Starting at Llyn Idwal
I'm starting this walk alongside the beautiful Llyn (lake) Idwal. This lake's beauty hides within it a tragic local legend, a legend from which it derives it's name. The legend relates to the story of Owain who was the 12th century prince of Gwynedd. It's told that whilst he left to fight in the war Owain enstrusted the care of his son Idwal to his brother Neffyd. Now Idwal was an exceptionally handsome and intelligent child and this reminded Neffyd of his own sons failings, consumed with jealousy Neffyd took the boys out for a walk and ended up drowing Idwal in the lake. It's said that after hearing this tragic news Owain returned a broken man and named the lake after his son as a mark of respect. Legend states that to this day the lake is a place of sadness and as such no birds will fly over it. Indeed if you listen on the right day it's said you can still hear Idwal's wailing echo across the water.
Cwm Idwal
Cwm Idwal was the first official national nature reserve in Wales and it's easy to see why. The Cwm (basin) forms a beautiful ampitheater behind the aforementioned lake. This is known as one of the finest places in the country to observe the effects and subsequent retreat of glaciation. This area is also a botanists paradise and contains many rare artic-apline plants and vegetation including ferns, lichens, mosses, wild welsh poppies and numerous flowers.
Today and lost within my own thoughts my mind drifts like tumbleweed through a desert of dreams, an autumn leaf buffeted and blown by the winds of change and polarity. Indeed the change that grips the world around us provides a stark contrast to the history and timeless nature of a landscape that now begins to envelop my mind, body and soul.
As I climb higher the orchestra of silence plays around me like a vibrational symphony of beauty. A symphony that pervades my every atom and resonates a connection to this majestic landscape and indeed the natural world at large.
On The Edge
The Devils Kitchen
As I climb higher we begin to enter a chasm known as the devils kitchen. It derives this name from the fact that in the misty days of yesteryear legend used to say that the the clouds that rose from inside it looked like smoke rising from a chimney. It was said to be a sign that the devil was cooking in his kitchen.
The devils kitchen is a renowned area for ice climbing and as such (as we were lucky enough to have a lovely day) this is the only picture that isn't mine but instead is borrowed from berwynevans.blogspot.com.
On Top Of The World, Well Y Garn To Be Precise
After leaving behind the Devils Kitchen I decide to take a sharp turn to the right and climb to the top of Y Garn. This mountain stands at 937m (3,107ft) and commands some fantastic views over literally hundreds of miles of Snowdonian mountain wilderness and coastline.
On a day like today the clouds hasten past and provide a beautiful if fleeting companion to the rays of sun that shine and illuminate the mountainscape in front of me. What a day to be alive, to be free and still holding onto the vestiges of youth. Indeed days like these poignantly remind me of the preciousness of each lungful of air, each bewitching rustle of wind and each crystal clear bubbling stream. One day these views and this moment will live only within my fading memories and so today I want take the time to remember every sprig of purple heather. My mind drifting amongst a mountainside of flowers, each one struggling for survival against a whistling summer breeze that tugs gently at my clothes.
The Way Home
Now begins the long journey back, a journey that will culminate in a well deserved swim in a beautiful woodland lake. I hope you've enjoyed this walk and found inspiration to enjoy this beautiful part of the world.
The Swim
Written by perceptualflaws
All pictures (except the ice picture) are perceptualflaws originals
Gifs courtesy of
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