15th of July to 25th of July 2026.
Distance: 313.7km. 11 days.
Wikiloc: https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/the-snowdonia-way-2026-276744781.
This is the second part of my series of my hike on The Snowdonia Way, mountain route. In the first part I wrote about the walk from Machynlleth to Trawsfynydd, here is the next part in the series.
Trawsfynydd - Pen-y-Pass
Distance: 107.7km. 4 days.
The footbridge over Llyn Trawsfynydd has been closed since 2022, apparently due to safety concerns, so hikers on The Snowdonia Way have to walk around on the road instead. Thankfully there is a pavement next to the busiest road, and it is not too long of a detour either.
View of the ascent of Y Garn.
As expected there is no sign that the Rhinogau fire has spread, so it poses no problem in terms of doing the mountain route, although the smoke from the fire is still clearly visible. I would not be surprised if the marshy area the trail passes over towards Craig Ddrwg would be one of the boggiest sections of The Snowdonia Way in normal conditions. Even in the currently very dry condition there are sections that are very wet. Almost in the middle of the marsh there is a house, and the mostly faint path goes straight past it, but I doubt anyone is using it anymore.
Descent from Y Garn, the path is just a line on a map, haze from the nearby wildfire.
On the climb up to Craig Ddrwg I am back at The Cambrian Way again. Up at the ridge you are in some ways required to make your own way, although there are paths, but the ones that are might be faint. Remnants of old manganese mines can be found up here. Speaking of the highest summit of this stage, Moel Ysgyfarnogod, I cannot help but think of the French comic Iznogoud, about the Grand Vizier of the Caliphate of Baghdad that constantly conspires to replace the current Caliph. It is said to be a place where one cannot expect to meet many others, but at the top I have a pleasant conversation with an old gentleman from London and a German woman having moved here. The descent is another make your own way.
Looking back towards Y Garn in an area that feels relatively remote.
Having found no accommodation in Penrhyndeudraeth, I had ended up getting a room at The Grapes Hotel in Maentwrog. In order to not walk on the road, and the stage between Trawsfynydd and Penrhyndeudraeth on the mountain route being one of the shortest, I had decided to walk to Maentwrog by combining the low-level route and then The Cambrian Way. Walking back up towards Llyn Trawsfynydd the section going next to the Llyn Tecwyn Uchaf lake is nice, but then there is a section of totally incomprehensible route laying, where the path just disappears. Instead I find myself pushing through thick brushes and scrub, which hides the thorn bushes in its midst. Ironically, I have to put on my shell pants as I am bleeding from both my ankles. A part of this section would be really boggy in normal conditions as well. Emerging, I abandon the rest of my plan as I do not know the state of the rest of the trail leading up to Llyn Trawsfynydd and instead finds a footpath that brings me down to the road. The footpath is nice, going down through a part of the Celtic rainforest in the area.
Smoke still rising from the Rhinogau fire.
In The Grapes Hotel everything is about the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, where the Spaniards are there to kick the ball, whereas the Argentineans instead are there to kick the opponents.
The closed footbridge over Llyn Trawsfynydd.
I return to the trail by the road. From Penrhyndeudraeth, The Snowdonia Way makes it way up to one of the most interestingly and splendid landscapes of the trail. The trail goes through woods, past scenic villages like Rhyd and pleasant open hillsides before beginning the grassy ascent of Moelwyn Mawr. The trail actually climbs over the false crest of Craigysgafn, but I find it more interesting to walk on the remains of an old mine track going below instead, from where there is an easy climb up afterwards to rejoin the trail. Above me a man is asking his dog to please wait for some humans, funny.
Walking through a marshy land before climbing up to Crag Ddrwg and Moel Ysgyfarnogod.
