Snowdon: Easiest to Hardest Routes Ranked
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- All the main routes up Snowdon in Wales ranked from easiest to most difficult, with plenty of footage to show you what each route looks like.
Are you thinking of going up to Snowdon but not sure which route is best for you? Whether you want to know the easiest route or the most difficult, this video should help you decide.
Here I do my best to describe the routes up Snowdon and provide you with camera and drone shots of what you can expect.
Videos with more detail about the routes:
The Pyg Track - • Snowdon's Pyg Track: H...
Rhyd Ddu Path - • Rhyd Ddu Path on Snowd...
Watkin Path - • How Difficult is the W...
Snowdon Horseshoe - • The Snowdon Horseshoe ...
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:17 Llanberis Path
01:31 Ranger Path
02:18 Pyg/Miners
03:33 Rhyd Ddu Path
04:26 Watkin Path
05:41 Crib Goch
06:32 Snowdon Horseshoe
Created by Daniel, aka The Bald Scrambler:
/ @thebaldscrambler
thebaldscrambler.co.uk
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You May Also Like:
Scrambling tips for beginners: • 5 Scrambling Tips For ...
Nantlle Ridge: • Nantlle Ridge: What Yo...
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I didn't mention the South Ridge, which is often used as a circular route with the Watkin Path. Check out my video here: czcams.com/video/SBjg8gpEbXk/video.html
Did the snow ranger (up) and the rhyd ddu (down) with my family in 2023. Both parents in their 50s while us kids being 15, 17, 20 and being fairly active/having a past in sport, found these routes to be fun and a little bit challenging in a few areas. My mum has a dodgy hip that did make this a bit harder for her than everyone else, but we all completed it in roughly 8 hours.
Wow congratulations to your mother with hip troubles. Hope she is fine
A very good video which will be very helpful for those making a decision on which path to choose. I'd just add one thing and that is that the Miners Path is very much a path of 2 halfs. The first being very easy and the second being quite physically demanding, as it's constant steps for around 90 minutes depending on your fitness, although we did stop for a 15 minute break. I found Pyg slightly more consistent and less hard for the 2nd half of the climb.
Great concise video, so informative. Thank you!
Thank you! The best and shortest guide to Snowdon!
just subbed mate, just found your channel, i love snowdonia, its incredible
Don't forget the "Invisible" Nant Perris Path. Nightmare going up, good fun sliding down. It is actually a (Steep) route but not many know about it. Welsh 3000ers use it to cut off some miles & time.
TOP DRAW VIDEO.... Really enjoyed it. I first scrambled Snowdon when I was 12, it was a great experience.
Great vid
Thanks!
great video Dan!
Thank you.
It's possible to make the Llanberis path views much more dramatic, it you veer left off the path at the Derlwyn sheepfolds you can follow the path along the top of the Llanberis ridge to Clogwyn station, it's a very simple and easy route still but you get much more dramatic views looking down into the Llanberis pass.
Great video and super useful. Subbed and will check out some of your other videos. Great advice for me planning photography routes and videos 😊
Snowdon is just beautiful! Whatever route you take
Thanks,
Rhyd Ddu is my favourite walking route followed closely by Watkin. So peaceful. I slept in my car for 2 hours once then went up the summit from Rhyd Ddu for the sunrise and saw nobody from start to finish.
The snowdon horseshoe itself stands alone though. Ultimately it is the perfect hiking and scrambling route probably outside of Scotland. Utter perfection, Dan.
Great video as always!
Thanks! It's my favourite linear route on Snowdon too. I also like the Glyderau circuit, from the North Ridge of Tryfan, all the way up to Y Garn and down the NE ridge, like the horseshoe, that's a long day out as well.
@@thebaldscrambler yeah it’s wonderful over to Y Garn. Have you ever tried the Welsh3000’s?
I think one age old question which I still can’t settle having experienced both is whether the Snowdon horseshoe or the Llyn Bochlwyd horseshoe is better?!
I don't think I'm fit enough for the Welsh 3000s. One the reasons I like filming myself is so I have an excuse to stop more often and catch my breath ;-). Glyderau wins for me!
