Walk 19 Snowdon via the Watkin and the Rhyd Dhu Paths
Walk 20 Yr Aran
Walk 21 Cwm Pennant and the Moel Hebog Ridge
Walk 22 Mynydd Mawr
Walk 23 Nantlle Ridge
Walk 24 Moel Siabod
Walk 25 Aberglaslyn Gorge and Llyn Dinas
Walk 26 Cnicht and Cwm Croesor
Walk 27 The Moelwyns
Walk 28 Rhinog Fawr by the Roman Steps
Walk 29 Rhinog Fach and Y Llethr
Dolgellau, Cadair Idris and the South
Walk 30 Precipice Walk, Dolgellau
Walk 31 Cadair Idris by the Pony Path
Walk 32 Cadair Idris from Minffordd
Walk 33 The Dolgoch Falls and Tarrenhendre
Walk 34 Rhobell Fawr
Walk 35 Cwm Cywarch Horseshoe and Aran Fawddwy
Walk 36 Traverse of the Aran Ridge
Walk 37 Arenig Fawr and Moel Llyfnant
Walk 38 Cadair Berwyn and Pistyll Rhaeadr
Day 1 Snowdon and the Glyderau
Day 2 Carneddau
Appendix A Route summary table
Appendix B Welsh/English glossary
Appendix C Useful contacts
Walkers descending Watkin Path from Snowdon
INTRODUCTION
Snowdonia can justifiably lay claim to the finest mountain walking in Britain. That’s a bold statement to make but the only serious challengers are the Scottish Highlands and the English Lake District and this magical, mystical corner of Wales contrives to combine the best features of both.
The mountains in the north of Snowdonia National Park are big and raw-boned, matching the majesty of their Scottish counterparts. Rock is never far from the surface, giving them a challengingly rugged texture. They are armour-plated with vast sweeps of naked stone and embossed with crags that gleam in the sunshine and glower in the rain. They are indelibly scarred by deep, rocky cwms where long-gone glaciers have taken huge bites from their flanks. They bristle with jagged ridges, which set scramblers’ pulses racing and spirits soaring, and are crowned by sharp, spiky summits.
Lliwedd, the last nail in the Snowdon Horseshoe (Walk 16)
At the same time, like the Lakeland Fells they are closely packed, clustered round intimate valleys and bound together by high ridges that lend themselves to satisfying horseshoes or long, high-level treks, picking off summits as you go.
They are also in exactly the right place, sufficiently close to the major centres of population to be accessible for a fleeting weekend yet just far enough away to retain an essential aura of remoteness. The widespread use of Welsh as the day-to-day language of the locals, overheard in villages with near-unpronounceable, tongue-twisting names, only adds to their sense of otherworldliness.
They also have an extra dimension that only proximity to two coasts can bring. With the Menai Straits to the north and the great sweep of Cardigan Bay to the west, the sea is a feature in many a summit view, projecting its own constantly changing charm and ever-shifting light. There are few pleasures to match dropping into a swiftly darkening valley after witnessing the sun sink into a blood-red sea.
Sychnant Pass in the Carneddau (Walk 1)
And they pack in an astonishing variety. At first glance the Carneddau in the north seem to be huge, grassy mounds, but closer exploration reveals that they are not without drama, as some of the national park’s most impressive and least frequented crags are tucked away beneath their seemingly innocuous flanks. Across the deep trench of the Nant Ffrancon stand the Glyderau, huge, crag-girt fortresses of solid stone which rival and sometimes even outshine Snowdon itself in their rocky challenges, especially on the sharp crest of Tryfan.
Tryfan’s North Ridge (Walk 8)
But Snowdon will not be outdone. Although surrounded by a cluster of equally dramatic acolytes, the highest mountain south of the Roman Wall refuses to be ignored and seldom is. Don’t expect to have it to yourself, no matter how unpromising the weather may be. The Horseshoe, starting on the tightrope of Crib Goch and ending on the double summit of Y Lliwedd, is unrivalled as the area’s most famous and most challenging short(ish) walk, a must for every ambitious walker and scrambler. In all, 15 peaks that top the magic 3000ft contour are crammed into this northern sector of the park.
| The Welsh 3000s | |
| Snowdon | |
| Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa | 3560ft (1085m) |
| Garnedd Ugain/Crib y Ddysgl | 3494ft (1065m) |
| Crib Goch | 3028ft (923m) |
| Glyderau | |
| Elidir Fawr | 3031ft (924m) |
| Y Garn | 3107ft (947m) |
| Glyder Fawr | 3283ft (999m) |
| Glyder Fach | 3262ft (994m) |
| Tryfan | 3002ft (915m) |
| Carneddau | |
| Pen yr Ole Wen | 3208ft (978m) |
| Carnedd Dafydd | 3425ft (1044m) |
| Carnedd Llewelyn | 3490ft (1064m) |
| Yr Elen | 3156ft (962m) |
| Foel Grach |