Views are extensive from the summit of Moelwyn Mawr, one of the peaks giving name to the area, Moelwynion, with Yr Wyddfa now clearly visible wearing a white hat of clouds. Below are the residues of the Rhosydd slate mines and quarries being equally visible. Among the ruins one can find old mills, barracks, an incline winding house (that actually forms a kind of gate the walkers pass through) and other houses associated with the operation. The life at the barracks were supposedly appalling with bad air ventilation and mattresses filled with lice. Walking through the area in these days, one can for sure wonder how life and work must have been up here in those days. Spoil tips are everywhere and at one time the path appear to descend down between two of them. At the bottom, there is a gaping hole that might be the entrance to or exit of one of the old mines, with all the ground covered by water. How far in will you dare to go (or get)?
At the top of Craig Ddrwg, an area that contains few paths, Rhinogau fire in the background.
On the way to the distinctly shaped peak with its medieval name, Cnicht, the path is again faint, passing by the beautiful Llyn Cwm-corsiog lake. If at the point where the trail turns southwards towards Cnicht, one instead turns northwards one can rejoin both the high- and low-level routes of The Snowdonia Way at the Bwlch y Rhediad pass. This means bypassing Beddgelert and even Yr Wyddfa on the mountain route. Which I do not plan to do, so I crack on towards the lovely shaped ridge leading up to the summit of Cnicht. When I did The Cambrian Way, I forgot to heed the advice of climbing down from the summit on the left side and instead went down the right side. It led to a section that was a bit iffy, but I got down. The left side is still steep and involves some scrambling. However, I am glad it had not been raining both now and back then.
View from the descent of Moel Ysgyfarnogod, with the Moelwynion and Yr Wyddfa in the background.
Beddgelert is reached after a wonderful walk next to the Afon Glaslyn through the Pass of Aberglaslyn, where one walk next to the river on an almost carved out path in the stone. Beddgelert got its name from the grave of the dog Gelert, who was killed by his master Llewelyn the Great when he believed the dog had killed his son when he came home from hunting. However, afterwards he found his baby unarmed besides the body of a dead wolf, and realised that the dog had instead protected his son. In remorse he built a memorial to his dog. However good the story is, it was apparently made up the manager of the Royal Oak Hotel in the 18th century. Beddgelert is a nice little town with all the amenities hikers needs.
Old mining track beneath Craigysgafn on the climb up towards Moelwyn Mawr.
Waking up to nice sunny weather outside feels so good, especially when I remember so clearly the horrible weather that I woke up to on my previous outing here. It is time to filling in the first missing piece of my Cambrian Way hike. It is a beautiful scenery on the way up, and people seem to know that, as the many waterfalls and small ponds in the Afon Cwm Llan river are teeming with people. Both The Cambrian Way and The Snowdonia Way make use of the Watkin Path in the beginning, but leaves it at the top of all the waterfalls when the path levels out. Once on the south ridge of Yr Wyddfa, the path is a little bit tricky at times, but the view up towards the summit is wonderful, with clouds breaking against the western side and only air breaking against the eastern side.
Ruin of an old mill at the Rhosydd Quarry, Cnicht in the background.
Arriving at the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) might be a little bit of a shock to the system, depending on the time, especially when you have walked almost alone meeting very few other hikers most of the time. Being the highest mountain in Wales, and there is actually a railway going up to the top, it is no surprise that it is a bit crowded. More funny is it that there is a queue to get to the highest point. I have time enough, so I might just join the game. After touching the top, I find a quiet spot a bit down from the summit where I have my lunch, and taking in the splendid views. People on the Pyg Track looks like ants going up and down. Then I go for a beer at the café, for why not? I make an easy climb of Garnedd Ugain, watching the little train huff and puff by, then following the distinct Pyg Track down to the youth hostel at Pen-y-Pass, where I will stay for two nights.
Llyn Cwm-corsiog lake in the Moelwynion.
If one is doing the low-level route of The Snowdonia Way, but wants to climb Yr Wyddfa on the way, it is easily done by hiking from Beddgelert to Pen-y-Pass, and then walk from there to Dolwyddelan using the mountain route at first, which will join the low-level route at Hafod Rhisgl.
