Llyn Tegid — Bala Lake — is Wales's largest natural lake: six kilometres long, one kilometre wide, and up to 42 metres deep. To paddle its full length by kayak is to see the surrounding Aran mountains from a perspective unavailable from shore, and to pass above waters that contain the gwyniad — a unique endemic fish found nowhere else on earth. This is Experience #25 of the Snowdonia 100.
Practical Details
| Hire | Bala Watersports Centre and several other operators in the town |
| Distance | 6km full length (return: 12km) |
| Time | Half day for a comfortable full-length paddle |
| Skill level | Beginner — the lake is sheltered but can become choppy in wind |
| Best conditions | Calm mornings; wind can funnel down the valley quickly |
The Lake
Llyn Tegid sits in the Dee Valley, ringed by the Aran mountains to the west and lower hills to the east. The Bala narrow-gauge railway runs along the southern shore, its trains visible from the water. The lake drains into the River Dee, which flows east through England to the sea at Dee Estuary. The glacial origins of the lake are evident in its elongated form, scoured by ice along the valley axis.
The Gwyniad
The gwyniad is a member of the whitefish family (Coregonus lavaretus) that has been isolated in Llyn Tegid since the end of the last ice age, when rising temperatures cut it off from other populations. It has evolved into a distinct form found nowhere else on earth — a fact that makes the lake remarkable in a different way from its size or scenery. The gwyniad is rarely if ever seen; it lives in the cold, deep water. But knowing it is there, swimming somewhere beneath your hull, is an experience in itself.
Experience #25 of 100 — Water and Light category.
Independently written — Snowdon.com