Cadair Idris — the Chair of Idris — stands apart from the main Eryri massif, rising above Dolgellau in the south of the national park. It is a mountain of different character from the northern giants: darker, more brooding, its summit plateau edged with precipitous cliffs above a series of high lakes. Old stories say that anyone who sleeps on its summit will wake either a poet or a madman. This is Experience #3 of the Snowdonia 100.
The Minffordd Path
| Start | Minffordd, near Tal-y-llyn |
| Distance | 10km circular |
| Ascent | 900m |
| Time | 5–6 hours |
| Difficulty | Strenuous — steep sections, some scrambling near summit |
The Minffordd Path is generally considered the finest route. It climbs through the Nant Cadair valley, passing ancient oak woodland before opening onto the high cwm containing Llyn Cau — Experience #30 in its own right. The lake is extraordinary: dark, cliff-ringed, hemmed in by rock on three sides. The path then climbs steeply to the summit plateau and the trig point on Penygadair.
The Summit Experience
On a clear day, the view south from Cadair Idris extends to Pembrokeshire and across Cardigan Bay to the Llŷn Peninsula. Northwards, the whole of Eryri is visible, with Yr Wyddfa prominent above the intervening ridges. The summit shelter — a small drystone hut beside the trig point — has been used for overnight stays since Victorian times. This tradition is the source of the "poet or madman" legend, which almost certainly relates to the disorientating effect of a high-altitude night in severe mountain weather.
Experience #3 of 100 — Summits category.
Independently written — Snowdon.com