20 walks/40 pages

Tucked away from view, the routes to these lakes are rarely walked. Many are found high in the mountains and some need determination to reach them. A few can be found quite close to a road but are hidden from view, with people just driving by! There are great views on all of these walks. In many cases tracks or paths are followed at the start but often quickly disappear. Because of this some navigational expertise is often required, as well as a good sense of direction.

Encountering other people is rare on these walks, apart from a few exceptions such as in Cwm Idwal or on Snowdon. There is a feeling of remoteness, especially so in the Rhinogs and in the foothills below the Moelwyns. Here, straight line walking is blocked by many little rocky bluffs. Navigational skill is needed in finding the way forward around or through gaps between these. The rewards, though, for your endeavours are high as the lakes visited are extremely pretty and frequently in very dramatic surroundings.

Due to the height of the mountains in Snowdonia many arctic alpine plants can be seen. These include alpine meadow grass, tufted saxifrage, mountain saxifrage, alpine woodsia and alpine cinquefoil. Snowdonia is also the home of a very rare but beautiful flower called the Snowdon Lily found in only a very few places. There are many species of birds, including peregrine falcons along with buzzards, ravens and ring ouzels among many others. Feral goats are frequently seen, especially in the Tryfan area.

Walking in the mountains of Snowdonia is very rewarding and at times adventurous, so if you would like to push yourself just a little bit harder these are the walks for you. So go out there, take care and have fun.