@@thebaldscrambler haha, to be fair I have done it once and took me 3 or 4 days to be able to get in and out of a car without wincing!
Yeah I’d likely lean towards Glyderau. It’s to adult scramblers what Disney is to a child.
A couple more. Via Clogwyn y Person arete and second via the Gribyn/Cribyn ridge. And then the North ridge of Crib Goch. Good explanation of the different routes, most of which I've done, usually with a school party!
I've got vids of those routes on my channel (and a few more!). For this one, I just wanted to cover the main routes up Snowdon as I had lots of footage of the routes I'd gathered over the last few years. :-).
We did the watkin a few year ago. the difficult part wasn't even paved by than. A marvelous route with very little people going this way. We wanted to do the easy way, but the carpark was fully packed. So we ended up doing the watkin. We were very thankfull for the coincidence and we had to take the more difficult option
Glad you enjoyed the route. You may like some cloud inversion footage of the Watkin Path I recently published: czcams.com/video/SBjg8gpEbXk/video.html
Great Video.👍👍
Done all of the paths over the years.
Llanberis is known as 'The Motorway'. Everyone is on it!
Crib Goch has to be the most exhilarating!
Last trip up Snowdon was a few years ago and I have decided it was my last!
The mountain has become too touristy for me.
My main advice to anyone is, makes use you climb PREPARED!
Too many people go up mountains as if it's going to be fine weather & easy!
Don't be that FOOL!!!
Stay Safe!👍👍👍👍👍👍
Hi Daniel. Nice video. Hopefully, the subject matter will garner you some extra views (and subscribers) 👍 Lliwedd is pronounced *clue-eth* I think. Also, no South Ridge included? All the best, Carl.
I really struggle with those pronunciations, it's not helped by the fact I do a lot of stuff solo, so I'm not chatting to others on my travels so much and not hearing how the words should be spoken. I've got the South Ridge in an upcoming vid about the best circular routes on Snowdon.
Great vid fella.is there many places to wild camp up the easy way
The powers-that-be don't allow wild camping in the National Park so if you're going to do it, i'd keep as far away from the main tourist paths and the railway as you can. I've never camped near the Llanberis Path but have off the Watkin Path a couple of times. I camp more often in the Glyderau as there's more places to hide the tent there :-).
It's a very beautiful places
Hello mate, great video. I am doing snowdon for the first time in a couple of weeks and was advised by a friend to avoide the pyg track (the track I was going to walk up) and instead take the Llanberis path as the pyg is impassable due to ice. What would your advice be? Thanks
Both can be dicey when covered in snow/ice so I'd take crampons/cleats and ice axe this time of year. The Llanberis Path has a notorious section called "Killer Convex" which is a slope that is really slippery when covered in ice and there's a steep cliff on the side of it, hence the name. You may want to read - www.walkingforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=36012.0 The Pyg Track has a few steep bits too so neither are safe in winter conditions. I would go on the Pyg Track and take crampons/cleats and an axe. Have fun and keep safe, whichever route you take.
Very informative video, thanks for that. What would be the best route with 2 or 3 shepherd sized dogs, that are fit and healthy? I dont like to put them at any risk in terms of cliffs, ridges etc.
Thank you. Llanberis Path or the Snowdon Ranger would be the safest as they're the shallowest and the paths are the widest. There can be sheep on any of the routes though.
I'd suggest the hardest non climbing route is Clogwyn y Person Arete. Perhaps you could review it for a video?
I thought you might have mentioned the south ridge. I have linked this with both the Watkins and the Rhyd Ddu path for circular walks.
I've got a vid coming up soon which lists all the best circular routes and I've included the South Ridge as it's a great route, also fairly quiet.
@@thebaldscrambler I've done Rhyd Ddu and South ridge loop and seen nobody all day - except the summit - a refreshing change for Snowdon. Also done that loop at night, which was great fun. Great channel by the way - Keep the vids coming.
Summited last night at 22:45 via the Pyg Track.. way longer than I remember from my childhood 😬
Back in bed at 03:40 🤦😔
I do like those overnight hikes, I've timed a few so I saw sunrise on the summit.
