Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) is the highest mountain in Wales and England, rising to 1,085 metres (3,560 feet) above sea level. More than 600,000 people reach its summit each year, making it one of the most climbed mountains in the world. Yet for all its popularity, it remains a serious mountain: unpredictable weather, steep ground, and rapidly changing conditions demand respect and proper preparation.
| Height | 1,085m (3,560ft) |
| Location | Grid ref SH 609 543 |
| Highest point in | Wales and England |
| Number of routes | 6 main ascent routes |
| Summit facilities | Hafod Eryri café and visitor centre |
| Railway | Snowdon Mountain Railway (from Llanberis) |
| Rock type | Ordovician mudstone, rhyolite, basalt |
| Age of summit rocks | ~444 million years |
The Six Routes
Six main paths ascend Yr Wyddfa, ranging from the long but gentle Llanberis Path to the knife-edge of Crib Goch. All routes are well maintained but all require appropriate footwear, clothing and navigation skills: this is a mountain above the treeline, exposed to Atlantic weather systems. See the routes overview to compare them.
Llanberis Path
Moderate. 14.5km return · 980m ascent · 5–7 hours. The most popular route, following the mountain railway from Llanberis. Gradual gradient makes it the most forgiving approach. Passes the Halfway House café.
Pyg Track
Moderate. 11km return · 880m ascent · 5–6 hours. Starts at Pen-y-Pass. Dramatic views across Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw throughout. One of the finest mountain walks in Wales.
Miners’ Track
Moderate. 14km return · 820m ascent · 5–6 hours. The old copper miners’ road from Pen-y-Pass. Easy and flat for the first half, steeply demanding above Glaslyn. Rich industrial history.
Watkin Path
Challenging. 13km return · 1,050m ascent · 6–8 hours. The longest and most demanding of the main routes, starting in Nantgwynant. Through ancient oak woodland to the dramatic South Ridge. Not for beginners.
Crib Goch
Serious scramble. Grade 1 scramble. The knife-edge arête of Crib Goch forms the start of the Snowdon Horseshoe, one of the great mountain days in Britain. Experienced scramblers only.
Rhyd Ddu Path
Moderate. 15km return · 1,000m ascent · 5–7 hours. The quietest of the main routes, starting from the small village of Rhyd Ddu on the western side of the mountain. Fine ridge walking on the final approach with views over the Nantlle Valley.
Snowdon Ranger Path
Moderate. 12km return · 940m ascent · 5–7 hours. The oldest named route on Yr Wyddfa, starting from the Snowdon Ranger YHA on the shores of Llyn Cwellyn. A fine, varied ascent on one of the mountain’s quietest paths.
Snowdon Horseshoe
Serious, Grade 1 scramble. 12km circuit · 1,100m ascent · 6–8 hours. The classic horseshoe circuit: Crib Goch, Crib y Ddysgl, summit, and descent via Y Lliwedd. One of the great mountain days in Britain. Requires scrambling confidence and a head for heights.
Y Lliwedd
Challenging. The great rock face on Snowdon’s eastern arm, with its twin summits at 898m and 893m. Often traversed as part of the Horseshoe, or reached from the Miners’ Track via Llyn Llydaw. A mountain in its own right, with magnificent cliffs and far-reaching views.
Hafod Eryri, the Summit
The summit building, Hafod Eryri, opened in 2009, replacing a Victorian structure memorably described by Prince Charles as “the highest slum in Wales.” The new building, designed by Ray Hole Architects, is built into the summit plateau and clad in local stone, earning BREEAM “Excellent” sustainability certification. It houses a café, toilets, and a small exhibition about the mountain’s geology and wildlife. It is open from late spring to early autumn, conditions permitting. Don’t rely on it being open: carry your own food and water. Our summit day guide describes the café, the cairn and the view in more detail.
The Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar at the summit marks the highest point. On a clear day, the views extend to the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland (100km) and the Isle of Man. The English name is thought to come from the Old English for “snow hill”, the snow-capped peak visible from the lowlands far to the east.
Snowdon Mountain Railway
The Snowdon Mountain Railway has been running since 1896, making it the only public rack-and-pinion railway in the United Kingdom. The rack-and-pinion system, where a toothed rack rail between the running rails engages with a cogwheel beneath the locomotive, allows the trains to ascend gradients of up to 1 in 5.5 (18%). The journey from Llanberis station to the summit takes approximately 60 minutes and covers 7.6km, ascending 973 metres. Services usually run from spring to late autumn, weather permitting. The railway does not always run to the summit: Clogwyn station is the terminus on windier days and early in the season. Check the railway’s website for current operating status before travelling.
The railway operates a mix of diesel and historic steam locomotives, some dating to the 1890s. It is a remarkable piece of Victorian engineering.
Geology: An Ancient Volcanic Arc
The rocks of Yr Wyddfa are among the oldest exposed at the surface anywhere in Wales. The summit is capped with Ordovician rocks formed around 444 million years ago. Below these lie the volcanic rocks, rhyolites, basalts and ashes, that accumulated when northwest Wales sat astride a subduction zone, with oceanic crust diving beneath the proto-Welsh landmass and generating volcanic eruptions comparable to the modern Cascades of Oregon.
The dramatic modern landscape is the work of ice. During the Last Glacial Maximum (around 20,000 years ago), Eryri sat beneath a substantial ice sheet. As the ice retreated, glaciers carved the classic cwms, the deep armchair-shaped hollows that now contain lakes like Glaslyn (beneath the summit), Llyn Llydaw (on the Miners’ Track), and Cwm Idwal (in the Glyderau). The sharp arêtes, Crib Goch and Crib y Ddysgl, are the ridges left between adjacent cwms, sharpened by freeze-thaw action along their crests.
Mythology
Yr Wyddfa carries layers of Welsh mythology. The mountain’s Welsh name means “the great tomb” or “the burial mound”: it is said to be the burial place of the giant Rhita Gawr, who made himself a cloak from the beards of the kings he had defeated. When the legendary King Arthur fought and killed Rhita, the giant was buried on the mountain’s summit.
Arthur himself is said to sleep beneath Yr Wyddfa with his warriors, waiting to return when Wales has need of him. The tradition of the sleeping king, found across Celtic cultures, has particular force here. Glaslyn, the green lake beneath the summit, is said to be the home of the Afanc, a water monster that caused catastrophic floods until it was chained and dragged to the lake by oxen.
When to Go
Yr Wyddfa can be climbed in any month of the year by experienced mountaineers, but conditions vary enormously. June, July and August offer the longest days and most settled weather, though the mountain is at its most crowded during school holidays. May and September are often ideal: quieter, good daylight, and the heather and bilberry adding colour to the hillsides. April and October bring more volatile weather but potentially spectacular conditions, and dramatically fewer people.
Winter, November to March, requires full winter mountaineering skills. Ice and snow can persist well into April on the north-facing cwms. Crampons and ice axes are not optional in these conditions; they’re survival equipment. Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team is called out to well over 100 incidents a year, a significant proportion of which involve under-equipped visitors.
What to Take
Even in summer, the summit temperature can be 15°C colder than the valley and winds regularly exceed 50mph. Take: waterproof jacket and trousers, warm mid-layer, hat and gloves (even in August), sturdy walking boots with ankle support, OS map and compass (phone GPS can fail, so take a paper backup), sufficient water (at least 2 litres), food for the day, and a first aid kit. Tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to return. See our guides to what to wear and mountain safety.
Related reading: Yr Wyddfa in numbers, our Snowdon FAQ and why it is worth climbing at least once.
