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Welsh hat on white with name in green; lowlands only, not mountainsCambrian Way

Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Gwynedd, Monmouthshire, Powys, Torfaen

481 km / 299 miles
Described as the Mountain Connoisseur's Walk, this route through upland Wales involves nearly 70,000ft of ascent and requires much stamina to complete. It is a tough, high-level route which should not be underestimated. Navigational skills are of paramount importance.

From the south coast, it follows a meandering northerly route over the Black Mountains, Brecon Beacons, Carmarthen Fan, Plynlimon, Cadair Idris, the Rhinogs, the Snowdon massif and the Carneddau to reach the north coast. In places there are route options.

Tony Drake, now sadly deceased, pioneered the route, and his guide was reprinted in 2016. Cambrian Way Trust now has a comprehensive website with maps and details to compliment the route guide. A new guide was published in July 2019 by Cicerone.


Details:

Waymark: Welsh hat on white with name in green; lowlands only, not mountains
Path Type: Other Paths
Waymark: Welsh hat on white with name in green; lowlands only, not mountains
Attributes: Very Challenging
Moorland
Mountain
Start: ST181765 - Cardiff Castle, Cardiff
Finish: SH783775 - Conwy Castle, Conwy
User Group: Cambrian Way Trust Cambrian Way Trust
Web Sites: Cambrian Way Independent Hostels UK - Cambrian Way Accommodation Introduction to the Cambrian Way Conwy County Borough Council - Cambrian Way Cheltenham Outlier - Cambrian Way [blog] Backpack Artist - Cambrian Way [blog] Walking the Cambrian Way [Podcast] Cambrian Way, BBC documentary - 1997 [YouTube video] Long Walks - The Cambrian Way, Wales Coast Path, Snowdonia Slate Trail [Podcast]

Publications, Badges and Certificates:

Guidebook Cambrian Way: Cardiff to Conwy  (Cicerone Press  - 2025 reprint )
Guidebook Cambrian Way  (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch  - 2000 )
Other BBC Radio Wales : Country Focus : Millions of trees and the Cambrian Way  (BBC )
General Interest Book Big Trails: Great Britain & Ireland  (Vertebrate Publishing  - 2020 )

Maps:

You can use the interactive controls to zoom in and out and to move around the map, or click on a path or a marker for more info.(interactive map help)

Show Connected Path Outlines
Path Variants
National Trails (England & Wales)
Paths Marked on OS mapping
Other Paths
Anytime Challenges

Show Accommodation
Hostel Accommodation
Bunk House
Group Accommodation
Campsite & Bunk Barn

Show Points of Interest
Walkers are Welcome

Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2016.
© OpenStreetMap contributors under Open Database Licence.
Rights of way data from selected Local Authorities.
Large scale digital mapping is provided by John Thorn.
At high zoom levels the route is indicative only.
Purchase Ordnance Survey Maps:
OS Landranger 115, 124, 125, 135, 136, 146, 147, 160, 161, 171
OS Landranger Active 115, 124, 125, 135, 136, 146, 147, 160, 161, 171
OS Explorer 12, 13, 17, 18, 23, 151, 152, 166, 187, 200, 213, 214, 215, 263
OS Explorer Active 12, 13, 17, 18, 23, 151, 152, 166, 187, 200, 213, 214, 215, 263
Other Paper Maps:
Harvey National Trail map
Harvey National Trail map

Accommodation within 5 km of this Path:

 
 
From
Path
Along
Path
Bunk House
2 km
73 km
Hostel Accommodation
2 km
78 km
Bunk House
3 km
92 km
Walkers are Welcome
< 1 km
112 km
Bunk House
2 km
115 km
Hostel Accommodation
2 km
145 km
Bunk House
1 km
162 km
Hostel Accommodation
1 km
163 km
Group Accommodation
< 1 km
178 km
Hostel Accommodation
< 1 km
221 km
Hostel Accommodation
5 km
226 km
Group Accommodation
3 km
291 km
Hostel Accommodation
4 km
346 km
Group Accommodation
2 km
353 km
Bunk House
< 1 km
367 km
Bunk House
4 km
387 km
Bunk House
3 km
406 km
Hostel Accommodation
3 km
407 km
Hostel Accommodation
1 km
431 km
Bunk House
4 km
435 km
Group Accommodation
4 km
436 km
Bunk House
5 km
437 km
Hostel Accommodation
< 1 km
442 km
Hostel Accommodation
< 1 km
450 km
Group Accommodation
< 1 km
451 km
Bunk House
3 km
456 km
Bunk House
1 km
472 km
Hostel Accommodation
5 km
472 km
Hostel Accommodation
< 1 km
480 km
Hostel Accommodation
4 km
480 km

Click to show 39 more Accommodations


Connected Paths:

National Trails (England & Wales)

Downloads:

Reminder: Material downloaded from this website is for personal or LDWA use only. Commercial use, reproduction, modification of all content is strictly prohibited without prior approval by the LDWA. Please Contact Us if you have any requests.

GPX Route File
Cambrian Way GPX Exchange Format Route File
Last Updated 28/11/2020 22:59:24
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(Members Only)
MemoryMap Route File
Cambrian Way Memory Map Route File
Last Updated 28/11/2020 22:59:24
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(Members Only)
Tracklogs Route File
Cambrian Way Tracklogs Route file
Last Updated 28/11/2020 22:59:32
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(Members Only)

Route Profile:

477.1 km (296.5 miles)
21,402 m (70,217 ft) ascent
1,044 m (3,425 ft)  maximum height

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