Hiking Mount Snowdon – The Highest Peak in Wales

November 25, 2024
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Hiking, mountains, Wales

Who wouldn’t want to escape the city after months of lockdown? Last weekend I finally took the plunge and decided to swap the concrete of London for the rocky slopes of Mount Snowdon.

Where is Mount Snowdon?

Mount Snowdon is in North Wales and can be found in Snowdonia National Park, a region known for outstanding natural beauty.

It has the kind of magic that explains why Tolkien took inspiration from the Welsh landscape in his famous novels – The Lord of the Rings. The mountain is the highest in both Wales and England, offering views over Snowdonia, Anglesey, Pembrokeshire and even Ireland on a sunny day. It stands at 1085m and offers 8 different trails to reach its summit.

How to get there

Reaching Mount Snowdon is pretty easy – even all the way down from the Big Smoke. Along with my buddies, we took the fastest train from Euston Station up to Bangor. It’s easy to book tickets online using the Trainline.

The journey took 3h 25m, and only another further 25 minutes to reach Snowdon by car. We rented a car-hire from Bangor but you could easily get a taxi and it shouldn’t cost too much.

Which route should you take up Mount Snowdon?

It really depends on what you want in terms of difficulty and your physical capabilities. Some routes are definitely easier than others, while other routes offer more in the way of scenery. (Find the full list of routes at the end of the article).

I had my heart set on the most difficult route, Crib Goch, but in typical British fashion the weather was not on my side. It had been raining cats and dogs the day before, as well as on the morning of the climb, so my friends were no longer keen on doing it and began weighing up alternative routes.

On the morning of the hike we stopped off at a lovely cafe called Caffi Caban. It’s all decked out in wood like a true hiker’s lodge – the prefect place to grab breakfast and that all important caffeine fix.

While there I got talking to a very helpful waitress who said her favourite route was the Pyg Track. She claimed the scenery, was in her opinion, the best. Adding to this, the route still offered a decent challenge – not too easy and not too difficult. This seemed like a good compromise to me.

She also explained that if we changed our minds about doing Crib Goch, there was a path that led to it from the Pyg Track. Good to know the option was there if we changed our minds.

My experience of the Pyg Track

First section

The start of the route packed a punch with a rocky ascent and stunning views of the Glyderau mountain range and of the Llanberis Pass.

First impressions exceeded expectations and to make things better, it had stopped raining. Thankfully I could see the sun tentatively making its first appearance of the day. Slowly, the clouds parted and rays of sunshine were hitting the mountain tops in a way that made the whole landscape look like it was being blessed by the Gods.

The scenery kept getting better and better as little waterfalls emerged and the sound of nature intensified. At any moment I expected little hobbits to appear out from the under the rocks and over the hilltops.

After about an hour’s walking we reached Bwlch y Moch and the glistening waters of Llydaw came fully into view below.

Middle section

I noticed the path splitting into two at this point, with the path on the right leading up Crib Goch – just as the waitress had said it would. We flirted with the idea of going up, but the lake had a magnetic quality that we couldn’t seem to pull ourselves away from. Besides, the Pyg Track had served us well so far so we figured it wasn’t morally right to abandon her after she had given us so much already!

Staying faithful to the Pyg Track, I hopped over the wooden stile and stopped for a little photo opportunity until my group told us that we needed to crack on. The path climbed gradually to the intersection of the Pyg Track and the Miners’ Track, which is marked by a standing stone.

Staring up in front of me was the daunting summit of Mount Snowdon. It looked super bad-ass but it didn’t seem too far away – perhaps another 40 mins of uphill climbing.

My thighs were getting a little tired. Overall though, I was in good form with plenty of energy left for the final slog. It was nothing like climbing Ben Nevis, maybe this had to do with the cool temperature making conditions much more comfortable. Excuse me if I sound like I’m bragging, but I hadn’t yet broken out in a sweat.

Last section

At this point the path climbed steeply in a zig-zag pattern until I reached Bwlch Glas, a junction where several of the paths join together. I was surprised by the number of people. The Pyg Track was not that busy so I guess they did other available routes. I turned left towards the summit and carried on walking for another 10 minutes.

