Rain Over Dolgellau & Cader Idris
Trackway & Gwernan Lake
Leave the main (Marian) car park by heading towards the Pay & Display machines and walk down the path beside Yr Hen Efail café. Turn right and then left, walking beside the milk bar and follow this road into the town centre. Turn right after Y Sospan and continue along this road passing St. Mary’s Church on your right. Follow this little road, turning left at Dolronwy B&B and continue as it goes uphill and joins Cader Road.
Cross the main road and carry on up Cader Road for around half a mile, past the Tai Newyddion houses on your left. Ignore the first right-hand turn-off (signposted with a recently erected and engraved boulder pointing to Bryn y Gwin farm) and take the next right-hand road which goes downhill.
Follow this road past the turn-off to Graig on your right and past Gellilwyd Fach on your left and just before you get to Gellilwyd Fawr, take the footpath pointing left over a stile. Just after the barn, turn 90 degrees right and follow the feint track which goes steeply uphill, roughly parallel with a stone wall on your right. At the top, cross the stile by a gate and follow the path around the small hill on your left and across a small stream.
Soon you will see a hill on your right which is worth a little detour to the top as it offers some excellent views and you can just about see Cambrian Bay between two hills in the distance (on a clear day).
Carry on over the hill and slightly left to re-join the trackway. Go through the gate and you will soon be on an old trackway which is an old drovers route which is probably medieval in original. This can be very peaceful, in fact it’s one of the few spots which can be completely silent on a non-windy day. This path can have some rather large puddles, but thankfully these can be avoided by crossing the wall on your right a couple of times and rejoining it later on. There are gaps in the wall where other people have had the same idea.
Follow this track past a lone holly tree (planted to give food for passing cattle) and after around a mile you will reach an old barn. Follow the gates left and drop down to the farm track and turn left. Follow this path through a gate until you see a small gate ahead which takes you on a path down through a small wood, across a stream and then back up to join another track. Turn left here and follow this track around and past an old farm building on your left. Once you pass this, go right and up a very steep grassy hill and through a gate to join another path. Follow this path around, beside some fields until you reach a farm. Turn right and through a couple of gates and then join a stone track which offers a nice view of Cader Idris and comes out at Ty Nant Car Park.
Just before you reach the car park, turn left and follow the track to a farm, but only for around 50 meters, then turn right through some trees, cross a stile over a wall and follow this path as it curves left. Follow the wall until it reaches a raised path which heads right towards the trees. Take the left stile over the wall and through the woods.
Soon you will see Gwernan Lake and you can follow the path around the western shore, with some paths to the right where you can get down to the water. Follow this until you come to a fork by a large black fishing sign. Take the right hand fork (the left hand one will come out by the farm building and Gellilwyd Fawr) and walk past the bench and follow the gate and turn right over the new boardwalk until you reach Cader Road.
Turn left and follow this road for around half a mile until you reach a road on your right by Rhydwen. Follow this road for around a mile and just as you pass a new house ‘Pentacota’, take the bridleway sign through a gate on your left.
Follow this track as it curves left around a small hill and when the hill ends, turn right, over a little stream and on to a gate in the wall. Follow this path down through the trees (taking in some nice views of Dolgellau) and turn left at another bridleway sign. Take this track until you reach a small road, go down to a bench and another sign and the follow this road straight down until you reach the edge of town.
Cross the road and to another road and follow this until you past the Sorting office and Ty Seren and carry on to Eldon Square. Follow the one-way system until you reach Y Sospan again. Keep right, with the Royal Ship Hotel on your left and turn left after the Red Cross shop and then take the right hand path back to the car park.
Cross the main road and carry on up Cader Road for around half a mile, past the Tai Newyddion houses on your left. Ignore the first right-hand turn-off (signposted with a recently erected and engraved boulder pointing to Bryn y Gwin farm) and take the next right-hand road which goes downhill.
Follow this road past the turn-off to Graig on your right and past Gellilwyd Fach on your left and just before you get to Gellilwyd Fawr, take the footpath pointing left over a stile. Just after the barn, turn 90 degrees right and follow the feint track which goes steeply uphill, roughly parallel with a stone wall on your right. At the top, cross the stile by a gate and follow the path around the small hill on your left and across a small stream.
Soon you will see a hill on your right which is worth a little detour to the top as it offers some excellent views and you can just about see Cambrian Bay between two hills in the distance (on a clear day).
Carry on over the hill and slightly left to re-join the trackway. Go through the gate and you will soon be on an old trackway which is an old drovers route which is probably medieval in original. This can be very peaceful, in fact it’s one of the few spots which can be completely silent on a non-windy day. This path can have some rather large puddles, but thankfully these can be avoided by crossing the wall on your right a couple of times and rejoining it later on. There are gaps in the wall where other people have had the same idea.
Follow this track past a lone holly tree (planted to give food for passing cattle) and after around a mile you will reach an old barn. Follow the gates left and drop down to the farm track and turn left. Follow this path through a gate until you see a small gate ahead which takes you on a path down through a small wood, across a stream and then back up to join another track. Turn left here and follow this track around and past an old farm building on your left. Once you pass this, go right and up a very steep grassy hill and through a gate to join another path. Follow this path around, beside some fields until you reach a farm. Turn right and through a couple of gates and then join a stone track which offers a nice view of Cader Idris and comes out at Ty Nant Car Park.
Just before you reach the car park, turn left and follow the track to a farm, but only for around 50 meters, then turn right through some trees, cross a stile over a wall and follow this path as it curves left. Follow the wall until it reaches a raised path which heads right towards the trees. Take the left stile over the wall and through the woods.
Soon you will see Gwernan Lake and you can follow the path around the western shore, with some paths to the right where you can get down to the water. Follow this until you come to a fork by a large black fishing sign. Take the right hand fork (the left hand one will come out by the farm building and Gellilwyd Fawr) and walk past the bench and follow the gate and turn right over the new boardwalk until you reach Cader Road.
Turn left and follow this road for around half a mile until you reach a road on your right by Rhydwen. Follow this road for around a mile and just as you pass a new house ‘Pentacota’, take the bridleway sign through a gate on your left.
Follow this track as it curves left around a small hill and when the hill ends, turn right, over a little stream and on to a gate in the wall. Follow this path down through the trees (taking in some nice views of Dolgellau) and turn left at another bridleway sign. Take this track until you reach a small road, go down to a bench and another sign and the follow this road straight down until you reach the edge of town.
Cross the road and to another road and follow this until you past the Sorting office and Ty Seren and carry on to Eldon Square. Follow the one-way system until you reach Y Sospan again. Keep right, with the Royal Ship Hotel on your left and turn left after the Red Cross shop and then take the right hand path back to the car park.
Dolgellau.Wales