Parking
Start at the public car park by Ogwen Cottage and Ranger Base, Nant Ffrancon. The route crosses the main road and returns along its pavement; the car park and toilets are not National Trust facilities.
Overview
About Llyn Ogwen Circular Walk
A circular walk of 2.9 miles (about 4.7 km) around Llyn Ogwen, starting and finishing at Ogwen Cottage and the Ranger Base. Official difficulty is Moderate, and the official time of one to two hours is honest: allow about 1.5 hours if you are not rushing, and more if you stop to look at Tryfan and the Glyderau.
Why go
- Lakeshore views of Tryfan and the Glyderau
- Complete loop with public transport access
Heads up
- Technical boulder section and boggy ground
- Roadside pavement return
Map & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Eryri Tour Guide
Your drive to Llyn Ogwen Circular Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Eryri National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Llyn Ogwen0:00 / 0:32
“You're nearing Llyn Ogwen, the shallow lake between the Carneddau and the Glyderau. This is the Ogwen stop I'd choose if you want the mountain setting without a climb.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Eryri Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cwm Idwal and Ogwen
- Tryfan Above Llyn Ogwen
- The Lily on the Cliffs
- The Road Beneath the Road
- 298 audio storiesacross Eryri’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grey Heron, Tawny Owl, Common Raven, and 9 more
- Works offlinemaps, 120 trails, 82 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Llyn Ogwen Circular Walk
How it unfoldsFrom the start you cross the main road, cross the bridge and take the stile onto the lakeside…
From the start you cross the main road, cross the bridge and take the stile onto the lakeside route. Follow the river upstream and clamber over large boulders to reach the lake, then track the shore and waymarkers for about half a mile. A slight hill and another stile bring you onto an upper path that passes a farmhouse and footbridge before joining a farm track. That track takes you back to the main road, and you finish on the pavement beside the lake.
Difficulty and footingGraded moderate, and the grade comes from the ground rather than the climbing.
Graded moderate, and the grade comes from the ground rather than the climbing. The first section is the technical part, with large boulders to get over, and the path is easy to lose before it becomes clearer further along. Expect uneven ground and wet, boggy patches, which are more pronounced in winter. Boots with grip and ankle support make more sense here than trainers.
Route-findingWaymarkers help along the shore, but you should still be prepared to pick your line over the…
Waymarkers help along the shore, but you should still be prepared to pick your line over the boulders and to lose the path briefly early on. Carrying the route map and checking it at the stiles and the farmhouse section is worth the small effort.
What you get to seeLlyn Ogwen sits below Tryfan and the Glyderau, and the far shore gives you a different angle on…
Llyn Ogwen sits below Tryfan and the Glyderau, and the far shore gives you a different angle on both than the roadside does. Look under the modern road bridge for Hen Bont Pont Pen-y-benglog, the older drover's bridge, and watch for World War II pill boxes in the valley as you walk.
The road sectionThe last stretch is on the pavement alongside the main road, back above the lake shore.
The last stretch is on the pavement alongside the main road, back above the lake shore. It is a straightforward way to close the loop, and it means the whole walk can be done without retracing your steps.
Getting there and dogsThere is a public car park with toilets at the start, though these are not National Trust…
There is a public car park with toilets at the start, though these are not National Trust facilities. The T10 bus stops at Ogwen Cottage / Llyn Ogwen if you would rather not drive. Dogs are welcome but must be on a lead at all times.
If you want something differentCwm Idwal, close by, is a separate loop of roughly three miles through glacial terrain with…
Cwm Idwal, close by, is a separate loop of roughly three miles through glacial terrain with more dramatic mountain scenery. It is its own walk, not an extension of this one, so treat it as a second outing rather than an add-on.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Eryri
77 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
17 sightingsTawny OwlMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
32 sightingsCommon RavenMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
21 sightingsGreat Spotted WoodpeckerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
18 sightingsEuropean RabbitMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
161 sightingsViviparous LizardMost seen around 10 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Eryri. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
