Snowdon Circular Route Section 3 – Lon Gwynant from Beddgelert to Nant Gwynant
By Dave Roberts 
Published – December 22, 2018
Posted in Walking In Eryri Snowdonia
Snowdon Circular Route Section 3 – Lon Gwynant from Beddgelert to Nant Gwynant
Further Details
Route Summary:
Part of the Snowdon Circular Route currently in development – with the full route no yet official or promoted.
Start and Finish: Beddgelert to Nant Gwynant
Distance: 5.62 km
Ascent: 156 m
Time: 2 hours
Timings are approximate and depend on the individual. Calculate the time using Naismith’s Rule and factor in your own pace.
Before You Walk up Snowdon, ask yourself – Are you equipped? Do you know what you’re doing? Are the conditions safe? If you answer no to any of these, stay safe, don’t go! Check the weather forecast and make sure you know about walking up Snowdon in the Snow. If you lack experience – hire a Snowdon Mountain Guide.
Facilities:
Plenty of pubs and cafes in Beddgelert, with Caffi Gwynant in Nant Gwynant. Toilets both ends. Sygyn can also be visited by those with a bit more time on their hands.
Public Transport:
The Snowdon Sherpa bus travels around the foot of Snowdon, creating a link between the six main routes that travel up Snowdon, as well as the main car parks, villages and tourist attractions in the area. Check out the Snowdon Sherpa page on Walk up Snowdon for the latest Snowdon Sherpa rundown.
Traveline for UK Public Transport
Parking:
Paid for parking is available at both ends of the walk.
Hazards:
None noted.
Remember that we cannot outline every single hazard on a walk – it’s up to you to be safe and competent. Read up on Walk up Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon Safely Navigation and the Gear and Equipment you’ll need.
Check the Weather before setting out.
We reccommend Met Office Snowdonia and MWIS and live conditions on Adventure Smart – live conditions
Snowdon Guidebooks:
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Recommended Snowdon Maps:
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Snowdon Circular Route Section 3 – Lon Gwynant from Beddgelert to Nant Gwynant Ordnance Survey Map and GPX File Download
Download file for GPS
Snowdon Circular Route Section 3 – Lon Gwynant from Beddgelert to Nant Gwynant
The Lôn Gwynant is an easy low level walking route between the village of Beddgelert and Nant Gwynant in Snowdonia. The Lon Gwynant is part of the Snowdon Circular Route currently in development. It makes a straightforward day out for families and those looking for a steady walk rather than the mountains of Snowdonia that surround it. Lon Gwynant is also a viable option for those looking to walk up Snowdon via one of the Nant Gwynant routes such as the Watkin or South Ridge Paths. The only downside is that it is a linear walk – so you’ll either need to time it with one of the irregular Sherpa Buses through Nant Gwynant – or walk it in both directions.
We suggest walking in both directions, and the route description we’ve provided accounts for walking this as an out and back from Beddgelert. Whichever way you choose, it’s signposted for the entire distance and should be easy enough to follow. Bear in mind that the waymarks stop just before Nant Gwynant and so it does take a bit more thinking to find, but shouldn’t pose any problems.
One option is to walk part of the route from Beddgelert to Llyn Dinas, an ideal outing for those with kids, and then back again. You can also tie in a visit to the Sygyn Mines on your active day out!
The Lôn Gwynant also joins onto the Lon Gwyrfai that joins the village of Beddgelert to Rhyd Ddu.
Snowdon Circular Route Section 3 – Lon Gwynant from Beddgelert to Nant Gwynant
1 From the centre of Beddgelert (at the road bridge) follow the lane past the National Trust shop and the toilets towards the footbridge over the Afon Glaslyn. Just over the bridge you’ll spot the first way-mark of the day – it really is an easy path to follow.
2 Continue on the Lôn Gwynant by heading left along the Afon Glaslyn. The route passes a terrace of houses – Sygyn Terrace, crosses a minor road and then heads off properly onto the riverbank beyond this. Keep on the path, and after around 300m you’ll reach a gate and a country lane.
3 This country lane needs to be followed for 1.3km. It’s quiet, but still beware of traffic on this narrow road. It’s not until you reach Sygyn Mines that you’ll need to think about where you’re heading next.
4 At Sygyn, follow the road around left and you’ll see a wide gate to your right that you’ll need to take. If you’ve crossed the Afon Glaslyn, you’ve gone too far. The path continues, easy to follow, to bring you to the scenic Llyn Dinas. This is an ideal picnic spot, except that it’s a very busy spot as it’s close to the road.
5 The section of path along Llyn Dinas starts off over a newish footbridge (you can walk across the stream most of the time without getting more than the soles of your boots wet) and along the lakeside. This is a recently built path and replaces the rather rough and muddy track that was here previously. After 1.5km the path leaves open ground and takes a track past the farm at Llyndu Isaf. This final section takes you to the minor road at SH627 502 and the official end of the Lon Gwynant.
6 Finally – head left on the minor road and cross the main road and continue right on the side road into Nant Gwynant – this section is around 500m long. There are toilets here as well as the Caffi Gwynant which comes highly recommended.
From Nant Gwynant (usually the Watkin Path car park) cross the road towards the start of the Watkin Path and continue past the Caffi Gwynant along the side road. After a few 100m, the side road ends and there’s a minor road to your left on the opposite side of the road. Take this road, and it almost immediately crosses the Glaslyn on a bridge with the start of the Lôn Gwynant being immediately to your right along a good farm track.
This track takes you past Llyndu Isaf. and the route is straightforward enough to follow as it’s basically the route above in reverse. Take care not to leave the path at Llyn Dinas (don’t cross the footbridge) and at Sygyn that you don’t find yourself on the main road. The only time you’ll need to be on the main road is at the end of the walk in Beddgelert. Make sure that you find the footpath that you need to take at the end of the country lane from Sygyn Mine. It’s signposted and should be easy to spot, with the country lane turning sharply right over a bridge and joining the main road.
Dave Roberts
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