Aberglaslyn Beddgelert Circular via Fat Man’s Agony

Walk: starting from the National Trust car park (with free toilets) at the south end of the Afon Glaslyn path, up to Beddgelert along the river and then return over the tops via the Fat Man’s Agony Gate (walk recorded in June 2026) and back down Cwm Bychan

Distance: 4.5mls

Parking: National Trust Car Park at Nantmor close to Pont Aberglaslyn

Bus Route: not applicable on this circular (unless you catch the S4 Snowdon Sherpa bus from Porthmadog to start and end the walk.

This includes the much-promoted walk alongside the wonderful Afon Glaslyn. As well as the rather lovely (and much quieter) return route. The main reason I’m posting is the surprising kissing gate you have to navigate on the way back over the tops. A greased-up East African Racing Snake would have difficulty getting through - unless there is a knack I haven’t yet learned? Best do this quick though before someone reports it and it gets changed for something less like an escape room. If you get there before they do, take some liquid soap and prepare to get naked!

From the car park (expensive if you are not a National Trust member and likely to be full any time after 10:00am on a sunny weekend) head on the trail up through the trees in the direction that doesn’t take you through the railway arch. You will come back through the arch later - presuming you get through my (and Rosie’s (spaniel/swamphound)) new favourite gate. If you aren’t a member of the National Trust, and aren’t using the excellent Sherpa bus service between Porthmadog and Pen y Pass instead of a car, it is entirely possible to park roadside in Beddgelert and still complete the circle by starting half-way round. The S4 Snowdon Sherpa stops both at Nantmor and Beddgelert if you want to short circuit the circle.

The fishermans path alongside Afon Glaslyn

The ‘fisherman’s path’ alongside Afon Glaslyn is very, very pretty. I’m not convinced it’s as epic as the body of social media would suggest but that’s because I’ve passed the age where previously rational men become miserable gits. If my name was Les ( it’s not) I would be Les Miserables. So when lots of other people say something is good, my position is set, and then backed up as the main road is just the other side of the river for a lot of the most scenic sections.

I admit that on the lower section, there is the tingle of excitement due to having Rosie as a walking companion, particularly after stormy weather when Afon Glaslyn thunders past you in its rush to get to the sea. There's always a worrying moment with the swamphound that she will launch into the white water and disappear out of sight. Like she did once in a duck-inspired event in Derbyshire when she was younger. She hasn’t let her self down in that respect since though, and if Beddgelert teaches you anything it is to trust your hound (a bit anyway).

Bridge over Afon Glaslyn alongside Welsh Highland Railway Bridge

On this walk, as you approach Beddgelert, it is a good idea to cross the river where the narrow gauge railway does, as this takes you past the Bedd (grave) of Gelert (Prince Llewelyn's faithful (but fated) hound) without going out of your way. The story engraved on a piece of slate (well two, one in Welsh, one in English) at the grave always makes me fill-up. I’m only a paper-wall from a very embarrassing full blubber. Even though I know it’s coming, I can’t help it. Having a Rosie doesn’t help. The word-picture painted by the few but well chosen engraved words, of a dog who is so keen to show how brilliant it’s been while it’s ’two-leggy’ has left it behind (even if, in Rosie’s case, that is just not peeing in the hall), in full expectation of deserved praise, is too real.

Gelert's Grave Enclosure

To get to the grave, cross the bridge and head on the path on the opposite side of the river towards Beddgelert, go through a gate and keep to the river until what looks like a fortified public toilet but is actually a water monitoring station. From here, strike across the grass, on the Beddgelert side of the fence, to the smaller of two trees that marks the enclosure of the grave.

After wiping away the unsightly snot that generally comes (in men and infants at least) with a full blubber, head directly for the church next to the pedestrian bridge that marks the normal way to get to the grave from the Beddgelert end. Beddgelert is a very pleasant little place - extremely popular because of that, so best avoided if crowds annoy you, but embraced if they don’t.

Across the pedestrian bridge head toward a row of cottages

After crossing the pedestrian bridge you can turn right and return back down the riverside with other 'there-and-backers', shortly re-joining the path you turned off to cross the river earlier, or you can have yourself a proper adventure and tackle the Fat Man’s Agony high above the pretty village. We chose the latter.

Across the pedestrian bridge, go straight on toward a row of cottages. Turn right here as you are going to be heading directly up the hills that overlook Beddgelert on this south eastern side. At the end of the cottages, bear left and then right on the road between other houses to access a footpath that heads straight up to the ridge above.

A rock step on the path up from Beddgelert

The path is surprisingly steep and has a few rocky steps where hands-on becomes necessary. It’s very good and you gain height above the town rapidly. High above, about three quarters of the way up the steep bit, there is a metal kissing gate through a wall. This is 'The Gate' - the Fat Man’s Agony. It still makes me chuckle about how I found myself struggling to get through.

Digression alert: There is a style of stile in Yorkshire and Derbyshire that I’ve heard called a Fat Man’s Agony. It is two stones in a tight V, designed to let a human step through but bar the way to sheep (and presumably to make it tricky for cattle too). Humans of a similar girth to the barred animals will have trouble getting through, by design. Hence the name. End of digression.

The Fat Man's Agony Gate - looking back down toward Beddgelert

This kissing gate is by far the most fun I’ve had with a gate. Intimate doesn’t come near. It’s only because I saw people ahead of me appear on the other side of the gate that I persevered, rucksack held over my head, pockets emptied, belt fully cinched and stomach sucked-in like Pierce Brosnan in his later Bond movies.

Once through this obstacle, the next target is the peak of Mynydd Sygyn above and to the right. The path from here on has had some design effort/repair put into it which makes me wonder why the gate hasn’t. Follow the repaired path up, eventually levelling and reaching the small summit with great views of, well, everything.

The start of the route back down from the summit of Mynydd Sygyn

The route back to the car park now heads down through the National Trust managed Industrial Heritage area of Cwm Bychan. To get there though, you turn almost back on yourself following a barely distinct path just the other side of a hollow to the slightly higher ground you used to come the other way to make the summit (see the arrows on the photo).

After about half a mile of flat walking and gradual decent, which feels like you are going the wrong way, you intercept a more distinct path cutting across you from the higher ground on the left at an acute angle.

Join the larger path that comes in from your left

Turn sharply right (or angle down) onto this path. This feels more natural as it is much more obviously going in the direction you want to go.

The path drops into a valley with some evidence of mining activity. This is Cwm Bychan (one of a few with this name in the area). After a short while it forks. Take the right (more downhill) fork (not the one left which leads uphill) heading toward what feels intuitively like the Glaslyn valley below.

The disused mining cable car in Cwm Bychan

In a little while, as th path flattens, you will see what looks like a kids cable car set-up. This is the industrial heritage mentioned earlier. The cables have gone but the short towers still serve to show how the mining spoil was shifted down to the valley over this rough and waterlogged terrain. It’s good. Well done National Trust for keeping it in situ.

The path drops gradually alongside a stream down to your left. You pass at least two decent swimming locations, one with a small waterfall - ideal for a dip in the right sort of weather. I was glad that the swamphound took the opportunity to clean up but it wasn’t warm enough for me.

If you are lucky, you’ll hear the happy chuffing and occasional hoot of one of the Welsh Highland Railway steam locomotives as they drag themselves along the Glaslyn Valley on the recommissioned narrow gauge line.

All too quickly, you are under the viaduct and back at the car park. That is unless you are still stuck in the Fat Man’s Agony, out of soap and making a call you’d never have expected you’d have to make to whatever specialist team get sent out to release unsuspecting adventurers from the grips of the world’s most fun gate.