Ah the Watkin Path and its fabled waterfalls! It’s all over Instagram isn’t it! People jumping into its freezing cold plunge pools wearing nothing but their bathers! Feeling left out for never having visited, last October half term I was determined that if we only did one thing it was to visit the Watkins Waterfalls! Unfortunately it was a very grey overcast day so definitely no swimming for us, but I have to say, despite the weather, it lived up to expectations.
One of the six main routes up to the top of Snowdon, The Watkin Path was the first designated footpath in Britain, named after its creator Sir Edward Watkin. The walk I describe here just covers the waterfall stretch of the path but feel free to keep walking to the summit. I struggled to find any good articles on exactly the route up to the waterfalls, so I hope this helps you out if you’re planning a visit.
There is a pay & display car park (the Sat Nav link in the info section will take you right there) with free toilets on the A498. I would imagine this gets filled up quickly on a sunny weekend in summer so best to come early to secure a spot.
From the toilet end of the car park, cross over the A498 and head up the stone staircase signposted ‘Watkin Path’.
This first section of the walk goes through some pretty woodland.
As you leave the woods the Nant Gwynant valley will open up and you’ll get your first glimpse of the waterfalls.
At this rock, the official path goes up to the left and you can go this way, but if you’re here for the waterfalls then it’s a more scenic route to go straight ahead here.
After about 150m turn right slightly to an old abandoned house. My boys spent ages playing in this, I thought we’d never actually get to the waterfalls!
Continue along this path, leaving the house behind you and you’ll come to the focal point of the falls, a little bridge going across a plunge pool (it’s about 20-30 mins to here from the car park). Queue lots of people having their photographs taken!
We had a lovely picnic just down from here, the water was beautifully clear and blue.
But don’t just stay here, there’s lots more river to see! If you want stay as close to the river as possible, walk over the bridge, turn immediate left and follow this upwards for about a third of a mile.
It’s an incredible stretch of (mini) waterfall after waterfall cascading down.
Now when you get to the top by the abandoned houses, if you want to continue up towards Snowdon then you’re going to have to cross the river, you can try this precarious rock crossing here
Or have a wade across the river!
A much more sensible option would be to walk back to the little bridge, follow the path up to meet the main Watkin path and turn right, continuing up hill.
We crossed the river the dodgy way and walked up a little further on the route to Snowdon to Gladstone Rock, a large boulder where in 1892 the then Prime Minister William Gladstone gave a speech to officially open the Watkin Path. I’d love to have walked on, but the kids had had enough so we walked back down along the Watkin path and onto the car park.
