At 1,085m/3,560ft, Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales and by far the most popular. In good weather, especially in the summer, it can get very busy indeed. There are six traditional routes to the summit, which can also be reached by the famous Snowdon Mountain Railway, a narrow-gauge rack-and-pinion railway that opened in 1896. The four mile-long railway starts from Llanberis and rises 3,140ft to the 3,493ft summit station, at an average speed of 5mph. Atop Snowdon is Hafod Eryri, the impressive new visitor centre that opened in 2009. The six routes are the Llanberis Path (the easiest and safest), the Miners’ Track and Pyg Track (both from Pen-y-Pass), the Watkin, Rhyd Ddu and Snowdon Ranger Paths. But there is another, much quieter, although longer, approach via the grassy rollercoaster northwest ridge over Moel Eilio, Foels Gron and Goch and Moel Cynghorion, joining the Snowdon Ranger Path for the final section. Choose a fine day, allow yourself plenty of time, and you’ll enjoy a superb walk with outstanding views.
1. START Turn left up the lane from the hostel (SH574597) to the first footpath on your right (a rough road). Turn off here and a few yards further on, climb the stile on your left and follow the path up beside the wall towards a white-painted house. Cross the next stile and go immediately right over another stile, turning left to continue uphill with the wall on your left. Cross another stile and continue quite steeply to the next stile. Carry on uphill, now with a fence on your left. Another path joins from the right at an intersection of fences. Looking northwest, you can see the Menai Strait and Anglesey, and you should be able to spot Caernarfon. Cross the stile and continue with the fence on your right to the 726m/2,382ft summit of Moel Eilio, crowned by a large stone shelter.
2. After admiring the splendid view, follow the grassy ridge down in a southeasterly direction, keeping the cliffs (and fence-line) on your left. The up-and-down ridge-top route takes you via Foel Gron and Foel Goch down to Bwlch Maesgwm. On the way you can see Llyn Cwellyn down on your right and Snowdon ahead. A good clear path heads northwards from Bwlch Maesgwm back towards Llanberis – a useful escape route if the weather turns or you’ve had enough.
3. Heading northeast, ascend the grassy slope with the fence on your left to the top of Moel Cynghorion. A steep descent follows to Bwlch Cwm Brwynog. On the way down, you’ll see ahead of you the zigzagging Snowdon Ranger Path that leads up the ridge above the cliff of Clogwyn Du’r Arddu (‘Cloggy’) – one of the best climbing cliffs in Britain – to the summit of Snowdon. Below and to the right is Llyn Ffynnon-y-gwas.
4. Join the Snowdon Ranger Path and continue on up the clear stony path. You’re unlikely to have met many, if any, other walkers until now, but can expect to pass them from now on. Not far from the summit, you cross the railway line and join the Llanberis Path bearing right. The tall upright stone passed on the left marks the turn-off for the routes down to Pen-y-Pass. Carry on to the summit, where (hopefully) spectacular views will be the reward for all the effort.
5. Retrace your steps but stay on the Llanberis Path, which runs parallel to the railway, all the way down until you’re above Hebron Station. Turn off left down to it and head west-northwest along a footpath, which crosses a stream and leads to a track. Bear right, then right down the lane back to the hostel.