Low Level Footpath around Snowdon
A three day walk around the base of Snowdon
There is presently no formal route around the highest mountain in Wales and England, but the route does exist on the ground.
A two or three day walk around the most famous mountain in the United Kingdom passing through three very different but equally beautiful valleys. Wonderful views, great walking and a wealth of history and lore all make for probably the biggest 'missed opportunity' in the Welsh tourism product.
This page gives a brief overview of the route and links to a downloadable and detailed route description, availible for free on the web. The description is richly embelished with a wealth of information including Celtic, Roman, Industreal, military and sporting history. The Mabinogion, Tylwudd Ted and Arthurian legend as well as ghost stories. Explanations of the names of the mountains, rivers, lakes and villages that the walk passes and some personal insights and tales from the author.
Yr Wyddfa, Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales and England at 1085m or 3564ft. The most summited mountain in the United Kingdom, it has 7 main routes to the top and a plethora of more difficult options to try.
This is the iconic mountain, instantly recognisable to millions worldwide, the focus of countless trips to Wales. It is also a sacrificial mountain, scarred by the passage of endless boots and the black rails of the mountain railway. It is at once spoilt and perfect, populated and remote, welcoming and deadly. It is the ultimate contradiction, a mountain visited by hundreds of thousands that still allows the adventurous to explore in peace, at once a high point and a low point. Within a few paces of the tourist motorways one can be alone and a long way from help. There are wild places on Snowdon that are rarely visited; the discerning can still disappear into the environment.
Yr Wyddfa is made up of both sedimentary and igneous rocks and was sculpted by the passage of no less than six glaciers. These cut deep into the mountain to create the sharp edged ridges, scoop out the cwms and give birth to the lakes. The summit is Rhyolite that erupted, flowed and cooled quickly. The famous ridge of Crib Goch is also lava, but one that squeezed in between layers of sedimentary rock, cooling slowly before being exposed by erosion. Cwm Llan on the mountain’s southern side has good quality slate (sedimentary rock), which then degrades higher up the mountain and also has veins of copper that were forced up from deeper in the earth as intrusions.
The whole thing forms a small part of the remains of the Harlech Dome, which contains some of the oldest rocks to be found anywhere on the planet. These are the Pre Cambrian rocks that make up the Padarn Ridge best seen at Pen Llyn, the lower end of Llyn Padarn. The Fachwen Outcrop, also known as Lion Rock is well frequented by groups learning the basics of rock climbing, it was there that I took my first steps on the vertical as a young boy.
Surrounding all this is the remains of thousands of years of human habitation and industry, burial chambers, ruined fortifications, roman roads, castles and quarries. Woven through this is the fabric of local culture, tales, legend and history, some unique to the area, some shared with other cultures, some based on truth, others with origins lost in time. Recent history is concerned with social and economic battles as well as uplifting sporting endeavour. Mix all this together and we have a complex area with a rich depth of interest, an area that has been through many cycles and that is struggling to find its place in the rapidly changing modern world.
Our route takes us on an intimate journey through the Welsh heartland. We will experience the landscape that made this the last retreat of the free Welsh, a landscape that once repulsed all invaders but which now attracts people from all over the world. A relatively small mountainous area packed full to bursting with history, stunning views and magical walking.
The route follows the valleys of Dyffryn Peris, Nant Gwynant and Cwm Gwyrfai better known to visitors as the Llanberis Pass, the Gwynant and, well, what is the English for Cwm Gwyrfai?
I have chosen to describe the route in one direction only, this is not to say that there is no merit in going ‘the wrong way round’ just that it seems to flow and reveal better this way. On top of this if everyone walks the same way around the mountain we will end up with a much more peaceful trip meeting fewer people along the way.
There are a number of excellent variations to choose from as well as some pleasant ‘time wasters’ should you arrive at your destination early. The choice of route should depend on the weather, time available and your knowledge of the area. Some of the variations take you a little higher into the mountains; on less trodden routes requiring a little more route finding ability, all have something to offer. With a little planning it is possible to walk the route twice without covering too much of the same ground.
I have also described an excellent though long day out, which is a circuit around Yr Aran. This route stays high on the mountain for two-thirds of its length and then after a short sojourn in Beddgelert dives into the woods for the remainder. This day out warrants a trip to Snowdonia on its own merit because of its use of a newly created path which is off the radar for the majority of walkers.
To download a free pdf guide to the walk described above please visit,
website link
The biggest 'missed opportunity' in the Welsh tourism product
Low Level Footpath around Snowdon Statistics: 0 click throughs, 2396 views since start of 2010
Low Level Footpath around Snowdon
The Welsh name for Snowdon (actually just the main summit) is Yr Wyddfa (pronounced ‘with vah’) this means ‘The Tomb’ or ‘Cenotaph’ and it is not hard to see why. The towering triangular face overlooking Glaslyn, Green Lake (on account of the copper) has the weight and presence of a monolithic tombstone, it can have a silence that silences. The tomb is that of Rhita Gawr a giant that made his clothes from the beards of his victims.
The bulk, scale and grandeur of the mountain means that it holds sway over everything around it. It affects the weather, creates winds of its own and blocks out light. From my front window it never looks the same twice, its colours change with the time of day, with the passing of days and with the seasons. The clouds swirl around it, loop over it and sit on its shoulders. The sun plays its light over it, switching colours and intensities, masking, highlighting, silhouetting. The mountain moves, sometimes laying back in rest, sometimes looming above the valley, commanding attention, it is never still.
