Van Miles

If you’re looking for an easy Cregennan Lakes walk with maximum scenery, this 1.5-mile circular route is a great option. You get mountain views, lakes, Cadair Idris and amazing views towards the coast without having to tackle a difficult walk.

Cregennan Lakes are near Arthog, not far from Dolgellau, Fairbourne and Barmouth. We were staying in Arthog and it took us around 8 minutes to drive to the lakes.

There is a National Trust car park at Cregennan Lakes, postcode LL39 1JT. When we visited, parking was £5 for the day or free for National Trust members, with PayByPhone location code 80553. There are toilets and picnic tables near the car park.

The drive up is something worth knowing about before you go. We came up from Arthog on a very narrow, steep single-track road, passing through two gates. There was also a very sharp bend. We were in a car and, having travelled these sorts of roads in bigger vans before, I was glad we weren’t in one this time.

The views on the way up certainly make up for it though, with fantastic views looking across towards Fairbourne, Barmouth and the sea.

Once parked, we chose the easier 1.5-mile route around Cregennan Lakes. It took us around 1½ hours at a very slow pace with our older dog and turned out to be an easy walk with some of the best scenery of our trip.

Driving to Cregennan Lakes from Arthog

We travelled to Cregennan Lakes from our accommodation in Arthog, which was only around an 8-minute drive.

The road soon became a very narrow single-track lane climbing steeply uphill. We went through two gates along the way and there was one particularly sharp bend.

It was perfectly manageable in the car, but I don’t think I would have fancied driving our campervan up this way.

As you climb higher, make sure you take a look back. The views open up across Fairbourne and Barmouth towards the sea and are absolutely beautiful.

After doing Torrent Walk, the scenery here also felt completely different. Torrent Walk had been lush and green, whereas Cregennan Lakes had lots of oranges, reds and browns across the landscape.

Cregennan Lakes Parking and Postcode

We parked at the National Trust car park.

The postcode is LL39 1JT.

When we visited, parking was £5 for the day or free for National Trust members. The PayByPhone location code was 80553.

It’s a medium-sized car park and was surprisingly quiet considering we visited on a Bank Holiday.

There are toilets here as well as picnic tables, so it’s a good place to stop for something to eat before or after your walk.

Before you leave the area, there is also a viewpoint that’s very easy to miss.

Come out of the car park, turn left and double back slightly. There is a bench here with an amazing view looking out towards the sea. Definitely worth the extra few minutes.

Our 1.5 Mile Cregennan Lakes Circular Walk

From the car park, we took the path to the left.

You soon reach a sign directing you to the right and across a grassy area.

There was lots of livestock around, so we kept the dogs on their leads.

A little further on, you have a choice of routes. You can bear left and start heading uphill or go right and stay on the lower path beside the lake.

We had our older dog with us, so we chose the lower route.

I’m sure the higher route would give you some incredible views, but we certainly didn’t feel like we’d missed out by staying lower down.

The views were fantastic.

Walking Around Cregennan Lakes

The route was well signposted and easy to follow.

There were some boggy sections underfoot, so I would definitely wear decent walking shoes, particularly if there has been rain.

I wouldn’t recommend taking a pram around this route either. Although it’s an easy walk, the grassy and boggy sections would make it difficult.

There are benches along the way if you want to stop, although you’ll probably find yourself stopping anyway just to look at the scenery.

The further around the lake we walked, the better the views seemed to get.

You have water, mountains and open countryside all around you, with Cadair Idris dominating the landscape.

It really does feel like you have 360-degree views.

Following the Quiet Road Back to the Car Park

As we continued around the lake, the path eventually brought us onto a narrow tarmac road.

It was incredibly quiet, which made for a lovely easy finish to the walk.

We simply followed the road around and back towards the car park.

Quite a few cyclists passed us along this section, so the area obviously attracts plenty of people exploring by bike as well.

For us, this last part made the walk particularly enjoyable. We’d had the grassy lakeside paths and mountain scenery, then an easy quiet road to finish.

Can You Do a Longer Cregennan Lakes Walk?

We walked around 1.5 miles, which was ideal for us with our older dog.

There are options to extend the walk to around 3 miles or more, or you can take the route that climbs higher above the lakes.

If you’re looking for bigger views and don’t mind a climb, I’d be tempted to take the higher route.

But if you simply want an easy walk with maximum scenery, I don’t think you need to.

Our shorter route gave us everything we wanted without being strenuous.

Is Cregennan Lakes Dog Friendly?

We found Cregennan Lakes a lovely place to visit with the dogs.

There was quite a lot of livestock though, including around the grassy walking areas, so we kept ours on leads.

