Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass

A classic - but Crib Goch is not for the faint hearted!


Route outline for walk gw136:

Pen y Pass  -  Pyg Track  -  Bwlch y Moch  -  Craig Fach  -  Crib Goch  -  Garnedd Ugain (Crib y Ddysgl)  -  Snowdon Mountain Railway  -  Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)  -  The Scree Path  -  Bwlch y Saethau  -  Bwlch Ciliau  -  Y Lliwedd  -  Y Lliwedd (East Top)  -  Lliwedd Bach  -  Gallt y Wenallt  -  Afon Glaslyn  -  Miners' Track  -  Pen y Pass.



Points of Interest/Notes on this walk:

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.

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 Crib Goch ridge is not for the faint hearted. It is very exposed and airy in places and can be extremely dangerous - particularly in adverse weather conditions.

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.

Note: The descent from Gallt y Wenallt to Afon Glaslyn is down very steep grass and can be dangerous. In wet weather descend N from point 6 to join and follow the Miners' Track back to Pen y Pass (see walk gw198 for route 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:

hewitt
4
Welsh
Mountains
Wainwright
0
Wainwrights
 Welsh Nuttalls
7
Welsh
Nuttalls
Dewey
1
Welsh
Dewey
Wainwright Outlying Fell
0
Wainwright
Outlying Fells
marilyn
2
Welsh
Marilyns
Bridget
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) (1st highest in Wales,Highest in England & Wales) Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) is also known as a Welsh Nuttall (1st highest in Wales,Highest in England & Wales) and a Welsh Marilyn (1st 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 Garnedd Ugain (Crib y Ddysgl) at 1066m (3499ft). Garnedd Ugain (Crib y Ddysgl) is classified as a Welsh Mountain (Hewitt) (2nd highest in Wales, 2nd highest in England & Wales) Garnedd Ugain (Crib y Ddysgl) is also known as a Welsh Nuttall (2nd highest in Wales, 2nd highest in England & Wales). Garnedd Ugain (Crib y Ddysgl) means 'Dish Ridge' in Welsh and is pronounced 'kreeb ee thysgl'. The summit of Garnedd Ugain (Crib y Ddysgl) is marked by an Ordnance Survey Trig Point.

You will also reach the summit of Crib Goch at 923m (3029ft). Crib Goch is classified as a Welsh Mountain (Hewitt) (14th highest in Wales, 20th highest in England & Wales) Crib Goch is also known as a Welsh Nuttall (15th highest in Wales, 23rd highest in England & Wales). Crib Goch means 'Red Ridge' in Welsh and is pronounced 'kreeb g-och'. The summit of Crib Goch is marked by a rocky outcrop.

Along the way you will also bag:


You can find more walks near this one on these unique free-to-access Interactive Walk Planning Maps: (click/TAP to select)

Snowdonia National Park


1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Map (the ones with orange/yellow covers):

OL17 Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa and Conwy Valley/Dyffryn Conwy


1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Map (the ones with pink/magenta covers):

115 Snowdon & Caernarfon


Some Photos and Pictures from Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass

In no particular order . . .

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - Temerature Inversion from Crib Goch

Temerature Inversion from Crib Goch

Photo: Charles Brown (1)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - Lynn Llydaw with Y Lliwedd beyond from Crib Goch

Lynn Llydaw with Y Lliwedd beyond from Crib Goch

Photo: George White (2)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Summit Cafe

Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Summit Cafe

Photo: Richard Nicholls (13)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - Cefn-Du, Moel Eilio (Llanberis), Foel Gron, Foel Goch and Moel Cynghorion from Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Cefn-Du, Moel Eilio (Llanberis), Foel Gron, Foel Goch and Moel Cynghorion from Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Photo: Chris Clarke (1)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) and Llyn Gaslyn from Crib Goch

Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) and Llyn Gaslyn from Crib Goch

Photo: Lestyn Foster (1)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - On the summit of Snowdon as part of a sponsored walk for Southmead Hospital, Bristol

On the summit of Snowdon as part of a sponsored walk for Southmead Hospital, Bristol

Photo: David Jefferies (2)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - Me on Snowdon

Me on Snowdon

Photo: James Stenson (1)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - On the Pyg Track

On the Pyg Track

Photo: Ian Lilley (9)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - View back down the South Ridge to Yr Aran from the summit of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

View back down the South Ridge to Yr Aran from the summit of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Photo: Gerald Murphy (11)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - On Crib Goch

On Crib Goch

Photo: Charles Brown (3)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) from Crib Goch

Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) from Crib Goch

Photo: Liz Halpin (4)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - Llyn Llydaw from the summit of Mount Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Llyn Llydaw from the summit of Mount Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Photo: Andy Holliday (4)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - Crib Goch from Snowdon

Crib Goch from Snowdon

Photo: Paul Gillett (1)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - Three of my work colleagues at the top of Snowdon

Three of my work colleagues at the top of Snowdon

Photo: Oliver Hunter (1)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - Near the summit of Mount Snowdon

Near the summit of Mount Snowdon

Photo: Mark Davies (10)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - Craig Fach, Llyn Llydaw and Carnedd Moel Siabod from the Watkin Path on Bwlch Ciliau

Craig Fach, Llyn Llydaw and Carnedd Moel Siabod from the Watkin Path on Bwlch Ciliau

Photo: Gerald Murphy (5)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - Crib Goch in the snow

Crib Goch in the snow

Photo: Charles Brown (8)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - Snowdon Mountain Railway

Snowdon Mountain Railway

Photo: Charlotte Drysdale (2)

Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass - The Pyg Track - so far so good!

The Pyg Track - so far so good!

Photo: Mark Davies (7)


. . . load all 241 walk photos from Walk gw136 The Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Horseshoe from Pen y Pass


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