Hi Dan, I wondered if you had any advice on if going up rhyd du and going down miners track would be a good snowdon route? We will have 2 cars so easy for us to get back to the start point. Thought maybe the peace and ridge of rhyd du and then the scenic views of miners would be good?!
Sounds like a good combination to me. It would be great to see both sides of the mountain. Only issue is parking at Pen y Pass as it's prebook only and silly expensive. I published a map with all the layby parking places I'm aware of, some are pay & display - thebaldscrambler.co.uk/snowdonia/snowdon-range/miners-pyg-grib-goch-parking/ prebook for pen y pass - www.justpark.com/uk/parking/caernarfon/s/llanberis-caernarfon-ll55-4nu/ have fun!
The older I get the more I have gone from 7 to 1!!
Hi, we’re going to Snowdon next weekend expected to have strong winds and rain. Please could you suggest ideally a circular route as we will be parking. It does have to consider minimal scrambling due to weather and half the group really isn’t fit enough for it and I’m scared of safety at the moment. We’ve done mam tor at Peak District and this is gonna be a different level (the other half got through mam tor very slowly bit of a struggle)….. does make me think llanberis but they struggled with 3 hour mam tor soooo…. What would you suggest if you don’t mind please ?
Have you seen my vid where I list the most popular circular routes on Snowdon? - czcams.com/video/ycn3f6oJYVE/video.html Llanberis Path up and Ranger Path down would be the easiest as there's a connecting path that goes back to Llanberis. Snowdon can be harsh in rain/wind though.
@@thebaldscrambler Thank you very much I’ve seen the video and it’s very explained. Really wanted your knowledge to confirm best fitting for the group. We’re going this Friday up mount snowdon and will update how well our group does. Thanks again!
Hi, pls can i have your advice...were climbling Snowdon in 2 weeks time. Group of 8 females weather permitting climbing in the early hours to reach for sunrise. I was intially thinking about the pyg route but then was put off by some of the reviews which said it was difficult. Considering were doing this partyly during the night time. Can you advise which route to take. It would be good to see some views either up or down but be safe. Probably mixed abilities but all able.
I recently published a video about the Pyg Track with lots of aerial footage so you can see what it's like - czcams.com/video/86lncD4cKgg/video.html It's very hard to recommend a nighttime ascent to people whose ability I'm unsure of but I think you should narrow your choice to three routes; Llanberis Path (long, shallow slog, safest option), Rangers Path (shallowish, quiet, can be a tad harder to follow in dark/fog) or the Pyg Track (more rugged/rocky in places, bit steeper, some loose stones underfoot, popular). Whichever route you go for, I'd recommend a gps map at night, I use AllTrails but there are other options.
Hi mate my son had done all these except the horseshoe by the time e he was 9 we did the horseshoe for his 20th birthday and my 60th
which app would you recomend for most accurate weather forecasts?
I check the MWIS to get an overview of what's happening and summit temps etc, then I switch to Met Office to get hour by hour reports inc temps at lower elevations. I tend to check the weather west of where I'm going as well as sometimes the weather fronts come in a bit earlier off the Irish Sea.
Is it possible split the snowdon horseshoe into 2 routes on 2 separate days? I was coming from Sheffield arriving in afternoon and though about doing one half of it late afternoon/ early evening and then other half the next morning.
Also how long does it normally take to complete the Snowdon horseshoe in one go?
At the halfway ish point, you could take the Pyg Track or Miners Track down to Pen y Pass car park and then back come up that way the following day and continue the horseshoe, although you're adding quite a bit of distance to the route. If you go up Crib Goch and down the Pyg/Miners, you'll need to set off at least 5 hours before sunset to avoid coming back down in the dark (depending how fast you move). I did the Horsehoe in about 9 hours but I had to stop for filming/flying the drone etc. I think most people do it in 7-8 hours but it varies person to person.
Is the minors track easier than the lamris track in the winter?
The Llanberis Path is the easiest route but in winter conditions there is the "Killer Convex" which is a sloped section that fills with heavy snow and has a notoriously steep slope off one side. There has been a few incidents over the years but as far as I know, only those who went without spikes/crampons/ice axe had issues. I've done the Miners Track after heavy snow and found the section joining the Pyg Track hard to follow, but I was the first on the path that day and snow drifts were about 3 feet deep so I couldn't see the path easily. I wouldn't dream of going up either route in winter without my crampons and ice axe, also I go early (before sunrise) as the days are so short and walking in snow takes extra time.
