Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass

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


Route outline for walk gw198:

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  -  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.

'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
6
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 gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass

In no particular order . . .

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Alix and Molly on Crib Goch

Alix and Molly on Crib Goch

Photo: Paul Gasson (1)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Llyn Llydaw from a gap in the crags near Bwlch y Saethau on the upper slopes of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Llyn Llydaw from a gap in the crags near Bwlch y Saethau on the upper slopes of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Photo: Tom Shaw (5)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Me and my wife on Mount Snowdon

Me and my wife on Mount Snowdon

Photo: Ian Miller (1)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw from Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw from Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Photo: Charlotte Drysdale (1)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Temperature Inversion seen from the summit of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Temperature Inversion seen from the summit of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Photo: Chris Ellis (1)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Nantgwynant with Ysgafell Wen and Cnicht on the horizon from the summit of Y Lliwedd

Nantgwynant with Ysgafell Wen and Cnicht on the horizon from the summit of Y Lliwedd

Photo: Tom Shaw (2)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Me and my dad (Dave) on Garnedd Ugain having just climbed across Crib Goch

Me and my dad (Dave) on Garnedd Ugain having just climbed across Crib Goch

Photo: Paul Hancock (6)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Llyn Llydaw with Y Lliwedd beyond from Bwlch y Moch

Llyn Llydaw with Y Lliwedd beyond from Bwlch y Moch

Photo: Will Caesar (5)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - It's a bit foggy but here is a photo of me and our little hiking Jack Russell at the top of Snowdon :)

It's a bit foggy but here is a photo of me and our little hiking Jack Russell at the top of Snowdon :)

Photo: Cheeta Lagas (1)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - On Crib Goch

On Crib Goch

Photo: Charles Brown (3)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Me on top of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Me on top of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Photo: Jenni Lynn (1)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Clare on the summit of Garnedd Ugain (Crib y Ddysgl)

Clare on the summit of Garnedd Ugain (Crib y Ddysgl)

Photo: Clare Howard (20)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - My wife Donna near the top of Mount Snowdon

My wife Donna near the top of Mount Snowdon

Photo: Chris Pieper (1)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Myself in September on the final approach to Snowdon summit via the Rhyd Ddu path

Myself in September on the final approach to Snowdon summit via the Rhyd Ddu path

Photo: Patrick Craven (1)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Son Sam on Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) on the ultimate cloudless July day

Son Sam on Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) on the ultimate cloudless July day

Photo: Stephen Cooper (3)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Vince Wetton on the PYG Track en-route to Snowdon<br>via Crib Goch in 2010

Vince Wetton on the PYG Track en-route to Snowdon
via Crib Goch in 2010

Photo: Robert Taylor-Marriott (1)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Crib Goch at dawn from very close to the top of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Crib Goch at dawn from very close to the top of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Photo: Shane Green (1)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) from Crib Goch

Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) from Crib Goch

Photo: Liz Halpin (4)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Llyn Peris, Llanberis and the Snowdon Mountain Railway from Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Llyn Peris, Llanberis and the Snowdon Mountain Railway from Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Photo: Cathy Crompton (1)

Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass - Llyn Cwellyn and Mynydd Mawr (Llyn Cwellyn)  (centre left) and Moel Eilio (Llanberis) (far right) from Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Llyn Cwellyn and Mynydd Mawr (Llyn Cwellyn) (centre left) and Moel Eilio (Llanberis) (far right) from Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)

Photo: Cathy Crompton (2)


. . . load all 241 walk photos from Walk gw198 The Welsh 3000's (Snowdon Area) from Pen y Pass


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