Piece of cake: children from Ysgol Gynradd Brithdir celebrate the new path

A group of schoolchildren took to the hills to help launch a new footpath.

The youngsters from Ysgol Gynradd Brithdir were the first to use officially the new route up Foel Caerynwch in the Snowdonia national park.

The new walk to the 343m (1,125ft) Foel Caerynwch is the latest addition to circular walks in the area which the warden and access service of the Snowdonia National Park Authority has been able to establish. These consist of fairly easy walks filling a gap between low-level strolls and mountain treks.

The children were rewarded with a share of a celebratory cake made for the occasion.

National park warden Rhys Gwynn said: “Our gratitude goes to the landowners who have co-operated so willingly in giving this permission, a kindness which it is hoped visitors and locals will respect by keeping to the path and ensuring that no livestock are disturbed.”

The route starts and ends in the village of Brithdir, east of Dolgellau.

A walk around the shores of Llyn Gwernan was opened last year and the park authority said a circular route in the Clywedog gorge, also in Brithdir parish, has proved to be very popular.

The Foel Caerynwch walk is about 3km (2 miles) long. A number of signs and marker posts define the route, which is a mix of public rights of way and permissive paths.

Information on the footpath will be posted on the Snowdonia national park’s website soon.