In the distance I was surprised to spot a cafe. It spoilt the overall feeling of being on a summit but I’m sure the prospect of food and shelter has been a welcome sight for many climbers over the years. It wasn’t opened by the time we arrived – or maybe it was still closed due to covid. On top of this, is the opportunity to get a train back down to the base of the mountain but it wasn’t running either and I’ve read it’s quite expensive too.

The summit was marked by steps leading up to a large cairn so we waited in line and took an obligatory photo. On a clear day, 18 lakes and 14 peaks over 914 metres (3000ft) can be seen. Sometimes, you can even see as far as Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Lake District. I stayed on the summit for a little while and witnessed the weather change from completely cloudy to almost completely clear skies. Now this was the real reward. If there’s a more beautiful place in Britain I haven’t found it yet.

How long did it take?

It took me around 2h 20m to reach the summit and that included stopping for quite a few photos. The descent took another 2 hours so in total it took around 4h 20m.

How difficult did I find hiking Snowdon?

To my surprise, while offering a satisfying hike, I didn’t really find it difficult – or at least that was my experience of the Pyg Track. Crib Goch for example requires some scrambling so technically it is more challenging.

If it’s helpful to compare, I found it considerably easier than Ben Nevis which is much longer. However, I also think the weather played a large difference. I hiked Ben Nevis during a heat wave. I know, a heat wave in the Scottish Highlands – what are the chances? Well, anyway, the 30 degree heat at the beginning of the hike sucked out all the energy from my bones. I literally wanted to die after the first 10 steps on the trail. Getting to the top was never going to me easy.

Whereas I lucked out on the day I hiked Snowdon. The temperature hovered around 19 degrees most of the time. I only needed to whip out more layers at the summit.

I should also add that Snowdon will be much harder in the winter. I’d only recommend people going up with a professional guide or have experience in winter skills and mountaineering.

If you’re looking for other mountains to hike, I also recommend Carrauntoohil, the highest mountain in Ireland. It’s incredibly beautiful.

List of routes up Mount Snowdon from easiest to hardest

1. Llanberis path or the ‘Pony Track’ is the easiest hiking route. It was once used to carry people up on pony back. However it is the longest route at 9 miles (there and back) in distance and is most popular with tourists.
Begins at: LL55 4TY

2. Snowdon Ranger Path is a straightforward path. If it were not for the steepness of the middle section, it would be classed as the easiest route.
Begins at: LL54 7YS

3. The Miner’s track starts extremely flat and weaves around some beautiful lake and the base of the mountains. However it gets tougher when you have to climb up to the path that meets the Pyg Track. On the decent from the summit we decided to go back down onto the Miner’s Track for a change of scenery.

4. The Pyg track varies in gradient along the way with a pretty steep last climb as you clamber the scree to the summit. You’ll certainly need to watch your step but it’s nothing too extreme. I’m happy I chose this route. The varied views are spectacular.

Both the Pyg and the Miner’s track start and finish at Pen-y-pass where there is a carpark – LL55 4NY.

5. Rhyd Ddu path from what I’ve read this route seems to be a pretty easy for the first half but then develops some thinner, steeper ridge climbs as you clamour closer to the top. It’s no Crib Goch, but it definitely hosts some of the narrowest walking ridges.
Begins at: LL54 6TN

6. Snowdon South Ridge seems to be the lesser known path up Snowdon and therefore probably has the least crowds. The trickiest part is the scrambling and exposure on Bwlch Main. It also joins the Rhy Ddu path up to the summit.
Begins at: LL54 6TN

7. Watkin’s path was suggested to me by a friend I bumped into in Wales (sometimes the world can feel so small!). He said it’s great fun if you’re looking for more of a challenge because there are some extremely steep sections. If I go back to Mount Snowdon I’d be really interested to do this route.
Begins at: LL55 4NL

8. Crib Goch is considered the most challenging from what I’ve heard but the waitress I spoke to at the cafe said she didn’t find it too hard. However, since it is an exposed grade 1 scramble, it does make it more technical and risky than the others. One for next time, eh.