53°04N 4°05W. Mountain with five peaks rising to 1085 m/3560 ft in Gwynedd, NW Wales, UK; highest peak in England and Wales; centre of Snowdonia National Park (area 2188 km²/845 sq mi, established 1951); tourism; rack railway from Llanberis to main peak.
| Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) | |
|---|---|
|
Snowdon seen from Llyn Llydaw |
|
| Elevation | 1,085 m (3,560 ft) |
| Location | Gwynedd, Wales |
| Range | Snowdonia |
| Prominence | 1,038 m Ranked 4th in British Isles |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 115 |
| OS grid reference | SH609544 |
| Listing | Marilyn (hill), Hewitt, Welsh 3000s, council top, Nuttall |
Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales and the highest British mountain south of the Scottish Highlands, is "probably the busiest mountain in Britain" . As the highest peak in Wales, Snowdon is one of three mountains climbed as part of the National Three Peaks Challenge.
Snowdon has one of the wettest climates in Great Britain, receiving an annual average of more than 4,500 mm (180 in) of precipitation .
First ascent
Although Snowdon has probably been climbed since time immemorial, the first recorded ascent of Snowdon was by the botanist Thomas Johnson in 1639.
Climbing on Snowdon
The many steep cliffs in the Snowdon range are significant in the history of British rock climbing.
Topography
Snowdon has six ridges : these are steep and rocky to the north and east, shallower and grassy, but more remote to the south and west.
Snowdon offers some of the most extensive views in the British Isles;
Routes leading up Snowdon
Marked footpaths lead to Snowdon's summit from all sides , and can be combined in various ways.
Over Y Lliwedd
The southernmost of the paths leading from Pen-y-Pass leads up Y Lliwedd, to the south of Llyn Llydaw, and from there over Bwlch Ciliau (Welsh: variously pass of corners/nooks or pass of retreat), where the Snowdon Ranger paths joins with it, to Snowdon itself.
Pyg Track
The Pyg Track is a popular path leading from the car park at Pen-y-Pass along the lower slopes of Crib Goch before zig-zagging above the smaller lake Glaslyn to the col between Snowdon and Garnedd Ugain and thence to the summit of Snowdon.
Regarding the name of the Pyg Track, the web site of the Snowdonia National Park Authority states :
"No one is certain how the Pyg Track came by its name;
The Crib Goch route forks off upwards to the right from the Pyg route after roughly a mile (1.6 km), whilst the Pyg route itself carries straight on, initially dropping down slightly onto a flatter section of path before the ascent towards the zig-zags. The combination of ascent via the Pyg track and descent via the Miners' track is one of the most common ways of combining routes on Snowdon, due to their sharing a start point at the Pen-y-Pass car park.
Crib Goch route
The Crib Goch route also starts at the Pen-y-Pass car park and initially follows the Pyg track before separating off from it at the Bwlch y Moch and leading up the side of Crib Goch. From there it follows the ridge of Crib Goch, over the summit of Garnedd Ugain and on to the summit of Snowdon. This forms half of the Snowdon Horseshoe route, the other half passing over Y Lliwedd (see above).
Watkin Path
The Watkin Path has the greatest change in altitude out of all the paths up Snowdon. Starting at 60 m above sea level at the Nantgwynant car park (SH628506) south of Snowdon, and finishing at Snowdon's 1085-metre high summit, the Watkin Path has a height gain of 1025 m. It follows the course of the Afon Cwm Llan river, past the Gladstone Rock, before heading up the hillside to Cwm Ciliau (between Y Lliwedd and Snowdon) and onward to Snowdon. It is also possible to walk from Nantgwynant to Bwlch Cwm Llan, between Yr Aran and Snowdon and from there, either down to Rhyd Ddu or along Allt Maenderyn, along the top of the Clogwyn Du cliff face to meet the Rhyd Ddu path going to the summit.
Rhyd Ddu Path
The Rhyd Ddu path leads from the village of Rhyd Ddu to the west of Snowdon, gently up on to Llechog, a broad ridge to leading west from the summit of Snowdon. It is also possible to walk from Rhyd Ddu to Bwlch Cwm Llan, between Yr Aran and Snowdon and from there, either down to Nantgwynant, or along Allt Maenderyn, along the top of the Clogwyn Du cliff face to meet the Rhyd Ddu path going to the summit.
Snowdon Ranger Path
The Snowdon Ranger Path is named after the Snowdon Ranger youth hostel on the shores of Llyn Cwellyn, where it begins. It rises gently to Bwlch Cwm Brwynog, between Moel Cynghorion and Snowdon, and then along the top of the Clogwyn Du'r Arddu cliff face to Bwlch Glas between Snowdon and Garnedd Ugain.
Llanberis Path
The Llanberis Path leads from Llanberis, approximately along the course of the Snowdon Mountain Railway. It is also the path followed during the annual Snowdon Race (Welsh: Ras Yr Wyddfa).
Snowdon Mountain Railway
For those who do not wish to or are not able to walk, or wish to walk one way only, the Snowdon Mountain Railway (a rack railway) runs from Llanberis to the top.
Until the opening of the new Summit Building in spring 2008, the train will terminate at Clogwyn, weather permitting.
Summit buildings
When the Snowdon Mountain Railway was opened in 1896, a hotel was built at the terminus, a short distance from the summit. ^ Routes to the Summit of Snowdon.
User Comments Add a comment…