If you’re walking with an older dog like we were, the lower 1.5-mile route is a good option. It allowed us to enjoy the lakes without having to tackle the steeper route.

Just be aware that there are boggy and uneven sections despite it being the easier option.

Is Cregennan Lakes Suitable for Prams?

I personally wouldn’t recommend this route with a pram.

There are grassy and boggy sections around the lake and the ground isn’t smooth enough in places.

Once you reach the tarmac section it’s obviously much easier, but I wouldn’t choose the full circular route with a pram.

Which Road Is Best for Driving to Cregennan Lakes?

After our drive up from Arthog, we were curious whether there was an easier way to reach Cregennan Lakes.

Instead of returning the same way, we turned right out of the car park and followed the road towards Dolgellau and the A493.

The road was still narrow and single track, but we found this side flatter than the route we’d taken up from Arthog.

It’s still a rural single-track road though, so I wouldn’t expect a wide easy road whichever way you approach the lakes.

Cregennan Lakes – Useful Information

Cregennan Lakes postcode: LL39 1JT

Parking: National Trust car park

Parking when we visited: £5 all day or free for National Trust members

PayByPhone code: 80553

Toilets: Yes

Picnic tables: Yes

Our walk: Around 1.5 miles

Time: Around 1½ hours at a very slow pace with plenty of stops

Difficulty: Easy

Terrain: Grass, lakeside paths, some boggy areas and a quiet tarmac road

Pram friendly: I wouldn’t recommend it

Dog friendly: Yes, but lots of livestock so take a lead

Longer walks: Yes, with options to extend the route or head uphill

Views: Cregennan Lakes, Cadair Idris, mountains and views towards the coast

Is Cregennan Lakes Worth Visiting?

Cregennan Lakes was probably one of those places where the scenery was far bigger than the effort needed to see it.

Our 1.5-mile walk was easy, peaceful and incredibly scenic. Even on a Bank Holiday it was surprisingly quiet.

I loved how different it felt from Torrent Walk, despite doing them on the same trip. Here everything felt more open, with autumn colours, mountains, water and those huge 360-degree views.

If you’re visiting Barmouth, Fairbourne, Arthog or Dolgellau and want a relatively short walk without missing out on the scenery, I’d definitely put Cregennan Lakes on your list.

For us, it was an easy walk with maximum scenery – exactly what we were looking for.Cregennan Lakes Walk – Parking, Postcode and Easy 1.5 Mile Route

If you’re looking for an easy Cregennan Lakes walk with maximum scenery, this 1.5-mile circular route is a great option. You get mountain views, lakes, Cadair Idris and amazing views towards the coast without having to tackle a difficult walk.

Cregennan Lakes are near Arthog, not far from Dolgellau, Fairbourne and Barmouth. We were staying in Arthog and it took us around 8 minutes to drive to the lakes.

There is a National Trust car park at Cregennan Lakes, postcode LL39 1JT. When we visited, parking was £5 for the day or free for National Trust members, with PayByPhone location code 80553. There are toilets and picnic tables near the car park.

The drive up is something worth knowing about before you go. We came up from Arthog on a very narrow, steep single-track road, passing through two gates. There was also a very sharp bend. We were in a car and, having travelled these sorts of roads in bigger vans before, I was glad we weren’t in one this time.

The views on the way up certainly make up for it though, with fantastic views looking across towards Fairbourne, Barmouth and the sea.

Once parked, we chose the easier 1.5-mile route around Cregennan Lakes. It took us around 1½ hours at a very slow pace with our older dog and turned out to be an easy walk with some of the best scenery of our trip.

Driving to Cregennan Lakes from Arthog

We travelled to Cregennan Lakes from our accommodation in Arthog, which was only around an 8-minute drive.

The road soon became a very narrow single-track lane climbing steeply uphill. We went through two gates along the way and there was one particularly sharp bend.

It was perfectly manageable in the car, but I don’t think I would have fancied driving our campervan up this way.

As you climb higher, make sure you take a look back. The views open up across Fairbourne and Barmouth towards the sea and are absolutely beautiful.

After doing Torrent Walk, the scenery here also felt completely different. Torrent Walk had been lush and green, whereas Cregennan Lakes had lots of oranges, reds and browns across the landscape.

Cregennan Lakes Parking and Postcode

We parked at the National Trust car park.

The postcode is LL39 1JT.

When we visited, parking was £5 for the day or free for National Trust members. The PayByPhone location code was 80553.

It’s a medium-sized car park and was surprisingly quiet considering we visited on a Bank Holiday.

There are toilets here as well as picnic tables, so it’s a good place to stop for something to eat before or after your walk.

Before you leave the area, there is also a viewpoint that’s very easy to miss.

