water, water all around

This is about a 12 mile round trip from Ocean Drive.

I was lulled into a false sense of security by Mr Ocean Drive who said it was about 7 miles, but then at the end when I checked my Garmin, had admitted he had forgotten to add on the walk down the Mawddach trail to get to the start planned walk and then the walk back to Barmouth, however it was worth every step......even with a dodgy toe!

You cross Barmouth Bridge and head down the Mawdacch trail before reaching Arthog and the beautiful St. Catherine's Church.

From here you cross the road and head through a gate and start the incline.....just follow your ears. The sound of the waterfalls gets louder with every step, especially as we had previously had a lot of rain.

After exploring the falls you continue walking up the hill until it flattens out (a bit) and boy are the views worth the huffing and puffing up that  hill.....

Ralph on the Clapper bridge

The walk is very dog friendly, however if your dog is like ours and hadn't mastered the ladder stiles, it can prove interesting....

He knocked me off the top of the first and pushed me down the other side of the second, but after that Ralph was scaling them like a dream......nothing to do with the sausage bribes!!

Prepare yourself for another ascent before you then reach the beautiful Cregennan lakes, 800 ft above sea level, a perfect place to stop and have your sandwiches and flask of coffee. The lakes are owned by The National Trust and are situated on the Northern slopes of Cader Idris. There are two natural lakes, ideal for families and serious anglers - wild brown trout in the large lake and the smaller one is stocked with blue and rainbow trout.

From the lakes you descend through beautiful countryside with spectacular views over the Mawddach estuary one way and Fairbourne the other

The final part of the walk takes you through a woodland which in the spring time has a beautiful carpet of bluebells before crossing the road into The RSPB nature reserve at Arthog and back onto The Mawddach Trail and Barmouth Bridge.

On returning to Barmouth we recommend a rest, a cheeky pint and maybe a hot bath 🐾🐾