The Watkin Path offers one of Snowdonia's finest approach walks — past a waterfall, through ancient oak woodland, and into the great cwm of Cwm Llan — without necessarily reaching the summit. This half-day walk takes you into the heart of the Snowdon massif, to the ruins of the South Snowdon slate workings, with the cliffs of Y Lliwedd towering overhead. This is Experience #14 of the Snowdonia 100.
Walk Details
| Start | Nantgwynant car park (Bethania) |
| Destination | Cwm Llan (turn back here, or continue to summit) |
| Distance to Cwm Llan | 4km each way |
| Ascent | 300m to Cwm Llan |
| Time | 2–3 hours return to Cwm Llan |
Gladstone Rock
The Watkin Path was opened in 1892 by Prime Minister William Gladstone, aged 83, who delivered a speech to a crowd of 2,000 on a flat rock above the falls. The rock — Gladstone Rock — is still marked on maps and is passed on the ascent. The occasion was a campaign rally for Welsh disestablishment of the Church; Gladstone used the opening of a mountain path as a political platform. The speech was delivered in English and Welsh.
The Cwm
Above the tree line the path opens into Cwm Llan, a classic glacial hanging valley with the ruins of the slate quarry workings spread across the flat floor. Waterfalls tumble from the cwm walls. To the north, Y Lliwedd's dark face rises nearly 300 metres. The atmosphere in this enclosed valley is quite different from the open ridges of the Snowdon Horseshoe — more intimate, more ancient-feeling. Most visitors who walk only this far come away feeling they have had the better of it.
Experience #14 of 100 — Routes and Ridges category.
Independently written — Snowdon.com