The Snowdon Horseshoe

Crib Goch and the Snowdon Horseshoe

19th March 2009.

Map: Landranger 115

Weather: Bright sunshine, turning hazy later on.

A circular walk from Pen-Y-Pass, up the PYG track until Crib Goch, along the ridge and up to Garnedd Ugain and along to the Snowdon Summit. Drop down towards Y Lliwedd, walk up to the twin peaks and return to car park via the miners track: 7.1 miles measured by memory map, but that doesn’t take into account the ascent and descent. It feels like a 12 mile route.

Copyright OS-Click on map to enlarge, then hit the back button to return to blog

The weather in Snowdonia isn’t forecast like this very often, and with high pressure resident over the UK for the week, I decided it was time to tackle the Snowdon horseshoe again. Last April I got half way around before hitting the thick mist and deciding to bail out down the PYG track – a case of being better safe than sorry, and after seeing today where I nearly went, I was glad I made that decision. Snowdon isn’t a place to loose your track or bearings on. I met up with Graham from Warrington for today’s walk and not only did he give me a lift down to Wales, he was good company as well. He hadn’t done much walking down here before, but I suspect he will after today’s little journey. I set off early as I have inherited my daughters Ford Ka for tootling around in – not the best form of transport but it was sufficient to get me down to the services on the M56 where I met up with Graham. The drive down was uneventful with a bit of low mist persisting until we reached the Llanberis Pass. As usual the view of the steep sided hills here is quite overwhelming and no matter how many times I see them they are always intimidating to look at, almost impossibly steep even though I know they aren’t. I was going to do the horseshoe on New Years Eve but the car park was full that day, but no frustrations today as we parked up and paid the £4 daily charge. We were greeted by the sight and sound of a helicopter hovering over the Pen-Y-Pass car park, and we watched as it slowly lifted a huge stone and moved gracefully away up the miners track. It was at work all day long ferrying bags of stone and rock up to the miners and PYG tracks – hard work for the pilot given the concentration involved in each pick up and drop off. But we had hard work of our own to attend to and we set off gently ascending the PYG track.

The start of the day along the PYG track, with Crib Goch looming large

The view to the north up the Llanberis pass

Excitement to the right

Everything was laid out before us today and we could anticipate the route ahead, as well as pick out the likeliest looking ascent of the Crib Goch ridge. The first time I went up I thought it was a little steep and a bit more than scrambling in places, but it was a different story today – thankfully. We had good views up the Llanberis pass towards the North Wales coast, but it was already a little hazy and it looked grey and horrible further along – it shows what crap we breathe in and out in our urban hell – thank goodness for the British countryside and fresh air. The walk up to the junction of the PYG track with the Crib Goch path is on a very well laid route of large stones that make you want to stride along, but we took it at a steady pace as there was a lot of climb to come. Todays walk took in three of the Welsh 3000 footers – Crib Goch, Garnedd Ugain and Snowdon itself, starting at 1176ft, ascending and descending 3,555ft. Our average speed was 1.8mph and we took around 7hrs 30mins – but we did spend an awful lot of time looking around as the panorama here demands it. I was also severely lacking in energy today and had to stop a lot to take photos! Graham was very patient with my lack of progress, but at least his legs hurt as well the next two days. The start of the Crib Goch path is marked by a sign post that actually warns you that this is the dreaded Crib Goch and to proceed with caution. The grass path winds its way uphill and we could see the entire route up to the ridge itself. I was mindful of how steep it was up here and asked Graham if he was OK with the heights and some climbing. He said he had been climbing before, but was a bit unsure about the exposure on the ridge itself. I had felt the same last year and no matter how many times I told myself it would be alright, you don’t know until you are actually on the way up. This time around as the grass path turned to scree I veered more towards the right where it looked a little easier to climb than last year and followed the well worn footsteps – onwards and upwards.

The view back to the start before the scramble begins – spot the buildings

This gives some idea of the gradient after the scramble up

Looking across to the Glyders at the level with terraced steps up the slope

The view back down the slope from the east summit

The ground gradually steepened and Graham packed his camera away before the scrambling properly commenced. He was quicker than I was, but as I was in the lead I tried not to stand on his fingers. There are plenty of good handholds on the way up and not too many spots where you have to stretch a little. As the slope is so steep you are leaning into it anyway and never feel in much danger of toppling over backwards, but you have to take care where you are going. We took breathers often and looked over to the Glyders across the valley, and marvelled at the ever receding dot of the Pen-Y-Pass car park far below us now. Further up the slope we passed by some volcanic columns of an intrusive igneous sill, and then out onto a slope that is easier to walk up in a series of small terraces – but you still have to take care and remember where you are. Looking down behind and below us was a reminder of how steep it is up here and how quickly you gain height. The breeze picked up a little as we gained the summit and there were vast views all around us – much better than I had last time, and I could really appreciate the walk to come. I could pick out many of the peaks and ranges that I had been lucky enough to walk last year and even though the sunshine was hazy we could still see for miles around.

