It’s hard to believe somewhere as glorious as Llyn Idwal can be reached via such an easy walk, especially in Snowdonia, where calf burning trails are pretty much the norm. The lake is breathtaking, surrounded by steep jagged peaks, including some of Wales’ finest. The water is both crystal clear and a shimmering emerald or blue, depending on the light.
It’s one of the most spectacular lakes I’ve ever swum in, and at least dipping your toes in the water is a must.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Llyn Idwal.
The walk to Llyn Idwal
The stats
Distance: 2.5 miles (4km) circuit
Elevation: 100m
Difficulty: Easy
The walk up to Llyn Idwal is all on a well formed path. It’s rocky, but not slippery (when dry). Although there is a little uphill to do, the gradient is not very steep. Walking around the lake is also easy, as the majority of the track is flat - though you will still have a few stairs to climb.
You can extend the walk to make it much more challenging by heading up to one of the nearby peaks, but this guide focuses on the easy walk to, and around the lake.
Starting the trail: up to Llyn Idwal
The walk begins from the National Trust car park at Ogwen Cottage, and the trail starts to the left of the visitor centre (it’s signposted). It’s uphill from the off, but the beginning is actually the steepest part of the whole walk.
The track is made up of large stone steps, which are uneven, but not slippery at all when dry. The views are incredible from the very first step, with the jagged ridge of Tryfan to your left and Pen yr Ole Wen behind you.
After just 100m you pass over a bridge beside a very pretty cascade before coming to a junction 230m later.
The trail heads right, which is not signposted, but it’s obvious enough because the other trail looks much more rustic.
After the junction, the gradient slackens significantly, and though you’re still walking uphill, it’s no longer steep.
After a further 570m, you’ll reach the gorgeous Llyn Idwal (900m from the car park).
The Llyn Idwal circular walk
If you only want to spend some time at the lake, then you can head right and within a couple of minutes you’ll be standing on the fine gravel beach, with simply jaw dropping views of the water, backed by towering mountains.
If you want to do the circular walk we’d recommend heading left, so that you finish at the beach, ready to relax by the water or take a dip.
The walk to the beach via the lake circuit is just 1.9km.
Although you can pretty much see the whole trail you’ll walk, what you can’t see is that it looks different from every angle, and it’s very much worth making the effort to walk around the whole lake.
The path is made up of the same stone steps that brought you up to the lake, but there’s plenty of flat track now, which makes it very leisurely. There are a couple of junctions with other trails once you hit the southern end of the lake, but they both head away from the water, so it’s obvious that they’re not the circular trail.
There are so many amazing views and photo opportunities as you head round; the mountains feel even more dramatic from the southern side of the lake, where it feels like they are looming over you.
We were walking in late June and the heather was just beginning to spring up around the lake, I can only imagine how incredible it would look a little later in the summer when huge swathes of the lakeshore would turn purple.
Approximately 1.9km from the beginning of the circuit around the lake, you’ll reach the small beach. This is the best spot to sit and relax, as well as access the water with ease.
Swimming at Llyn Idwal
The true beauty of the water at Llyn Idwal can only be seen from within. I wish I’d had a camera that can go underwater because the colour was just incredible. It was both crystal clear and a mix of emerald and turquoise.
It was gorgeous from the lake shore, but looking down from inside the water is where the real wow factor is.
The water is cold, but if the air temperature is warm, you can get used to it pretty quickly, especially if you swim to warm up. It’s honestly one of the most magnificent lakes I’ve ever swum in.
Entering the water is also surprisingly easy. The small stones are a tiny bit uncomfortable underfoot, but they aren’t slippery like at many other lakes and swimming holes. It also gets deep enough to swim very quickly.
The lake is absolutely ginormous from a swimmers perspective, so there’s plenty of room to have a proper swim. It’s very deep though, so if you’re not used to cold water swimming, it’s best not to go too far out incase you suddenly feel uncomfortable and want to get back.
If you can, try and visit on a day with low wind when the water is like glass and you can even catch reflections of the surrounding mountains. It’s a sight you won’t forget!
Even if the idea of plunging into a lake in the mountains fills you with horror, go for a paddle and you’ll definitely feel more alive afterwards!
Parking for the Llyn Idwal walk
Post Code: LL57 3LZ
Parking at the trailhead (Ogwen Car Park on Google Maps) is on the pricier side. It’s £4 for up to 4 hours and £6 for a full day. Although it’s next to the National Trust site, the parking is managed by Snowdonia National Park, so you won’t get free parking as a NT member.
Four hours is more than enough time to do the walk and spend significant time at the lake. We got the full day parking because we wanted to come back at sunset and photograph the Lake Ogwen Cottage, which is just a two minute walk away, but otherwise it would be unnecessary.
You can also park for free further down the road at one of the designated lay-bys (all marked with a P sign). It will add on extra time to your walk, which is alongside the busy A5, but it’s possible if you want to save the parking fee.
Getting to Llyn Idwal
The Ogwen Car Park by Ogwen Cottage is located just under a 20 minute drive from Betws-y-Coed, 30 minutes from Caernarfon and 30 minutes from Llanberis.
The best time to visit Llyn Idwal
In terms of weather conditions a sunny day with low wind is the best time to visit, you’ll get a glassy lake and better water colour. It is a popular spot so if you’re looking to get it to yourself, you might want to visit early or late in the day. We visited a few of hours before sunset (in June) and there were around 8-10 people at the beach.
As the sun started to dip behind the mountains (roughly two hours before sunset) everyone left and we got it to ourselves! It’s worth noting if you’re keen on photography that the sun does dip behind the mountains here long before sunset, so you’ll want to come a little earlier if you want direct sunlight on the water.
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