Home   Glossary
Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) & Y Lliwedd
Quick Facts
This is the summed total of all the climbing within a route and is a good indicator of the strenuousness of a route.
Total Ascent
1185 m

An estimate of the time taken based on a derivation of Naismiths rules. Our calculation is based on the horizontal and ascent components of a climb, we do not make a reduction for descent.

Registered users can customise these walking times by specifying their own walking and ascending speeds. They can also add a fixed time period for stoppages.

Route Time
4.5 hrs
The horizontal distance of the route.
Route Distance
11.05 km
 

The UK is covered by 204 Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50,000 scale maps. Maps numbered 1 to 86 cover Scotland but for the highest mountains (Munros) only 23 maps are required. The name given roughly describes the area covered by the map.

You can click on the map name to purchase the map for £6.29 including postage which is one of the cheapest prices we have found.

OS Landranger Maps Required
  115   Snowdon & Caernarfon
Only £6.29  (£13.49 Laminated) from  

A brief summary of this route.

Our summary will always contain one of easy, moderate or hard to indicate the severity of the route.

 Notes
The classic ‘Snowdon Horseshoe’, the finest and most challenging ridge walk in England/Wales, worth saving for a good off-season day. Scrambling near crags with some exposure is involved over the Crib Goch pinnacles and the traverse of Y Llewedd’s crest.

Here we provide the nearest town to the start of the route where you will find basic services.

We then give directions from that location to the route start. Your approach route may differ.

 Travel Information

Head to: Capel Curig

From Capel Curig drive WSW on A4086 for about 9km and park at Pen-y-Pass (summit of the Pass of Llanberis).

Route Waypoint Map

The total ascent is 1,185 metres. Allow 4.5 hours to complete this 11.05 km route.

Usually the shortest way to climb the mountain, making best use of tracks and paths to gain altitude. Route navigation requires map reading skills and an ability to navigate with a compass.

The information given here will enable you to annotate your map and plan your route. We do not give anecdotal descriptions on where to find the paths, worn by the feet of previous mountaineers.

Where the access routes are few or the ridge is narrow, paths are generally obvious. On open ground, following paths without using your compass may get you lost in poor visibility.

 Route Information
Waypoint Detail
  Park at Pen-y-Pass (summit of Pass of Llanberis).
  SH64785556 Distance
Altitude
359 m
1
Ascend S on path
SH64455558 Distance
1.37 km
Altitude
390 m
2
Path divides here, continue ascent WSW onto crest of ridge
SH63335526 Distance
0.19 km
Altitude
569 m
3
Ascend by path on ridge W to Crib Goch summit ridge
SH62555525 Distance
0.81 km
Altitude
892 m
4
Carefully traverse WSW over exposed Crib Goch ridge then descend to col
SH62165511 Distance
0.42 km
Altitude
858 m
5
Ascend W along Crib y Ddysgl ridge
SH61625520 Distance
0.55 km
Altitude
952 m
6
Continue ascent to summit of Garnedd Ugain.
SH61105518 Distance
0.53 km
Altitude
1065 m
7
Descend SW turning S to Bwlch Glas col
SH60775491 Distance
0.43 km
Altitude
993 m
8
Ascend ridge SSE to summit of Yr Wyddfa (3000ft+)
SH60985438 Distance
0.52 km
Altitude
1085 m
9
Head SW 150m to join path descending zigzag SE across slope onto ridge.
SH61455416 Distance
0.80 km
Altitude
809 m
10
Continue SE to col at junction with Watkin Path
SH61935370 Distance
0.67 km
Altitude
744 m
11
Scramble SE on ridge to summit of Y Llewedd (2500ft+)
SH62225335 Distance
0.46 km
Altitude
898 m
12
Traverse ESE on ridge, over subsidiary top then begin descent
SH62605317 Distance
0.43 km
Altitude
804 m
13
Continue descent NE on ridge
SH63025346 Distance
0.52 km
Altitude
706 m
14
After clearing crags descend NNE on path to join Miners Track.
SH63495454 Distance
1.25 km
Altitude
436 m
15
Turn right and head ENE on Miners Track.
SH64635483 Distance
1.30 km
Altitude
404 m
16
Turn N to return to Pen-y Pass on Miners Track.
SH64785556 Distance
0.80 km
Altitude
359 m

A selection of weather forecasts local to this route.

 Weather
Snowdonia
by MWIS (PDF format)
Snowdonia
by Met Office
Snowdon
by Metcheck
Images of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) & Y Lliwedd
Route Area Map
Legend  Munro  Corbett  Graham  English/Welsh Top  Accommodation

A selection of local accommodation options who advertise with Munromagic.com.

 Where to Stay
We currently have no
sponsored accommodation listings for this area.

Rating & Reviews

 Rating & Reviews
Rated:
 from 2 votes
Click Stars to Vote
Your Rating
Written by William Thomson on 24 Apr 2010:
The parking has increased to £10 for the day which is completely out of order. I totally object to paying this kind of money when climbing hills which really should belong to the nation of Wales. I therefore parked half a mile down the road in a lay-by. This made a much more interesting walk in the end and saved me the £10 cash. I also noticed that a lot of the parking areas in the valley had been blocked with large stones to prevent parking and thus increase the usage and revenue of the carpark, unbelievable!
 
Written by Jim Nicol on 23 Jul 2009:
Be warned parking at pen-y-pass is not cheap £3 for up to 4hrs ,£6 over 4hrs.Good cafe and toilets there though. Even though the weather was very wet and misty for most of the walk i still found this route to be very enjoyable,the weather only made it more challenging careful navigation needed coming off snowdons summit. The scrambling and ridge walks were very exhilarating made more difficult by the rain. I would love to do this route again in good conditions to take in the views of this beautiful area, what i did see convinced me of this.Fantastic route though recommend it to everyone.
 
Disclaimer. The details provided above are an aid to planning an expedition, but all distances, altitudes and bearings must be considered approximate. You must navigate with the appropriate map, a compass, your navigation skills and common sense, MunroMagic.com accept no responsibility for your interpretation of our route information.
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