Wow – what else could you say

Graham looking nonchalant as he makes his way along the sharper part of Crib Goch

Cue the ‘sound of music’

Looking back along the sharpest part of the ridge

The first pinnacles – passed around to the left

Snowdon peeking around the pinnacles

Graham negotiating the second pinnacles

I had the same feeling of exhilaration when looking along the ridge as the last time I was here and Graham admitted that this was a real buzz, if a little intimidating. But we both agreed that it is mostly in the minds eye and technically the walk along the top is not too difficult if you have a good head for heights. The drop off to the north is probably 300 to 400ft before you reach solid ground – enough to hurt pretty badly, and unfortunately a few have lost their lives up here, so it is not to be taken lightly. But the slope to the south is a little less steep for the majority of the ridge and can be quite safely walked along. One or two places are very steep and require a steadying hand for reassurance, but it doesn’t last long. The first pinnacles can be climbed if you so desire, but we both walked around the base of them and admired the view ahead. The second pinnacles however cannot be avoided, but the route up and over is clearly marked by the oft used ‘steps’ that take you up and over without too much hassle – good handholds all the way. Yes it is a little exposed, but you don’t spend the time hanging on with one hand looking behind you. We soon passed down to the col of Bwlch Coch and then had a brief respite from scrambling as we walked uphill towards our next objective Garnedd Ugain, with the crescent shape Crib Goch looking sublime behind us. We kept looking over to the Glyders expecting to see the top of Tryfan appear as we got higher up the hills, but it remained hidden behind Glyder Fawr. We could see the Carneddau beyond the Glyders and Moel Siabod was also prominent to the east.

A peaceful spot beyond the second pinnacles

A bit of a crocodile forming along Crib Goch

The red ridge of Crib Goch getting smaller as we get higher

As we approached the end of the grassy path up we were faced with another scramble up onto the ridge that leads up to Garnedd Ugain. As on Crib Goch the last time I was here I had to retrace my route as it became too steep in places, but this time it was relatively easy and I managed to follow a well used climb with plenty of grip for boots and hands. By the time we had got up on the ridge I felt absolutely bushed. I don’t know why today but I had very little energy and found the steeper parts real tough going. But we rested frequently and the views were magnificent, and I’m sure that Graham will be back here for a walk in the future – so much choice of so many hills. We didn’t meet a huge number of people doing the horseshoe today and despite being slow we weren’t passed by many people either. Just one runner who was wearing a SA cricket shirt, and we both wondered why you would rush around on a day like today and not stop to admire the scenery and enjoy the peace. The further along the ridge we got the easier it became with the gradient easing off towards the trig point and the path becoming more user friendly. This route is a bit like a step aerobics class and if you walk up here and your not fit for purpose (like me today) your legs will be hurting for a few days afterwards. Obviously the higher we got the better were the views and on the summit of Garnedd Ugain they were fantastic – vast, vast views to all points of the compass, with the only shame being the hazy sunshine. I swear I could see my house from here.

Admiring the views before pressing on to Garnedd Ugain

Y Lliwedd across the valley above the waters of Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw below