Just popping in here because I cannot seem to find the answers :(
We climb Snowdon in 2 weeks for charity
We was looking at the Pyg track, however( we’ve heard about the horseshoe/ crib goch, and now not too sure. Do you have to climb that if doing the pyg trafk?
There's no need to climb Crib Goch, it's separate from the Pyg Track. Most people go up the Pyg Track and down the Miners Track, both are within the capabilities of the average hiker and start/end at the same place (Pen y Pass car park). Have fun!
How long will it take to climb down from summit to Llanberis?
We are planning to take the train to colgwyn and then climb the summit from colgwyn. How long will this take if you could let me know please ?
Colgwyn to summit
Summit to Llanberis
Clogwyn to the summit: ~1 hour for a person with average fitness.
Summit to Llanberis: Takes me about 2 hours but I walk fairly fast downhill. Allow up to 2.5 hours for an average person. 3+ hours would be considered slow going.
Allow extra time in winter conditions snow/ice etc.
The train doesn't always operate, it depends on the weather and time of year.
How long does it take, to hike up there?
Timings for all the major routes up Snowdon can be found here - thebaldscrambler.co.uk/hiking-and-walking/snowdon-walking-time-estimates/ But roughly 5.5 - 8 hours there and back depending on the route and speed you walk.
What route do you think has the best views?
The Llanberis Path and the Ranger Path are my least favourite for views. I like the Pyg and Miners as you get a lovely view of the lakes. My favourites though are the Rhyd Ddu Path and the Watkin Path. Here's some footage of the Watkin: czcams.com/video/SBjg8gpEbXk/video.html and here's the Rhyd Ddu Path: czcams.com/video/ulN61rPjuJw/video.html
Can you tell me how to get from bottm of ranger path behind the house to llanberis, is it the path before you hit the road that runs along train track. Is it far. Ive done ramger path up and down as had tp gp with dog and needed to be on that side to get to cadair qiicker, but i wamt to makw the wife go up at least once, so didnt know llanberis path was easy thanks. We will have dogs pullin us so the flattest easiest is best
I've found your video , brilliant I'll do that loop with the missus 👍
Can you point me to the link as I’m planning to go up the Llamberis path and down the rangers path and back in Lanberris itself where my car will be parked
Thank you 👍
@ibizat1 I will do tomorrow, just seen thus comment ,
Have found the video and looking to give it a go this summer
@ibizat1 it's perfect for us as the wife couldn't do a tougher route. This looks like we could run up and down no probs
Rhyd Ddu = Rheed Thee. It means Black Ford.
You don’t say what you mean by hardest …. technically or physical effort.
If the latter I would say Watkin harder than Crib Goch.
There are also other routes.
As for being on a route where there is no one else …. good luck with that (at most times of the year, day or night) 🙂
"dd" is pronounced "th" as in "teeth" rather than as in "the" so Rhyd Ddu is pronounced "rhid thu", and llywedd "lliweth". The top of the watkin path is steep but not particularly difficult if you find the right path. The main thing is to remember that it hits the summit ridge a little to the west of the train station don't try to go straight down to the col from the summit.
Actually, you have this backwards. "Dd" is voiced (so "th" as in the word "the"). "Th" in Welsh makes the same sound as the "th" in "teeth".
Ddu is pronounced 'thee', meaning black
@@timrogers3343 with a voiced "th" like in "the". Exactly 😊
@@tomdaviesathome24 Indeed. And an 'ee' rather than a 'u'. 😊
Brih i am 11 and we went up the hise shoe....
I walked the Horseshoe, over Y Lliwedd, Snowden and Crib Goch. It was a walk in the park...Why do people make such a fuss about what are after all just quite easy walks?
Hmm! Easy for you but perhaps they are new to walking and not have the fitness , experience or confidence you have. Have you climbed Mont Blanc? Oh thought not! Some climbers find that easy,Try being supportive than disparaging 👍