needed: | Full mountain gear including boots, warm layers, waterproofs, food & water, and good weather | |
Route outline for this walk:
Llyn Ogwen - Ogwen Cottage - Llyn Bochlwyd - Bwlch Tryfan - Bristly Ridge - The Cantilever Stone - Glyder Fach - Castell y Gwynt (Glyder Fach) - Bwlch y Ddwy-Glyder - Glyder Fawr - Llyn y Cwm - Twll Du (Devil's Kitchen) - Llyn Idwal - Ogwen Cottage - Pont Pen-y-benglog - Llyn Ogwen
Points of Interest/Notes on this walk:
Try and find time to have a look underneath Pont Pen-y-benglog (near Ogwen Cottage at the western end of Llyn Ogwen) where the remains of the original stone arched bridge built by Thomas Telford can be seen. Access the river bank is via a stile on NW side of the bridge.
Peaks, Summits and Tops reached on this walk:
![]() 2 Welsh Mountains |
![]() 0 Wainwrights |
![]() 3 Welsh Nuttalls |
![]() 0 Welsh Deweys |
![]() 0 Wainwright Outlying Fells |
![]() 1 Welsh Marilyn |
![]() 0 Bridgets |
Peak Bagging Statistics for this walk:
The highest point of this walk is Glyder Fawr at 999m (3279ft). Glyder Fawr is classified as a Welsh Mountain (Hewitt) (5th highest in Wales, 5th highest in England & Wales)
Glyder Fawr is also known as a Welsh Nuttall (5th highest in Wales, 5th highest in England & Wales) and a Welsh Marilyn (3rd highest in Wales, 111th highest in the UK).
Glyder Fawr means 'Large Heap or Large Pile of Stones' in Welsh and is pronounced 'g-lid-der var'.
Completing this walk will also take you to the top of Glyder Fach at 990m (3249ft). Glyder Fach is classified as a Welsh Mountain (Hewitt) (6th highest in Wales, 6th highest in England & Wales)
Glyder Fach is also known as a Welsh Nuttall (6th highest in Wales, 6th highest in England & Wales). Glyder Fach means 'Small Heap or Small Pile of Stones' in Welsh and is pronounced 'g-lid-der vach'.
You will also reach the summit of Castell y Gwynt (Glyder Fach) at 972m (3190ft). Castell y Gwynt (Glyder Fach) is also known as a Welsh Nuttall (9th highest in Wales, 10th highest in England & Wales). Castell y Gwynt (Glyder Fach) means 'Castle of the Wind' in Welsh.
Be Adventure Smart
If walking in the Lake District (and anywhere else) please be adventure smart.
Ask yourself 5 questions before you set off:
- Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day?
- Do I know what the WEATHER will be like?
- Do I have the right GEAR for the day?
- Do I have enough FOOD & DRINK for the day?
- Do I have all the ESSENTIAL ITEMS for the day?
Note that there is no mobile phone or WiFi coverage in many parts of the Lake District
A dedicated GPS Device can be a good navigational aid, but only if you know how to use it properly. See The Myths and Truths about GPS for Walking and Hiking
You can find this walk and other nearby walks on these unique Interactive Walk Planning Maps:
(worth a look if you're new to go4awalk.com & have never seen one of these before.)
1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Map (orange/yellow covers):
1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Map (pink/magenta covers):
Some Photos and Pictures from Walk Glyder Fach, Castell y Gwynt and Glyder Fawr from Ogwen Cottage, Llyn Ogwen
In no particular order . . .

Looking down Nant Ffrancon to Bethesda with Anglesey in the far distance from near Llyn Bochlwyd in the Ogwen valley
. . . load all 105 pictures & photos from this walk
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