The glyders across the valley

The PYG finger post

You can see the PYG, miners track and Crib Goch in the distance

The summit and summit café/station to the right

We dropped gently down towards Crib y Ddysgl and our route curved around to the Snowdon railway track. We passed by the finger post that marks the top of the PYG track, this is so distinct that you can’t miss it, and up ahead lay the summit of Snowdon and the newly built summit station/café. I was so looking forward to lunch and so slow that even small babies crawling along the path were passing me by, but I eventually made it to the top and we walked up the spiral steps to the summit cairn. As usual on Snowdon we weren’t alone and there were many people milling around with grins on their faces having achieved their goal of walking up Snowdon. There was an elderly gentleman who stubbornly refused to get out of shot as I tried to take a picture of Graham, and later he followed us around to the side of the new café as we sat down and had a spot of lunch in the warm sunshine. He kind of lurked around for a bit then launched himself around the front of the café for a nosey around. The café wasn’t open until May apparently, but I’m sure it will be a roaring success. I only hope that it doesn’t encourage people to take less supplies in their packs, as you need plenty of juice to keep you hydrated on the way up and down. We sat for a while and peacefully contemplated the hills to the west of us – Moel Hebog and the Nantlle ridge, and also the coast beyond. Suitably refreshed and buoyed by the knowledge that the next part of the horseshoe was all downhill before the assault on Y Lliwedd commenced. My first attempt at walking the horseshoe failed at this point because it was so misty and the path down the scree so indistinct, that I felt too unsafe and returned via the PYG track. A decision I was happy to make and I was more than pleased when I had a good look at where I was that day and the potential dangers lurking out of sight. The path off the summit heads off to the south west, heading some 90 degrees away from the route that you think you should take. I had us cut down too early from this path and we ended up down a quite steep and loose scree path before meeting the main path across to Y Lliwedd Maybe another marker post would be a good thing to avoid excessive erosion.

Y Lliwedd beckons

And looking back up to the summit, the path feint across the slopes

Whichever way we chose to go the path down was steep and stony, and we dropped down around a 1000ft from the summit of Snowdon before meeting the rising ground back up to Y Lliwedd. On the way down we passed a group of youths who stated that this wasn’t fun anymore, but I’m sure they would have enjoyed their achievements when they got to the top. The gradient did ease after a while and the going got easier, giving me a breather before the final climb of the day. I decided that going up wasn’t fun anymore as well, and despite a good rest I was feeling ready for the knacker’s yard. But as before the views were all and now I had the chance to stand and stare at Crib Goch and Garnedd Ugain form a different perspective. Snowdon isn’t so shapely from here, losing its triangular shape and looking like a big lump of hill. Across the valley the drops from where we had walked up in the morning looked horrendously steep and they are, but the mind can play funny tricks. To the south west of us the pointy peak of Yr Aran was prominent out of the mist and we also had a good view of the Watkin path that comes up from the Nantgwynant pass to the south. The light across the valley was a lot more mellow as the afternoon wore on and the colours of the hillside looked a little less bleached – I ordered a filter kit for my camera as soon as I got home so I can get a bit more colour in my pictures on delightful days like this. Far below us the inky blue waters of Llyn Llydaw were laid out before us, and all we had left was a quick 500ft dash to the West peak of Y Lliwedd. Dash indeed – I plodded on and scrambled up once more towards the top, with a feeling of huge exposure to our left if you stray too close to the edge. The drops off this part of the walk feel a lot more intimidating and the route up to the peak can be chosen to suit your needs. For adrenalin junkies the edge isn’t far away, but for the rest of us there is a safer climb up a little further away.

The steep face of the East peak of Y Lliwedd

The final climb to the top – thankfully

Across the valley to Crib Goch and Garnedd Ugain

The view behind us of Yr Aran

The east peak and the route down

Looking back to the west peak

Soon enough we made the summit, and it was a great feeling knowing that we had finished the climbs for the day, although we still had the long steep path down to the miners track. We stood and gazed for quite a long time in the warm sunshine and took time to enjoy our achievements of this route – very satisfying and rewarding. As we stood on the east peak an older gent passed us by wearing a very distinctive garb of shorts over running tights. Not very sartorial but no doubt hugely comfortable, and at this point I thought I must wash my winter woollies when I get home, as anti-bacterial stuff can only limit the smell for so many sweaty walks. Soon enough it was time to make our way down off the mountain and we dropped down 1500ft on quite a steep path, which was torture for already sore thigh muscles and tender feet. The sun was now dropping to the south west and shafts of sunlight poured over Y Lliwedd giving some atmospheric pictures.

The inky waters of Llyn Llydaw

The twin peaks of Y Lliwedd

The path down to the valley below

An atmospheric shot in the late afternoon sun

Nearly down to the miners track

And a final look back to Snowdon - beautiful

A small wooden bridge marked the levelling off of the gradient and a blessed relief for sore appendages. We passed by the green shed of the water pumping station and returned to Pen-Y-Pass car park along the well graded path of the miners track. The helicopter was still working away up and down the valley and the pilot must have been as tired as we were. Above us a paraglider gently swooped down the valley for an all too brief journey, and we both decided that feet on the ground was the best way to really enjoy this walk. Back at the car park we popped into the café for a well earned beer and a bar of chocolate, and browsed the pictures of past local history on the walls. What a brilliant walk, in brilliant weather – Snowdonia a majestic setting.