Last month, My Partner (Will), Mum (Kath), Brother (Rich), and dog (Padfoot) headed to Snowdonia (Eryri), in North Wales for a week of adventuring!

We based ourselves in a gorgeous Airbnb in Llanberis so that we were right in the heart of the mountains.

On our second day of the trip, the weather was still not in our favour but we decided a hike would still be enjoyable nonetheless.

We headed Beddgelert to walk the ‘Aberglaslyn, Llyn Dinas and Cwm Bychan walk‘. Mum and I did this walk back in 2018, and knowing how beautiful of a trail it is, we were keen to do it again.

Early on in the walk we passed Lyn Dinas. The weather was somewhat dry at this point and I deduced that it was warm enough for a swim. I had to walk quite a way out to get deep enough for a swim, but once out I was joined by Padfoot.

From the lake, we headed up the hill to Bwlch y Sygun and down Cwm Bychan.

It was super atmospheric with all the mist and low cloud… and a little soggy!

It was also an incredible experience to hike along the very trails I helped create back in 2018 during a volunteering week with Snowdonia National Park as part of my Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. I remember digging the holes and rolling in the large stones along the section just before the National Trust car park. It was tough work, but I really enjoyed it. Super cool to revisit and walk the footpath I laid.

The trail then follows the Aberglaslyn River, which was absolutely charging. It’s a really fun section to walk as the path becomes a bit more challenging here, in some spots, metal handholds are bolted into the rock to help guide you around the narrower sections.

We concluded the walk with a hot chocolate and a Welsh cake after visiting Gelert’s Grave.

It was just over a 10km hike, and for a relatively short route (taking around four hours) it is full of an impressive variety of scenery. We passed the Lyn Dinas lake, climbed the gorgeous Bwlch y Sygun hill, walked alongside the remnants of an old copper mine, and followed the Aberglaslyn River.