Wales truly has some spectacular scenery and the best way to enjoy it is to get outdoors hiking! Cadair Idris is one of the highest mountains in the south of Snowdonia National Park. It’s also spelled Cader Idris and known as Penygader—I couldn’t find any reason for spelling differences so just stuck with Cadair Idris! Along with Snowdon (the highest mountain in Wales) and Pen y Fan (the highest mountain in south Wales), Cadair Idris is one of the Welsh Three Peaks. Hiking up Cadair Idris was amazing and while the Minffordd Path is steep, it makes for a great walk! Here’s what you need to know about hiking up Cadair Idris via the Minffordd Path.

EDIT: I took this trip in August 2020, and this post was written and ready to publish before my marriage ended. I have decided not to edit the original post.

Starting the Cadair Idris Hike Up the Minffordd Path

The starting point for this hike via the Miffordd Path is the Cadair Idris/Dol Idris car park. The postcode is LL37 9AJ. Parking costs £4 for 3 hours, or £6 for all-day parking (the car park closes at midnight, no overnight parking allowed). The machine accepts £5 notes but not card payments, so make sure you bring exact cash. There are toilets on site, however these were closed and there were port-a-potties available instead. There is a tea room here but it was also closed. Parking can get busy so especially on weekends, try to get there early! When I was there at noon on a Thursday in August, the car park was nearly full.

You’ll need OS Map OS Explorer OL23: Cadair Idris & Llyn Tegid for this hike. As with all hikes, make sure you have sturdy hiking boots (I love my Scarpa Mistral boots!) and a waterproof rain jacket. Remember to bring plenty of water and snacks. The path is really steep and for this hike I really recommend having hiking poles! You can check out my full outdoor gear guide with all my recommendations.

Hiking to Llyn Cau

The path is easy to follow from where you park. The Minffordd Path is the shortest path up the summit to Cadair Idris (there is the Pony Track and a scramble path as well), but that means it’s very steep. And the path at the beginning is very steep! It goes through the woods with a stream/waterfalls on your right. After about 30 minutes, I made it to the bridge crossing the river. This is where you come down at the end if you bag Mynydd Moel.

The path is still steep but not quite as bad as you continue on. After about another half hour, I made it to the beautiful lake, Llyn Cau. It’s a great place for a break and a rest stop—it’s so scenic!

Summiting Cadair Idris

From the lake, continue following the path up another steep section. Eventually you’ll get to the ridge and follow this up. The path is steep and there are big drops on either side so take care as you hike up! There is a short section where you’re hiking across scree/rocks. Eventually, you’ll get to the top and cross a stile at Craig Cwm Amarch, which is 791 meters. I’m not going to lie, despite my map-reading I thought this was the Cadair Idris summit and I was pretty disappointed seeing how much more I had to do! It took me about 1 hour from Llyn Cau to get to Craig Cwm Amarch.

There is a steep descent down Craig Cau ridge, and then another steep ascent up to the actual summit of Cadair Idris. This is where the Pony Track joins the Minffordd Path. There are fantastic views down to the town of Dolgellau from here! After about 40 minutes from Craig Cwm Amarch, I reached the summit of Cadair Idris and the trig point at 893 meters. It was so windy at the summit I could barely stand up, let alone take any photos! All in all, it took me approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes to get to the summit of Cadair Idris.

The views from Cadair Idris are really incredible, looking over Llyn Cau down below and the rest of the mountains in Snowdonia. There is a shelter at the summit, big enough for about 15-20 people. Thankfully it gave us some relief from the wind!

Completing the Horseshoe and Bagging Mynydd Moel

From the summit of Cadair Idris, head across to Mynydd Moel and follow the path towards the left—the path towards the right goes downhill and you’ll miss the summit. Cross the fence via the stile, and you’ll top out on Mynydd Moel at 863 meters. There is a small stone shelter here as the wind was still a bit ferocious! It took me about 30 minutes to get from the summit of Cadair Idris to the summit of Mynydd Moel.

Cross back over the stile and fence (this fence forms the boundary of the Cadair Idris Nature Reserve) and follow the steep path down with the fence on your left.

After about 20 minutes, you’ll need to cross another fence via a stile and continue the descent down. The path is stepped at times but it is still really steep going down. This is why I really recommend hiking poles, it will take some of the pressure off your knees on these steep descents! Eventually the path crosses a drystone wall via a stile and veers right towards the river. You can see the other path towards Llyn Cau, and there was even heather in bloom here! It took me about 40 minutes of slow-going, steep descent to get from the previous stile to this one.

The path connects at the slate bridge about 20 minutes after the stile. From here, it connects with the main Minffordd Path again. Follow the steps down through the woods to get back to the car!

In total, this walk is approximately 6 miles in length and it took me just over 5 hours. By the time I got back down, most of the car park had cleared out and it was much quieter!

Planning Your Trip

There is very limited public transportation available for this hike, and I recommend you have your own car. However, you can take Bus #30, which runs between Dolgellau and Tywyn, which runs along the A487 and stops at the junction of the B4405 not far from the Dol Idris parking. Tywyn does have a train station. You can book train tickets in advance through Transport for Wales. It’s possible to book rail tickets even if you’re starting your journey from a station outside of Wales (ie. traveling from England to Wales or vice versa). I’ve also used Trainline to book train tickets as well.

There is a campsite just down the road from the parking, Cwmrhwyddfor. There is also a hotel down the road, Gwesty Minffordd Hotel. Otherwise there’s more options in and around Dolgellau (including a YHA hostel, YHA King’s near Dolgellau). You can search for hostels here, and for hotels and B&B accommodation here. Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

Cadair Idris is a fantastic hike in a beautiful part of Snowdonia and Wales. If you love hiking Welsh mountains, you need to summit this one! While the Minffordd Path is steep both up and down, the scenery is fantastic. Whether you want to complete the Welsh Three Peaks or are just looking for a great walk in southern Snowdonia, definitely put Cadair Idris on your list! I hope this post helps planning for the Cadair Idris hike.

Have you ever hiked Cadair Idris or visited Snowdonia? Share your experiences in the comments below!

You might like my other posts:

Hiking Snowdon: The Highest Mountain In Wales

What To See And Do In Hay-On-Wye, The “Town Of Books” In Wales

My Outdoor Gear Guide For Hiking And Camping In The UK

All of my Wales posts!

All of my hiking posts!

Like this post? Pin it for later!