Walks in Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a great place for fell walking, not dissimilar to the Lake District. I first visited the Snowdonia national park in the summer of 2002 for a five day stay accompanied by my brother Dave and good friend Steve. Naturally our major goal was an ascent of Snowdon itself but as we wanted to do it in good weather it turned out to be the final day before we actually made it onto the mountain. Snowdonia can be a wet place and only on our first and last days did it stay dry. What the unreliable weather did do for us was make us search out walks that highlighted the varied aspects of park and so you will find on these pages high level walks on super mountains in the Tryfan, Rhyd-Ddu and Snowdon ones plus a couple of interesting low level ones around Beddgelert and Llanrwst. All five walks were enjoyable and all in a variety of locations to suit the daily weather conditions. When it was wet we kept relatively low and when it was dry we tried to climb high. The result is a good variety of walks and I do hope you enjoy reading about them. Since then I have revisited Wales often so new walks in Snowdonia will regularly arrive into these pages.
Snowdonia mountain skyline as seen from Glyder Fawr
Interactive map of the walks
| Walk | Miles | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Aber Falls (Rhaeadr Fawr) | 2.8 | A short walk in Gwynedd, North Wales along the valley of Rhaeadr Fawr to marvel at the famous spectacle of Aber Falls. |
| Betws-y-Coed, Gwydyr Forest, Llyn Elsi and Sarn Helen | 3.8 | A Snowdonia walk from the popular village of Betws-y-Coed to Llyn Elsi in the Gwydyr Forest. |
| Tryfan by the Heather Terrace | 3.8 | Llyn Bochlwyd, a small lake and Tryfan, a great hill make for a great walk with lots of great views. |
| Y Garn and Devil's Chimney | 4.5 | Short but full of thrills from the start. An ascent and descent of Y Garn is followed by the exciting climb down through the Devil's Kitchen.. |
| Cadair Idris and Mynydd Moel | 5.7 | The classic circuit of Cadair Idris and Mynydd Moel from Minfforrd via Nant Cadair Gorge and the Minffordd Path. |
| Y Garn and Nantlle Ridge | 5.7 | A stiff climb of Y Garn to start with, then part of the Nantlle ridge before taking it easy visiting some old mine workings. |
| Cadair Idris | 6.1 | Second only to Snowdon in terms of popularity, Cadair Idris is a jewel and this walk is the ideal way to appreciate it. |
| Moelwyn Mawr | 6.3 | A walk from Croesor to this wonderful high ridged mountain, parts of which are a Site of Special Scientific Interest. |
| Cnicht, Matterhorn of Wales | 7.0 | A walk from Croesor to Snowdonia's Matterhorn followed by an exploration of deserted uplands. |
| Crib Goch, Garnedd Ugain & Snowdon | 7.1 | The classic crossing of the Snowdon Massif by way of three Welsh 3,000s. Crib Goch is quite a challenge. |
| Tryfan, Glyder Fach and Glyder Fawr | 7.2 | Unreservedly this one of my best days out ever on the mountains. A very challenging walk with lots of scrambling. |
| Llyn Dinas, Beddgelert, Pass of Aberglaslyn and Moel y Dyniewyd | 7.5 | This walk to Beddgelert, Pass Of Aberglaslyn and Moel y Dyniewyd is a nice alternative to the big mountains. |
| Beddgelert, Moel Hebog, Moel yr Ogof, Moel Lefn and Beddgelert Forest | 7.6 | A walk from Beddgelert to the mountains of Moel Hebog, Moel yr Ogof and Moel Lefn |
| Llanrwst and Betws-Y-Coed | 7.6 | Riverside and forest walking from Llanrwst to Betws-Y-Coed with a nice tarn to visit on the return leg. |
| Snowdon from Rhyd Ddu | 8.0 | This route up Snowdon avoids all the crowds walking from Pen-y-pass or Llanberis. Penned by Adam Gallimore its a beauty. |
| Pen-y-Pass, Miners Track, Snowdon, Llanberis (Linear) | 9.0 | Quite simply a classic mountain walk. This one goes up the Miners Path and down to Llanberis. |
| Conwy Mountain, Tal y Fan, Drum, Foel-fras, Carnedd Gwenllian, Foel Grach, Carnedd Llewelyn, Carnedd Dafydd and Pen yr Ole Wen | 17.7 | A walk of near 18 miles and 1,855 metres of ascent but not as hard as it appears. The climbing is consistent all the way and once halfway at Foel Fras the rest of the walk is a high level delight. The views are amazing throughout. |
| Wales Coast to Coast Long Distance Footpath: Stages in Snowdonia | ||
| 01: Conwy to Llyn Ogwen | 17.1 | Conwy Mountain. Tal y Fan, Drum, Foel-fras, Garnedd Uchaf, Foel, Grach, Carnedd Llewelyn, Carnedd Dafydd, Llyn Ogwen. |
| 02: Llyn Ogwen to Pen-y-Pass | 8.4 | Llyn Ogwen, Tryfan, Glyder Fach, Glyder Fawr, Llyn Cwmffynnon, Pen-y-Pass. |
| 03: Pen-y-Pass to Beddgelert | 10.5 | Pen-y-Pass, Crib Goch, Garnedd Ugain, Mount Snowdon, Watkin Path, Afon Glaslyn, Llyn Dinas, Beddgelert. |
| 04: Beddgelert to Maentwrog | 12.8 | Beddgelert, Pass of Aberglaslyn, Nantmor, Croesor, Moelwyn Mawr, Ffestiniog Railway, Maentwrog. |
| 05: Maentwrog to Bontddu | 18.3 | Maentwrog, Bryn Cader Faner, Cwm Bychan, The Roman Steps, The Rhinogs, Pont-Scethin, Braich, Bontddu, Afon Mawddach. |
| 06: Bontddu to Minffordd | 10.5 | Afon Mawddach, Penmaenpool Bridge, Llyn Gwernan, Pony Path, Cadair Idris, Penygadair, Craig Cau, Minffordd Path, Llyn Cau. |
Feedback and Suggestions:
I am always pleased to received feedback on the structure and content of the website. I also welcome suggestions on how I can improve the website which may include new areas to cover, new walks or route alterations to existing walks. To contact me with feedback and/ or suggestions please complete the Walking Englishman Feedback Form. Thank you.
(Note: Walking without proper preparation can be dangerous. Information and downloads on this website are provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check the material and use accordingly. Postscript: My walk reports are not route guides and should not be treated as such. They are written with personal reflections of my walks)
