Croesor Circular Walk - 1 May 2017

Walk of the Month this May takes you from mountain to sea, from the foothills of the Welsh Matterhorn (more commonly known as Cnicht) to the ‘old’ coastline at Pont Garreg-Hylldrem, before returning up hill to Croesor.

It’s a moderate leisure walk of approximately 3.5 miles with a descent / ascent of 150 metres. There are fantastic views of the Glaslyn estuary and the embankment, known locally as the Cob, which is just under a mile long, built by William Madocks in 1811 at a cost of £23,500 where 6,000 acres of land was reclaimed. The walk can be split into two halves, firstly the descent from the old quarrying village of Croesor following the Maesgwm River which flows past the osprey nest before joining the Glaslyn river on it’s way to sea at Porthmadog. The majority of the path is permissive by agreement between the Park Authority and private landowners. You will see many signs of the thriving historical slate industry such as Parc quarry, which closed in the 1920’s. The second half of the walk is a little more exposed following the Croesor river uphill to the foothills of Cnicht, where it’s conical shape is very impressive against the backdrop of Snowdon and it’s northern sisters. You may be lucky enough to see ospreys and kites flying above, or more likely buzzards and crows.

Ifan Eryl Jones (Area Warden (North))

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