Ogwen Cottage

Ogwen Cottage sits at the head of Nant Ffrancon beside Llyn Ogwen, wedged between the Carneddau and Glyderau mountain ranges of Eryri, or Snowdonia, at the starting point of some of the best-known walks in Wales. The building has been tied to mountaineering and adventure for generations, and today it houses the National Trust's local ranger base; for eleven years, ending in August 2026, it was also an outdoor learning centre run with The Outward Bound Trust, giving thousands of young people their first taste of the hills, and the Trust is now weighing its future, with a new outdoor learning partner among the options. There is no Trust car park, so visitors use the paid parking at Ogwen Lake, and Lon Las Ogwen, the cycle path from Bangor to Capel Curig, and the Sherpa bus both pass the door. Reviewers use it as the launch pad for the path up to Llyn Idwal, a steady climb at first and then mostly level, with the choice of circling the lake or heading on up to the tops and the cliffs of the Devil's Kitchen. One tip from regulars: they come in all weathers, and rain is part of the deal.