Great Mountain Days in Snowdonia. Terry Marsh
the trig pillar on the summit of Carnedd Ugain.
From Carnedd Ugain there is a short descent to join the route from Llanberis and the line of the Snowdon Mountain Railway for the equally short ascent by a constructed pathway to Snowdon’s summit, adorned with a spanking new café.
The continuation to Y Lliwedd is not direct, but involves setting off as if heading for Rhyd Ddu, initially in a south-westerly direction down a rocky path, but only as far as a shapely finger of rock on the left that marks the top of the ascent via the Watkin Path (see Walk 3). A steep and loose descent leads to easier ground and a stony track to Bwlch y Saethau, the Pass of the Arrows; take great care on the upper section of this descent, especially if there are people ascending below you.
On Crib Goch
Bwlch y Saethau is said to be the battleground at which King Arthur was fatally wounded. Legend has it that Sir Bedivere carried his dying King to Llyn Llydaw, casting the sword Excalibur into Glaslyn on the way. After placing his king on a barge to be taken away by the ‘fair maids of the mountains’, Bedivere climbed to a cave high in the crags of Y Lliwedd, where he and the Llanciau Eryri (Arthur’s Men) lie sleeping even now, until their King should need them again.
Once the steep section is over you might consider climbing left, off the Watkin Path, and keeping as near as is comfortable to the drop into Cwm Dyli. This is much superior to plodding along the lower path, it goes to exactly the same place, and has fine views. The route passes the top of Cribau, a fine scrambly ridge descending to the outflow of Glaslyn below.
Press on to Bwlch y Ciliau, where the Watkin Path departs south-westerly into Cwm Llan, and here, from a large cairn, continue ahead (south-easterly), climbing again, to the twin summits of Y Lliwedd.
Arguments rage as to which of the two summits of Y Lliwedd is the higher, each appearing lower when viewed from the other. Modern surveying techniques settle the issue: Y Lliwedd West is 898 metres, Y Lliwedd East is 893 metres – although seeing may not be believing! The summits, either of them, have a tremendous feeling of height, being far enough away from Snowdon not to feel dominated by it, and give an excellent aerial view of the massive amphitheatre of Cwm Dyli.
From Y Lliwedd (East) it is a short descent to Y Lliwedd Bach, and then to a cairn at the top of the descent to Llyn Llydaw. Most walkers go this way, as it leads directly to the Miners’ Track close by Llyn Llydaw. Now all that remains is to turn right along the track, and follow it back to Pen y Pass.
Purists, however, may want to take in Gallt yr Wenallt, the last nail in the horseshoe. The way to it, from close by the cairn, is by a path across undulating ground, agreeably pleasant underfoot after so much hard ground. From the summit of Gallt yr Wenallt descend due north with care, initially taking Llyn Teyrn as a rough guide. Cross the Afon Glaslyn and a water pipeline, and then climb to join the Miners’ Track to complete the walk.
Y Lliwedd from Bwlch y Ciliau
WALK TWO
The Rhyd Ddu Path and the Snowdon Ranger
The Snowdon Ranger Path snakes above Clogwyn Du’r Arddu to Snowdon summit
Formerly known as the Beddgelert Path, the approach to Snowdon by the Rhyd Ddu Path is probably the least used. Yet it passes across outstanding mountain landscapes and, for those out late in the day, offers the prospect of incredible sunsets beyond bulky Moel Hebog and the undulating Nantlle Ridge. As a line of ascent, it is preferable to the Snowdon Ranger. You can judge for yourself, as the route continues over Snowdon and down the Snowdon Ranger, although it abandons the full descent in favour of a cross-country route that eliminates road walking.
The Route
Walk across the car park and continue alongside the railway track, and then turn right through a gate, crossing the railway line, to continue along a well-defined track. On your left is a ruined round tower that was the powder house for Ffridd Slate Quarry, now disused.
When the track divides, bear right, climbing gently as the track passes between the waste tip and the ruined buildings of the quarry, which closed in the 1860s. Cross a stile and soon you reach a gate/stile with views to your right of Llyn y Gadair and Y Garn in the distance. The track beyond the stile soon bends to the left, bringing into view Llyn Cwellyn in the valley to your left. Presently you reach another gate/stile with an easily missed sign on the rock opposite: ‘Snowdon, first gate on left’. Just beyond this point, the path bears to the left. The path coming in from your right is an alternative start of the Rhyd Ddu path from Pitt’s Head and Ffridd Uchaf, although parking is very limited at this starting point. The track in front of you is the old miners’ route to the slate quarries at Bwlch Cwm y Llan, below Yr Aran, and it is now used to reach Yr Aran, or Cwm Llan and the Watkin Path up Snowdon.
Pass through a gate and cross a stream. The path continues to climb gently, and gradually broadens. The landscape is now one of tangled heather and rock, through which the path leads to another stile with sheep pens to the left of the path. On your right is the wide expanse of Cwm Caregog bounded on the far side by Allt Maenderyn (Hill of the Bird Stone), a fine, narrow ridge used in Walk 3. The path soon becomes steeper and rougher underfoot.
The path crosses a stream, and climbs steeply until it reaches a wall. This section of the path is straightforward, but is bouldery and uneven. Through a gate in the wall, the path emerges onto the shoulder of Llechog. From here, you can see right across Cwm Clogwyn and through Bwlch Cwm Brwynog, flanked by Moel Cynghorion, on the left, and Clogwyn Du’r Arddu, and down towards Llanberis.
ROUTE INFORMATION
| Distance | 14km/8¾ miles |
| Height gain | 970m/3182ft |
| Time | 5–6 hours |
| Grade | energetic |
| Start point | Rhyd Ddu village SH571526 |
| Getting there | Car park a little south of Rhyd Ddu village on the A4085 Beddgelert–Caernarfon road, adjacent to the Rhyd Ddu station |
| Maps | (Harvey Superwalker) Snowdonia and the Moelwynion; (Ordnance Survey) OL17 Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa |
| After-walk refreshment | Tea room and pub in Rhyd Ddu, and hotels, restaurants, pubs and cafés in Beddgelert |
Old powder house at start of Rhyd-Ddu path
Continuing to your right, the path climbs the Llechog ridge through a harsh landscape, one that is very exposed to the prevailing wind. The landscape is dominated by frost-shattered rocks, and what little vegetation that is found here is low growing and stunted. Soon, you reach a wall meeting you on the right, from beside which there is a superb view into Cwm Clogwyn, housing three tiny lakes, Llyn Nadroedd (Lake of the Snakes), Llyn Coch (Red Lake) and Llyn Glas (Blue Lake). This wild and lovely cwm is typical of those gouged by glacial action during the last Ice Age.
Looking along the Allt Maenderyn ridge
Continue along the ridge. In winter conditions, this final section to the summit is for experienced and properly equipped mountaineers only. After passing an