This is the complete Snowdon.com guide to Eryri (Snowdonia National Park) — five sections covering everything from climbing Yr Wyddfa to understanding the Welsh language, from finding the best base for your visit to the myths embedded in the landscape. Use the sections below as your starting point.
Five Sections, One Complete Guide
Snowdon / Yr Wyddfa
The mountain is the reason most people come. At 1,085 metres, Yr Wyddfa is the highest peak in Wales and England — a mountain of ancient volcanics, copper-green lakes, and a summit cafe that serves half a million visitors a year. This section covers all six ascent routes in detail, the Snowdon Mountain Railway, the geology and mythology of the mountain, what to take, and when to go. Whether you want the gentlest approach (Llanberis Path) or the most dramatic (the knife-edge Crib Goch), the route guide tells you exactly what you're getting into.
Plan Your Visit
Practical intelligence for visitors: how many days you need, which base suits your priorities, what the weather is actually like (the summit can be in cloud 300 days a year), what to do when it's raining, and how to bring children to a landscape this wild without it ending in tears. This section also covers transport — including the Snowdon Sherpa bus network that links the major trailheads — and the best places to stay, from Llanberis for Snowdon access to Beddgelert for pure scenery.
Explore Eryri
The national park extends far beyond Yr Wyddfa. This section covers the other mountain ranges — the Glyderau, the Carneddau, the Rhinogydd, Cadair Idris — plus the lakes (including Llyn Tegid, the largest natural lake in Wales), the villages from Betws-y-Coed to Aberdyfi, the best walks at every level of difficulty, and the scenic drives that tie it all together. If you have five days in Eryri, this section tells you how to spend them well.
Understand Eryri
Eryri is more than a beautiful landscape — it's a place with a distinct identity, a living language, a long history of resistance and resilience, and a mythology that runs deep. This section covers the Welsh language (how to read place names, why so many of them are still in Welsh, what they actually mean), the Princes of Gwynedd who ruled from these mountains, the slate industry that shaped the physical and social landscape of north Wales, and the myths attached to specific places — from the two dragons beneath Dinas Emrys to the hound of Beddgelert.
The Snowdonia 100
One hundred essential experiences in Eryri, from climbing Yr Wyddfa at dawn to eating a bowl of cawl in a village pub after a wet day on the hills. The list covers summits, routes, lakes, waterfalls, villages, history, food and drink, wildlife, culture, and the hidden corners that most visitors never find. Whether you're working through the list systematically or just looking for ideas, this is the guide to making the most of time in one of Britain's finest landscapes.
Ready for the knife-edge?
Crib Goch is a Grade 1 scramble along an exposed arête, forming the start of the classic Snowdon Horseshoe — one of the great mountain days in Britain. Not a route to take lightly.
See the Crib Goch Route →Using This Guide
All route distances and ascents are based on Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 mapping and are given as round-trip figures unless otherwise stated. Grid references are in the British National Grid system (OSGB36). Timings assume a moderate pace with short stops — add 20–30% for a leisurely day or if carrying heavy packs. Weather in Eryri is highly variable; always check the Met Office Mountain Weather forecast for Snowdon before any summit attempt.
Photos: Snowdon massif by Chris Dixon (CC BY-SA 3.0); Crib Goch ridge by Llywelyn2000 (CC BY-SA 4.0); Cwm Idwal by Richard Outram (CC BY 2.0); Snowdon Mountain Railway by Hefin Owen (CC BY-SA 2.0); Beddgelert by Peter Trimming (CC BY-SA 2.0) — all via Wikimedia Commons.
Independently written — Snowdon.com