Come out of the car park, turn left and double back slightly. There is a bench here with an amazing view looking out towards the sea. Definitely worth the extra few minutes.

Our 1.5 Mile Cregennan Lakes Circular Walk

From the car park, we took the path to the left.

You soon reach a sign directing you to the right and across a grassy area.

There was lots of livestock around, so we kept the dogs on their leads.

A little further on, you have a choice of routes. You can bear left and start heading uphill or go right and stay on the lower path beside the lake.

We had our older dog with us, so we chose the lower route.

I’m sure the higher route would give you some incredible views, but we certainly didn’t feel like we’d missed out by staying lower down.

The views were fantastic.

Walking Around Cregennan Lakes

The route was well signposted and easy to follow.

There were some boggy sections underfoot, so I would definitely wear decent walking shoes, particularly if there has been rain.

I wouldn’t recommend taking a pram around this route either. Although it’s an easy walk, the grassy and boggy sections would make it difficult.

There are benches along the way if you want to stop, although you’ll probably find yourself stopping anyway just to look at the scenery.

The further around the lake we walked, the better the views seemed to get.

You have water, mountains and open countryside all around you, with Cadair Idris dominating the landscape.

It really does feel like you have 360-degree views.

Following the Quiet Road Back to the Car Park

As we continued around the lake, the path eventually brought us onto a narrow tarmac road.

It was incredibly quiet, which made for a lovely easy finish to the walk.

We simply followed the road around and back towards the car park.

Quite a few cyclists passed us along this section, so the area obviously attracts plenty of people exploring by bike as well.

For us, this last part made the walk particularly enjoyable. We’d had the grassy lakeside paths and mountain scenery, then an easy quiet road to finish.

Can You Do a Longer Cregennan Lakes Walk?

We walked around 1.5 miles, which was ideal for us with our older dog.

There are options to extend the walk to around 3 miles or more, or you can take the route that climbs higher above the lakes.

If you’re looking for bigger views and don’t mind a climb, I’d be tempted to take the higher route.

But if you simply want an easy walk with maximum scenery, I don’t think you need to.

Our shorter route gave us everything we wanted without being strenuous.

Is Cregennan Lakes Dog Friendly?

We found Cregennan Lakes a lovely place to visit with the dogs.

There was quite a lot of livestock though, including around the grassy walking areas, so we kept ours on leads. No stiles

If you’re walking with an older dog like we were, the lower 1.5-mile route is a good option. It allowed us to enjoy the lakes without having to tackle the steeper route.

Just be aware that there are boggy and uneven sections despite it being the easier option.

Is Cregennan Lakes Suitable for Prams?

I personally wouldn’t recommend this route with a pram.

There are grassy and boggy sections around the lake and the ground isn’t smooth enough in places.

Once you reach the tarmac section it’s obviously much easier, but I wouldn’t choose the full circular route with a pram.

Which Road Is Best for Driving to Cregennan Lakes?

After our drive up from Arthog, we were curious whether there was an easier way to reach Cregennan Lakes.

Instead of returning the same way, we turned right out of the car park and followed the road towards Dolgellau and the A493.

The road was still narrow and single track, but we found this side flatter than the route we’d taken up from Arthog.

It’s still a rural single-track road though, so I wouldn’t expect a wide easy road whichever way you approach the lakes.

Cregennan Lakes – Useful Information

Cregennan Lakes postcode: LL39 1JT

Parking: National Trust car park

Parking when we visited: £5 all day or free for National Trust members

PayByPhone code: 80553

Toilets: Yes

Picnic tables: Yes

Our walk: Around 1.5 miles

Time: Around 1½ hours at a very slow pace with plenty of stops

Difficulty: Easy

Terrain: Grass, lakeside paths, some boggy areas and a quiet tarmac road

Pram friendly: I wouldn’t recommend it

Dog friendly: Yes, but lots of livestock so take a lead

Longer walks: Yes, with options to extend the route or head uphill

Views: Cregennan Lakes, Cadair Idris, mountains and views towards the coast

Is Cregennan Lakes Worth Visiting?

Cregennan Lakes was probably one of those places where the scenery was far bigger than the effort needed to see it.

Our 1.5-mile walk was easy, peaceful and incredibly scenic. Even on a Bank Holiday it was surprisingly quiet.

I loved how different it felt from Torrent Walk, despite doing them on the same trip. Here everything felt more open, with autumn colours, mountains, water and those huge 360-degree views.

If you’re visiting Barmouth, Fairbourne, Arthog or Dolgellau and want a relatively short walk without missing out on the scenery, I’d definitely put Cregennan Lakes on your list.

For us, it was an easy walk with maximum scenery – exactly what we were looking for.