Category Archives: cadair idris

Cadair Idris

True Colours

I am linking up today with Casey from True Colours for the travel series: Wanderlust.  The theme for August is Natural Wonders and I continue our recap of our trip to Wales with a sneak peek of our mountain hike. We stayed in the town of Dolgellau in Gwynedd for our 10th Wedding Anniversary.   Dolgellau is located next to the mountain Cadair Idris in the southern end of Snowdonia National park. The famous peak on Cadair Idris is a popular location with many paths from which to choose from to get there.

The day before our hike my husband and I had prepared our boys for the trek with a stop at the local sporting store in town for hiking boots.  While there we talked to the store keeper about which path to take to the top.  He told us of two ways: one easy path and one more challenging trail.  On the day of during our hike we got to the point where we had to choose either the longer easier path or the ‘shorter’ more challenging path.  Since we take our sons, six and eight, on regular country walks in England we decided we could bypass the easy way.  
Our journey took us up the grassy sides of the mountain, through a trail of rocks and boulders, pass rock formations created by the passing of a glacier, and next to crystal clear lakes and rocky streams.  All of which were frequented by sheep, which became a common sight through out our ten hour hike. 
While the path we chose was more challenging than the easy path which our trail met up with eventually, it was nothing compared to the way back down.  Imagine making your way down a steep trail where your feet constantly have to secure their footing on the loose rocks before taking your next step. However it was all worth it to make it to the top peak with my husband and sons.  To be so high up that the clouds practically touched our heads, to see the towns so small below, and see as far out as the ocean where it met the land.  

My Wanderlust for Wales has only deepened since our journey. This is Cadair Idris.  Our first mountain to climb with our boys, and the first to many more to come. Both for hikes and for upcoming photographs from our time in Wales.
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