Snowdon

This article is about the mountain. For Lord Snowdon, see Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon.

Routes leading up Snowdon

Marked footpaths lead to Snowdon's summit from all sides, and can be combined in various ways. The circular walk starting and ending at Pen-y-Pass and using the Crib Goch route and the route over Y Lliwedd is called the Snowdon Horseshoe, and is one of the best ridge walks in Britain. The routes are arranged here clockwise, starting with the paths leading from Pen-y-Pass.

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Over Y Lliwedd

The southernmost of the paths leading from Pen-y-Pass leads up Y Lliwedd, to the south of Llyn Llydaw, and from there over Bwlch Ciliau (Welsh: pass of the corners), where the Snowdon Ranger paths joins with it, to Snowdon itself. Shortly before the summit, this path merges with the Rhyd Ddu path. This is one half of the Snowdon Horseshoe, together with the Crib Goch route (see below). It includes a sharp ridge and requires some experience of scrambling and a head for heights.

Related Topics:
Pen-y-Pass - Y Lliwedd - Llyn Llydaw - Bwlch Ciliau - Welsh - Scrambling

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Pyg Track

The Pyg Track is a popular path leading from the car park at Pen-y-Pass along the lower slopes of Crib Goch before zig-zagging above the smaller lake Glaslyn to the col between Snowdon and Garnedd Ugain and thence to the summit of Snowdon. Previous Ordnance Survey maps marked this path as the Pig Track, and although it is widely believed that the name Pyg derives from the initials of the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel near its base (prompting occasional PyG spellings), this is probably a coincidence. The Crib Goch route forks off upwards to the right from the Pyg route after a roughly a mile, whilst the Pyg route itself carries straight on, initially droping down slightly onto a flatter section of path before the ascent towards the zig-zags. Some less experienced walkers have been known to get confused at this point, later finding themselves out of their depth on Crib Goch.

Related Topics:
Car park - Pen-y-Pass - Crib Goch - Glaslyn - Garnedd Ugain - Ordnance Survey - Pen-y-Gwryd - Crib Goch route

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Miners Track

The Miners Track also begins from the Pen-y-Pass car park, but follows the shore of Llyn Llydaw before joining the Pyg Track shortly above Glaslyn (Welsh: blue lake). The combination of ascent via the Pyg track and descent via the Miners track is one of the most common ways of combining routes on Snowdon, due to their sharing a start point at the Pen-y-Pass car park.

Related Topics:
Llyn Llydaw - Welsh

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Crib Goch route

The Crib Goch route also starts at the Pen-y-Pass car park and initially follows the Pyg track before separating off from it and leading up the side of Crib Goch. From there it follows the ridge of Crib Goch, over the summit of Garnedd Ugain and on to the summit of Snowdon. This forms half of the Snowdon Horseshoe route, the other half passing over Y Lliwedd (see above). It includes a very sharp ridge and requires some experience of scrambling and a head for heights.

Related Topics:
Pyg track - Crib Goch - Garnedd Ugain - Scrambling

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Watkin Path

The Watkin path begins at Nantgwynant to the south of Snowdon, and follows the course of the Afon Cwm Llan river, past the Gladstone Rock, before heading up the hillside to Cwm Ciliau (between Y Lliwedd and Snowdon) and onward to Snowdon. It is also possible to walk from Nantgwynant to Bwlch Cwm Llan, between Yr Aran and Snowdon and from there, either down to Rhyd Ddu or along Allt Maenderyn, along the top of the Clogwyn Du cliff face to meet the Rhyd Ddu path going to the summit.

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Rhyd Ddu Path

The Rhyd Ddu path leads from the village of Rhyd Ddu to the west of Snowdon, gently up on to Llechog, a broad ridge to leading west from the summit of Snowdon. This is one of the easier routes up Snowdon. It is also possible to walk from Rhyd Ddu to Bwlch Cwm Llan, between Yr Aran and Snowdon and from there, either down to Nantgwynant, or along Allt Maenderyn, along the top of the Clogwyn Du cliff face to meet the Rhyd Ddu path going to the summit.

Related Topics:
Rhyd Ddu - Yr Aran

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Snowdon Ranger Path

The Snowdon Ranger Path is named after the Snowdon Ranger youth hostel on the shores of Llyn Cwellyn, where it begins. It rises gently to Bwlch Cwm Brwynog, between Moel Cynghorion and Snowdon, and then along the top of the Clogwyn Du'r Arddu cliff face to Bwlch Glas between Snowdon and Garnedd Ugain.

Related Topics:
Youth hostel - Llyn Cwellyn - Moel Cynghorion - Garnedd Ugain

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Llanberis Path

The Llanberis Path leads from Llanberis, approximately along the course of the Snowdon Mountain Railway. This is one of the longer routes up, although, the slope is mostly fairly shallow, and it's considered one of the easiest. It is also the path followed during the annual Snowdon Race (Welsh: Râs Yr Wyddfa).

Related Topics:
Llanberis - Snowdon Mountain Railway - Welsh

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Snowdon Mountain Railway

For those who do not wish to walk, or to walk one way only, the Snowdon Mountain Railway (a rack railway) runs from Llanberis to the top. A restaurant and shop can be found at the top station, just below the summit (selling, amongst other things, "I Climbed Snowdon" T-shirts).

Related Topics:
Snowdon Mountain Railway - Rack railway - Llanberis

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