Walk Mount Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) avoiding Crib Goch from Pen-y-Pass
The shortest way up Wales' highest
This 7½ mile, Grade 6 (Moderate), easy-to-follow, hand-crafted walk, complete with GPS Waypoints, starts at Pen-y-Pass in Snowdonia & will take you about 6 hrs to complete.
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Detailed walk route map PDF | |
Vital Statistics: | ||
| Walk No.: | gw134 | |
| Length: | 7½ miles (12km) | |
| Ascent: | 3034 ft (925m) | |
| Time: | 6 hours | |
| Grade: |  | |
| Walk Type: | High Mountains | |
| Gear Needed: | Full mountain gear including boots, warm layers, waterproofs, food & water, and good weather | |
Route outline for this walk:
Pen-y-Pass - Pyg Track - Bwlch y Moch - Craig Fach - Miners' Track - Snowdon Mountain Railway - Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) - Miners' Track - Glaslyn - Llyn Llydaw - Pen-y-Pass
Points of Interest/Notes on this walk:
The final push onto the summit ridge is very steep and often has a large snow cornice quite late into Spring. It can be extremely dangerous for the ill equipped.
The Snowdon Mountain Railway is the only rack railway in Great Britain. It was opened in April 1896 and has been ferrying people to the summit of Snowdon ever since. To date, the Snowdon Mountain Railway has suffered only one fatality.On the day it opened one of the engines briefly lost control near the summit, tempting a passenger to leap from the train. He died from injuries.
There is a Snowdon Sherpa bus service that links all the main car parks and starting points for the main routes up Snowdon - including Pen-y-Pass - and the fare is cheaper than parking for the day at Pen-y-Pass- if you can find a space that is. You can buy tickets from the driver (Pen-y-Pass is pronounced 'Pen-uh-pass'). See The Snowdon Sherpa for details.
'Pyg' (as in Pyg Track) is and abbreviation for Pen-y-Gwryd - the hotel at the bottom of the pass.
The building on the summit of Snowdon (Hafod Eryri - The Snowdon Summit Visitor Centre and Cafe) is thought to be the home of the highest house mice in England and Wales!
Peaks, Summits and Tops reached on this walk:
 1 Welsh Mountain |
 0 Wainwrights |
 1 Welsh Nuttall |
 1 Welsh Dewey |
 0 Wainwright Outlying Fells |
 1 Welsh Marilyn |
 0 Bridgets |
Peak Bagging Statistics for this walk:
The highest point of this walk is Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) at 1085m (3561ft). Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) is classified as a Welsh Mountain (Hewitt) (Highest in Wales, Highest in England & Wales)
Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) is also known as a Welsh Nuttall (Highest in Wales, Highest in England & Wales) and a Welsh Marilyn (Highest in Wales, 43rd highest in the UK).
Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) means 'The Burial Place' in Welsh and is pronounced 'ur-oo-ith-va'.
The summit of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) is marked by an Ordnance Survey Trig Point. Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) is the highest point in the county of Gwynedd, the highest point in Snowdonia National Park and the highest point in England and Wales.
Completing this walk will also take you to the top of Craig Fach at 609m (1999ft). Craig Fach is also known as a Welsh Dewey (2nd highest in Wales, 3rd in England & Wales) Craig Fach means 'Small Crag' in Welsh and is pronounced 'cry-g vacht'.
Be Adventure Smart
If walking in the Lake District (and anywhere else) please be adventure smart.
Ask yourself 5 questions before you set off:
- Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day?
- Do I know what the WEATHER will be like?
- Do I have the right GEAR for the day?
- Do I have enough FOOD & DRINK for the day?
- Do I have all the ESSENTIAL ITEMS for the day?
Note that there is no mobile phone or WiFi coverage in many parts of the Lake District
A dedicated GPS Device can be a good navigational aid, but only if you know how to use it properly. See The Myths and Truths about GPS for Walking and Hiking
You can find this walk and other nearby walks on these unique Interactive Walk Planning Maps:
(worth a look if you're new to go4awalk.com & have never seen one of these before.)
1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Map (orange/yellow covers):
1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Map (pink/magenta covers):
Some Photos and Pictures from Walk Mount Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) avoiding Crib Goch from Pen-y-Pass
In no particular order . . .
My mountain dog Degla, admiring the view (near the top of the PYG/Miners' Track) off Mount Snowdon
Craig Fach, Llyn Llydaw (top) and Glaslyn (bottom) from Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)
The expeditionists - Tess, Andy, Roman, Sara and Nell take a well-earned break whilst climbing Snowdon via the PYG Track
. . . load all 176 pictures & photos from this walk
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