Climb the Knight's Helmet

We fancied a nice circular walk that we hadn't done before, around Beddgelert, where we'd decided to camp for the night. I searched through my Snowdonia walking guides in the car and Cnicht came up more than once as a nice option. There is a fairly popular route which is a there-and-back walk from the small village of Croesor, but we opted for the more complex loop walk from the Western face, near Nant Gwynant.

The road to the start of the loop walk is a typical Welsh single track road with plenty of blind corners, so take your time and enjoy the scenery. There is a small gravel pull-in opposite a small quarry where you can park up for the walk. From there head down the road with Cnicht on your left until you come to a small farm, called Gelli-Iago, where you walk up through the buildings and over stiles to bring you to the start of the trail.

You follow a fairly well trodden path twisting higher and higher before coming to some vast iceage flats. Remember to look behind you over Snowdonia, the views are not to be missed. Also, take care on the flats as the ground is prone to water logging, as we found out on a few occasions (including a waist high wade at one point!).

The path gets a little hazy on the flats, but if you continue through the small valley you'll some come on an incredible vista across the Croesor valley. On a clear day you can even see the ocean over in East Wales, and we were rewarded on our trip. There is a small lake which is nice for a rest stop (or a swim!) before starting the scree scramble up to the summit.

There is no defined path on this route up to the summit, but rather a scramble over scree and boulder slopes. If you're not feeling the scramble you can continue around to meet the well defined track up from Croesor village.

Once at the summit you will be rewarded with 360° views of Snowdonia and around. Take your time and enjoy it, it really is raw and beautiful. Once you're ready to go, there are a number of paths you can take, so make sure you take the right one! For this loop walk you follow the ridge to the next peak. Along this ridge you will notice a number of lakes beneath where you will be heading down. Take car to follow the route as in the map as there are some ridges and cliffs which should not be climbed down unless you have the appropriate skills and equipment.

The path from this point more or less does not exist. You will need to depend wholly on your map or GPS. The route is stunning, you feel a real raw beauty in the surrounding views, with strewn boulders, ridges, streams, lakes and waterfalls. You traverse down through layers until you're back down in familiar trees and pastures. You'll see the road you arrived by so have a clear view of you way back. But take care on the final ascent as the waterlogged fields and boulder scrambles can be tricky for those less sure footed.

We climbed Cnicht on a glorious spring day and didn't see another soul. It really was a perfect walk. Highly recommended!