Cadair Idris with a French Flavour

by Alan Cole · Published Tuesday, July 14th, 2026 · Updated Tuesday, July 14th, 2026

After a postponed trip up Cadair Idris last weekend due to a slight back injury for me and a lack of suitable shoes for Mel and Clélia, we tried again on Sunday.

The Crowd Gathers

My back was mostly better, Mel’s Mum and brother were now visiting and had brought Mel’s boots, and Clélia had bought some cheap shoes that would do the job. Word had got around though and the name of people joining us was growing. Mel had already asked if her 17-year-old brother could come – I had said yes. On top of that, Luned had decided she would join us too, and at the last minute I discovered that she was also bringing Mel’s Mum (Maud) and a PhD student Adezah. There was going to be a crowd of us, and I wasn’t sure how prepared the contingent with Luned were. I guess I’d find out once I met them!

I collected Clélia, Mel and her brother (my French is not great and I never quite worked out what his name was, I think it was Aurèle) from Aberystwyth and then headed off to the base of Cadair Idris.

Mel’s brother – I’ll call him that so as not to butcher his name, was a typical 17 year old teenager and fell asleep in the car almost immediately! The two girls politely put up with my taste in music and chatted as we drove.

We got there a little earlier than planned so I showed them where we were planning to go and then helped a few other people with use of the parking payment meter and suggested routes for them. I felt like a proper tour guide!

Luned arrived a little later with Maud and Adezah. I don’t think Adezah had been properly briefed and had no idea how long it would take or what the climb might entail. Not her fault at all, she just hadn’t been told and therefore didn’t know what to expect. I explained what we were doing and also said what the various options were if she or anyone else didn’t want to go all the way. I also reiterated the need for more water as it was going to be a scorcher and offered to carry her packed lunch. Partly because it would lighten the load she was carrying, but mostly because I wasn’t convinced a Tesco carrier bag was the ideal choice for mountain terrain.

She said she was fine carrying it, so I said to shout if she changed her mind. And then followed up with “I reckon in less than 10 minutes you’ll have changed your mind”. Sure enough, within no time her water and lunch had been shared out between Clélia and my rucksacks.

Settling in to the Climb

Clélia, Mel and Mel’s brother were all clearly capable and fast over the ground so the four of us headed off ahead and then waited for the others now and then. It was a good tactic as we could rest in the shade now and then while the others could maintain their own pace. It also gave them chance to realise that this was more than just a little stroll. Adezah was actually quite fast once walking unencumbered by a carrier bag, so I hoped they would make it to the lake. It would have been nice for them to see it, but I would probably have turned them back there. As it happened, before long, Luned and Adezah decided that they would have a better day if they turned back and had a more relaxing time at lower levels.

Maud (Mel’s Mum) was coping OK though. She was quite a bit slower than the four of us, but looked in good spirits and capable enough if she kept to a slower pace. So Luned and Adezah turned back (yes, we did give Adezah her packed lunch back!) while Clélia, Mel, Mel’s brother and I continued on. We never let Maud get too far behind though, waiting every so often for her to catch us up.

Resting at Llyn Cau

Just before the lake we stopped to go on an unnecessary sheep rescue and pick some bilberries. The sheep turned out to be just fine. We then stopped at the lake for a little rest, to paddle in the cool waters and take in the scenery. From here I was able to show them the whole intended route up the Minffordd Path to Craig Cwm Amarch, across to the summit of Cadair Idris, over to Mynydd Moel and back down. Maud took it all in and decided that she’d like to keep going, as long as we were all happy to wait for her.

Getting to know everyone

So, after a break we all set off once again under the sun and soaring temperatures – heading towards 30ºC. Thankfully there was also a strong easterly wind to keep us cool as we climbed higher taking in the views and getting to know each other. The youngsters of the group were all fine with the terrain and just as fast as me. Clélia was clearly very comfortable on the terrain and always seemed ready to keep moving whenever we paused.

