Cnicht — Local services in Beddgelert

Cnicht is a serious hill, it is not for the feint hearted, for the unfit, or the holiday maker who has never been up a real hill in their life. Knight (Cnicht) is well named and from certain angles resembles a man on horse back or perhaps a chess piece (where is Ronald Weasley?). Having said that, it is eminently achievable by any one with map reading skills, a fair level of fitness and suitable gear (including, boots, cagoules and spare clothing etc. The best route starts in Croesor where the Monica "The Welsh Matterhorn" can be truly appreciated and climbs a steep path on the right hand side of the peak. The path can be daunting in places for the uninitiated and in other places it well deserves the title scramble. In my opinion, it is not the place to take your (or anyone else’s) children, not because they may fall but because as with all children as they skip (seemingly) carelessly from rock to rock your hair will turn greyer and your blood pressure rise, the further you progress along the track. Neither is this a route to tie a confidence rope to your young charges because should they fall you will probably follow them, quickly. So that is the downside. The upside is for such a small hill it is a fantastic mountain, it has a true mountaineering feel to it and returns a vast amount of pleasure for relatively little effort, The views across the old workings and toward Snowdon and indeed the coast are spectacular and on a clear day have to be seen to be believed. The journey up and dropping down into the old workings back to the village can be completed easily in 4 hours and the joy of that lunchtime pint after an exciting and enjoyable expedition is palpable. Yes, children could be taken up and might be fine especially if they are used to being in the hills. Yes, people with no hillwalking experience may well enjoy a relatively easy climb but as with any mountain in Wales (or any other mountainous area) the weather can change in a few moments and that is when experience counts. I do not want to put anyone off enjoying this special hill but the best route up the hill is quite steep and narrow in places and clings to the rockface on one side with a steep, high drop on the other, treated with respect it is a great walk but disrespect it...

Beautiful, quiet walk with amazing views of the mountains and the sea. Steep in places but usually short steep sections are followed by a more gentle slope, making it an easier climb than others.

Park in the car park at Croesor; cross the wooden bridge over the stream and turn left - you'll see the first sign for Cnicht in front of you (on the road) pointing right and uphill. This is probably the steepest part of the walk! Follow the road up, eventually you'll come to a stile and a gate that opens onto a slate track. Follow this until you come to a fork, with a path to the left and a gate to the right - go through the gate. The walk is well-signed, so keep following! There are several stiles on the route, but all have gates next to them, making it easier for those with dogs. However, near the top, just before the rocky section starts, there is a stile only. Sadly, this wasn't something my greyhound could do (and I didn't fancy her having a go on the rocky bits either), but it was still a fantastic view and well worth it. About an hour's climb...

This is one of those mountains that looks awfully impressive in the distance with its triangular profile. This comes from it being at the end of a long ridge.

As a result you can approach the summit in two ways. If you walk along the ridge it's a long but not especially challenging hike. While from the other side you get quite a steep ascent with a lot of scrambling.

Both are excellent paths to the top with stunning views and from the peak you can see clearly from the coast to Snowden. Cnicht really is a wonderful vantage point and yet not at all busy. Well...