Arenig Fawr

Eryri/Snowdonia National Park, Wales

The trail:

  • Location: Eryri/Snowdonia National Park, Wales
  • Categories: Spring / Summer / Autumn / Tundra / Highland / Mountain / Foothill / Rural / Lake / River
  • Duration: 5-8 hours
  • Distance: 8.7 miles

Walking the trail:

  • Summary: On the eastern outskirts of the National Park lies Arenig Fawr. Standing at a modest 854m, its not a match for bigger peaks of Snowdonia but makes up for its amazing views of every mountain range in the Park. Perfect for a nights wild camp in solitude! Or perhaps a fire in the bothy passed on the ascent! Either way its a great adventure!



Welcome to the quieter eastern edge of Snowdonia National Park. Far away from the busy summits of the Snowdon and Glyderau ranges lies the Arenig range, of which Arenig Fawr is the highest peak standing at 854m high. A fairly gentle range with a straight forward hike up from Llyn Celyn Reservioir, which is easily accessed from the lakeside town of Bala.

A small single-track road winds to a small parking area alongside the road and from here you can pick up a track that heads uphill and then downhill towards the small reservoir Llyn Arenig Fawr. (A reservoir that provide Bala with drinking water) At the reservoir, a small Bothy is located. Opening its doors reveals sleeping space for literally 2 people! However with its small fire place could be worth a very cosy evening stay!

Once past the Bothy, it’s a straight forward easy path up the western ridge side all the way up to Arenig Fawr, which is fairly prominent during the ascent, in good visibility. A few minor sections of scrambly rock are involved but it’s all good grippy rock and plenty of route options.

A push to the summit reveals the full reward of hiking this mountain. In good clear weather, the views are the best I’ve ever seen in Snowdonia. It is possible to see most of Snowdonia’s range of mountains, from the Rhinogydd in the West, Snowdon, Glyderau and Carneddau towards the North West and the Arans and Cadair Idris to the South/South West. Honestly during sunset hours it’s the finest Panorama in Wales. During my July summer visit the sun set just between Crib Goch and Garnedd Ugain on Snowdons range. (pretty much North West from Arenig Fawr) With my cameras 600mm zoom lens I could see the small dots of people still walking across Crib Goch as the sun was setting! Unfortunately the photo of this is quite small and blurry to be seen well on the photos shown on this page!

The summit of Arenig Fawr has a trig point and memorial dedicated to 8 American aircrew who died when their Flying Fortress Bomber crashed on the mountainside on 4th August 1943. Some of the crash wreckage is still scattered around the hillside 300m from the summit.

From the summit there are many directions to extend your adventure. Points of interest include Pen Tyrau (697m), Arenig Fawr South Top (836m) and a descent down to the cool plateau area of Craig y Bychau (695m).  A circular return can easily be achieved by descending westward towards Moel Llyfnant and taking a path along the western base of Arenig Fawr back to the single track road and back to the start. Or you retrace your descent back to the Bothy and too the road. Or, like myself, enjoy an excellent wild camp to maximize the incredible evening views, and of course hopeful  sunrise views! (for the early risers of course) Either way it’s an excellent little adventure and most likely to be a quiet and peaceful one. I saw 2 people all day!

Post code for the starting point is LL23 7PB. A small track served by a gate heads upwards straight from the road!

Any questions please feel free to ask.

GPX route available on request.

 

 

 

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