Here Lies Excalibur!

Llyn Ogwen wasn’t the first choice for a swim on our most recent trip to Wales. I had planned on swimming in Llynnau Mymbyr but on the day, as we drove passed Llynnau Mymbyr there were lots of people about on bikes and in the llyn itself there were canoes and large pink inflatable buoys! I later found out that there was a snowman triathlon happening at Capel Curig, of which there were 750m of open water swimming, 31km of road cycling and 6.1km multi terrain running. I didn’t really want to be swimming with a load of other swimmers and dodging large inflatable buoys, so we quickly ditched the day’s plan and headed to another llyn I had yet to swim in. We headed for Llyn Ogwen, a llyn I had visited on multiple occasions, most notable in 2017 when we walked all around it’s rugged footpath but had not graced it’s waters.

Just like many places in Snowdonia, Llyn Ogwen has ties with the mythology of King Arthur. Llyn Ogwen is presumed to be the llyn where Sir Bedivere cast Excalibur into after Arthur’s death. Indeed in 2017 a team of NT rangers noticed something buried in mud during work maintaining the paths. After excavation it was found to be that of a sword, dating from the 6th Century, coinciding with the time of King Arthur!

After dodging a stream of triathlon bikes, we arrived at parking near Llyn Ogwen at a very reasonable £3 for four hours and then made the short journey across the road to the rocky shore of the llyn. The July heatwave had dissipated and the water was fresh and cold. Since David had been struggling with a chest infection for weeks, it was only a quick swim. Indeed the whole adventure to Wales was short and sweet, but I aim to get back to swim in Llynnau Mymbyr sooner, rather than later.