Cwm Idwal was on our list of places to visit. It’s a location we did not get to last time, and I had no idea of how close it was to the Ogwen Falls where we stopped back in 2020. And wow, what a place…
Cwm Idwal is a spectacular product of glaciation, surrounded by high crags, screes, moraines and rounded rocks, with a lake on its floor (Llyn Idwal).
Cwm Idwal comprises volcanic and sedimentary rock which was laid down in a shallow Ordovician sea, and later folded to give rise to the distinctive trough-shaped arrangement of strata known today as the Idwal Syncline.
This fold in the rock is visible today, thanks to the layering of the sedimentary rocks. The area was then eroded by glacial action to form the classic semicircular valley.
Another appealing aspect of Cwm Idwal is its close proximity to the car park. You walk from the car park, up past the visitor centre and up to a bridge where some running water shots can be had with ease.
Then you continue up the path and across a cobbled path up to the edge of the lake.
I took some shots at the edge but looking for a better composition, I really needed to get closer to some rocks, so I decided to climb and step across some rocks to the spot where I could balance easily and grab a much better composition.
The shot below was my first shot here:
I then went vertical and zoomed in to get this pleasing shot of the rocks in the water.
The polariser came out to reduce reflections and to help with a slightly slower shutter speed.
As we made our way walking on the circular path, we noticed the late afternoon sunlight casting itself over Mount Snowdon.
I took a few shots here as I felt I struggled a little with composition but it’s a lovely shot nonetheless.
We moved on as time was getting on, and we’d done our usual of getting out far too late in the day.
I took the shot below to emphasise the leading line of the path.
As we upped the pace to make sure we wouldn’t get caught halfway round in the dark, I noticed a very nice waterfall off to the side, and agreed with Kathryn that she would continue on ahead while I grabbed some shots.
I was thrilled to get this shot handheld, with the help of a polariser, and my camera’s in body stabilisation.
As I caught Kathryn up, the evening light was lovely and I saw a potentially epic scene to the left of the path. Kathryn continued up ahead while I navigated a somewhat boggy grass to get to the place I needed to get the shots I wanted.
I’m quite pleased with the shots below, and in particular the textures in the grass.
I then sprinted as carefully as I could to catch Kathryn up, and we walked back as the light fell quickly now.
I had a head torch and my phone so it wouldn’t be a problem but with the uneven ground, and cobbled pathway, we made our way carefully but at pace back to the car.
We absolutely loved this location because it was easy to get to, had stunning views all round and was an enjoyable and easy walk. It would be great I am sure early morning and in some ways I wished we had done this instead of the lone tree at Padarn, Llanberis.
This is one of two locations we will, without any doubts, visit on our next trip to North Wales in future.
Onwards and upwards…