Walking next to the Afon Glaslyn en route to Beddgelert.
The one stage that remained for me to complete The Cambrian Way, was now the route between Pen-y-Pass and Llyn Ogwen crossing over the Glyderau. The Snowdonia Way also crosses over the Glyderau, but makes a more thorough traverse of the ridge from Capel Curig to Bethesda. The mountains are covered in clouds when I begin the climb up, but it is a nice change after all the sunny days. Higher up, I can only see the whiteness of the clouds behind me, but with the summit of Yr Wyddfa in a small window between them. It lingers there in its tiny window all the way up to Glyder Fawr with its lunar landscape.
In the woods at the beginning of the Watkin Path.
Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach sounds to me like something that glides away, but in fact Glyder means heap of stones. And heaps of stone are what the landscape at the top looks like, crowned with spiky, jutting and pointed stones sticking up. It is a fascinating landscape to walk through, even so with the low clouds. From above, I can look down at the lakes and valley below, faint through the clouds, at one time visible, shortly after not. Then all clouds disperse, and everything is revealed. The Cantilever stones do not tip over when I am standing at its tip, but it is easy to tip over going down the steepest path from the Glyderau towards Tryfan (The Cambrian Way is following a less steep way down thankfully).
The Watkin Path Waterfall and adjacent ruins.
Walking down from the Tryfan junction, a man above me kindly asks his dog not to walk down the mountain on its own. I believe it to be the same man, and dog, from Moelwyn Mawr. The dog, however, does not appear to pay any heed to what he says, and I eventually have to block its path down until he can pick the dog up, funny.
View south from Yr Wyddfa, notice how the clouds are breaking against the west side of the south ridge.
I make a short detour up to Llyn Idwal before heading down to the visitor centre at Llyn Ogwen, finally filling in the last missing piece from my Cambrian Way hike. It feels good, like finding the last piece of a puzzle after having looked after it for a long time. While having lunch at the visitor centre, three fighter planes scream through the valley, turning 90 degrees as they curve around the bends in the valley, the after-sound cracking.
View from Yr Wyddfa, Pig Track and the Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw lakes below.
Getting back to Pen-y-Pass, I could either walk back the same way, or make another route over the Glyderau, but that would mean more of the same, not to forget that I would be crossing over again later on The Snowdonia Way. Instead, I opted for seeing more of the surrounding landscape that I had not seen. From Llyn Ogwen, I could follow the main route of The Snowdonia Way down to Capel Curig. This section of the trail is going on a broad track, so it is easy to walk on, with just as easy views for the eyes, taking in the Ogwen Valley with Tryfan and Pen Yr Ole Wen as a backdrop. From Capel Curig, I had on my map found paths that could take me above the Llynau Mymbyr lake, but had been warned that they might be overgrown. The path I found was initially nice, but at one point I missed a junction and instead ended up on the road.
Path to the Glyderau, Yr Wyddfa in the clouds behind.
Before returning to Pen-y-Pass I stop for a beer at the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel, not knowing anything about its history. The interior of the hotel is very rustic, which I like, and I am welcomed to take a closer look as the hostess proudly informs me that this is where Edmund Hillary and his team stayed at when they were practicing for the ascent of Everest.
Yr Wyddfa from Glyder Fawr.
Article continues in the next part (Pen-y-Pass to Conwy).The Snowdonia Way:
- part 1: Machynlleth - Trawsfynydd.
- part 2: Trawsfynydd - Pen-y-Pass.
- part 3: Pen-y-Pass - Conwy.
Wikiloc:
- stage 5: Trawsfynydd - Maentwrog.
- stage 6: Maentwrog - Beddgelert.
- stage 7: Beddgelert - Pen-y-Pass.
- stage 8: Pen-y-Pass - Llyn Ogwen - Pen-y-Pass.
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