Walking info
Walking info
As many want to summit Snowdon (Eryri) , this heads the list, but there are plenty of other brilliant mountains which are less popular and far less crowded, so do scroll on downwards. The last 2 on the list are gentler but no less interesting.
SNOWDON
If the weather is kind to you, Snowdon is magnificent. It's very busy....
Parking near Snowdon itself is a thorny issue- you need to book places ahead in the nearby car parks or risk getting your car towed away, so the Sherpa buses are really useful.
Here's a link for the paths and Sherpa bus service.
And this has a good weather forecast for the mountains and lots of good help/advice:
If your group is mixed ability, I'd probably go up Snowdon Ranger path, as it gains height gradually. I think it's the easiest one to do, and less walked than others. Drive N on the 487, turn right in Penygroes, and on to Rhyd Ddu through Nantlle. Turn left in Rhyd Ddu and drive to the car park on Llyn Cwellyn. The path comes up to a ridge and then turns right and joins the path from Llanberis, along the railway line. Look out for the marker post when you're coming down. The Llanberis path is also one of the easy ones, but it's a bit further to drive . It follows the railway.
Miner's track is very popular, is pretty gentle to start with, but then the last bit is quite a haul. You can go up Miner's and come down Pyg? They both end at Pen y Pass car park. If that’s full try the one at Cae Gwyn https://www.yourparkingspace.co.uk/locations/show/1627250738. Or use a Sherpa bus from Porthmadog?
The Watkin path is wonderful and our favourite way up. However, it's harder work as it starts from lower down, so you have more height to gain. Very beautiful. Park at Nant Gwynant car park. Or use a Sherpa bus.
Anything but Snowdon?
If you want to lose the crowds, you might enjoy, as alternatives, either of these: both start pretty locally.
Cnicht – which is our favourite. Gorgeous from the word go, wonderful views, very comfortable underfoot, would take 4-5 hrs up & down, depending on your fitness. It does involve one very small and easy bit of scrambling. You can see Cnicht when driving round the Porthmadog bypass, to the right of Snowdon. Nicknamed "the Welsh Matterhorn", it looks quite dramatic from that side! Start walking from Croesor village : so drive to Porthmadog, then take the road towards Beddgelert, turn right towards Garreg, past the RSPB Osprey centre and then a quick L and R staggered junction in Garreg takes you up past Brondanw, the Clough Willams Ellis house and garden (wonderful) , on to Croesor and the end of the valley. This takes c 25-30m driving from Bryn Engan.There's a free car park w portaloo for walkers in Croesor. Up to the top is a lovely half-day: extending on along the ridge is simply glorious, broad, grassy walking. Then either just come back, or, if you want to extend into a full (quite long) day's walk, continue on to the head of the valley and come back on the other side over Moelwyn Mawr (and add on Moelwyn Fach for good measure?!) in a horseshoe. Do be careful of mineworkings at the end of the valley.
or Moel Hebog, which you can see from Bryn Engan. This is much easiest tackled from our side, so just drive up Cwm Pennant (beautiful ) by turning left off the A487 on your way to Porthmadog. Half-way along, turn R near a phonebox to Cwrt Isaf. Drive to the very end, park by the stone barn (there's an honesty box for parking there, £2, I think?) and walk on up Cwm Llefrith. Head to the pass at the top , ie to LH of Hebog then head right when you get to the stone wall on the horizon and on up to the top. It's all pretty obvious, Hebog is in view most of the way. The last bit is quite steep, but grassy, not at all difficult underfoot. Again, guesstimate 4-5 hours? c 20mins drive from Bryn Engan?
If you have 2 cars and want a grand day out, the Nantlle ridge is glorious. Leave a car at the near end so you can do the entire ridge ( the whole ridge out and back in one day is quite hard-core). We leave one car at the far end of Cwm Pennant (turn L off the 487 on the way to Porthmadog) then drive to Rhyd Ddu and park there. Start off up Y Garn, then along. You can leave Craig cwm Sylan out if you run out of time/energy.
After that, we like the Glyderau, both Fach and Fawr, NE of Snowdon. Castell y Gwynt is very good. Tryfan , a little further away in the same direction is also good but needs experience, stamina and good scrambling skills. I found route details for Nantlle , the Glyderau and Tryfan on this site, you may find it useful? http://www.walkingenglishman.com/snowdonia.htm
The Carneddau are good too, a bit further away, pretty rugged.
NB For all these walks you will, of course, need to be reasonably fit, properly kitted out and take a good map!
If you want a gentler walk, Lôn Goed is very local, starts just under Hendre Cennin (farm next door). It’s a lovely and very historic oak and beech lined grassy track leading down towards the sea, c 6-7 miles long. A level walk.
And there’s a really interesting, amazingly well- preserved Iron Age hill fort , Tre’r Ceiri, on the hills you see from Bryn Engan on the N side of the peninsula. C 20 mins drive to the lay-by on the road below, then c1hr uphill to the top from the lay-by . Photos don't do it justice, its truly extraordinary.