I discovered that Mel’s brother was actually not only fairly fast in the hills but also something of a speedster when it comes to running too. Having turned up in Aberystwyth from France a few days ago he had decided to rock up at the Park Run yesterday and had nonchalantly banged out a 17:30 5k placing 3rd overall – impressive!! Cadair Idris was going to be easy for him.

I hadn’t really got to know Mel until now either, but she turned out to be really nice. She’s into metal music, something of a demon karate artist, and mad into her gaming. Her English was the best out of all of them as well so it was easy to talk to her and they all had a really good sense of humour. It was a long day but I was enjoying the company.

It’s not like me to get on with people so well really. In fact, I’m usually on my own as it’s hard to find people who want to do such things, are reliable and that don’t get on my nerves after a while. I know I was leading them and showing them some of my favourite places, but I got on really well with them and really enjoyed having someone to share these places with.

Onto the Summits

We stopped at the Summit of Craig Cwm Amarch for a while where the wind was howling. Joe and Ana (also from work) had been ascending from the north side up the Pony Path and were now at the summit. We had thought our paths might cross, but we were slower than expected thanks to the extra people so didn’t ever meet them. We still had to descend from Craig Cwm Amarch and then climb to the summit.

The going gets a little rougher here and Maud was beginning to tire. She actually looked a little broken just before the summit but was pleased when we got there and glad she had done it. I imagine she was actually really enjoying a tough day in the hills and seeing her son and daughter enjoying it too.

We stopped at the summit for a long lunch to give Maud some proper time to recover. She perked up as we rested and everyone had plenty of food. The views were amazing, and despite the howling wind the temperatures were high so it was a pleasant place to sit and chat. Mel’s brother obviously had a little snooze, as that’s really all that 17 year old boys do, eat and sleep!

Sheep, Sheep, Sheep, Sheep

Eventually we got going again and walked over to the summit of Mynydd Moel on easy ground. Here we had the funniest conversation of the whole day when someone said they couldn’t understand the difference between sheep, sheep, sheep and sheep! I had no idea what they were talking about. It took a while and a mini game of charades, but eventually I worked out that with a French accent, the words, sheep, ship, cheap and chip all kind of sound the same!!

Talking of French accents, I had obviously been the only Brit in a group of five all day so had been surrounded by French. Now, we had now caught a family of four up who also happened to be French. I was now the only Brit surrounded by 8 French people on the mountain and beginning to feel a little out-numbered.

A Tough Descent

The descent is always more gruelling than expected. Clélia and I jogged sections of it before waiting for the others. We stopped at the little bridge to soak our hats in the burbling water before continuing to the car park.

Maud arrived a little later on understandably tired legs, but still smiling and saying she was glad she’d done it. I hope she meant it and despite the pain and suffering hope she had a good day in the hills. It’ll certainly be a day she’ll remember, I just hope that once the aches subside it’ll be for all the right reasons.

Mel meanwhile was practising karate moves on her younger brother – what are younger brothers for if not beating them up with your karate mastery!

Clélia on the other hand had already uploaded her hike to Strava and was pointing out that despite having been on the hill for almost 8 hours we had a moving time of just over 3½ hours. This was coming from the girl who in a message earlier in the week had told me ‘it wasn’t a race’. I think we have a lot in common – we might say such things on the surface but what we really mean is “I’m going to try to beat you, no matter what it takes!”.

Race or no race, my back was quite sore again and I have a feeling it’s my own fault for making sure I kept up with the youngsters. They are all a hell of a lot younger than me, maybe I would have been better off hanging back with Maud and taking it at a pace more fitting of my age. I could have, but I enjoyed their company and hanging out with them made me feel a little younger again so it was a small price to pay.

I don’t think I put them off either as talk had already turned to trips up Yr Wyddfa, Tryfan and surf trips to Pembrokeshire. They aren’t here for long though, so I’m not sure how we’ll fit it all in, but hopefully there’ll be a few more adventures together yet.