Home » Routes » Europe » Wales » Snowdonia National Park » Wyddfa - Snowdon » The Snowdon Girdle Walking Route

The Snowdon Girdle Walking Route

By Dave Roberts   

on April 9, 2017    5/5 (1)

Posted as a walk in – Europe, Snowdonia National Park, Wales, Wyddfa - Snowdon

The Snowdon Girdle Walking Route

Route Essentials

Route Summary

See the end of the article for local information about parking, public transport facilities, pubs and cafes.

Distance

22.02 km

Ascent

1518 m

Time

Calculate the time using Naismith’s Rule and factor in your own pace.

Start Location

Difficulty

Epic Walk, Scrambling, Scrambling Grade 1

Hazards

Weather Forecast:

Met Office Snowdonia Mountain Weather

Check out our Best Mountain Weather Forecast?
Remember that we cannot outline every single hazard on a walk – it’s up to you to be safe and competent. Read up on Mountain Safety , Navigation and what equipment you’ll need. 

The Snowdon Girdle Walking Route Ordnance Survey Map and GPX File Download

View the full route map

Download file for GPS

The Snowdon Girdle Walking Route

Snowdon is such a popular mountain, it seems quite a bizzare option to visit and totally ignore the summit. However, there’s a little known route called the Girdle of Snowdon that was developed by the guidebook writer – Showell Styles in his classic guidebook – Mountains of North Wales. These days, guidebooks are pretty predictable, but Showell brings in such classics as the slowest 14 Peak Traverse where he camps a night on each summit and the Snowdon Girdle.

The route essentially takes the shortest practical route around Snowdon, without actually visiting the summit. While it initially sounds like a daft idea, this is one of the best ways to explore the Snowdon Massif and the beautifully remote corries that surround it. You can start off anywhere you wish – but we start in Rhyd Ddu just as Showell did, and follow a roughly similar path. We’ll mention where it differs. It makes a tough day walk, but would make a much better wild camp that could be savoured over two or even three days.

rhyd_ddu_path (1 of 1)

From Rhyd Ddu, you have the luxury of a path to follow – though you’ll need to set off path in order to contour around to the magically quiet Cwm Clogwyn. There’s a little known ascent route via Cwm Clogwyn to the summit, and it has to be one of my favourite walks. I’m just ashamed to say that this is one spot I’m yet to wild camp (having done so a few times just below the hanging valley) but soon to be rectified.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The route, by it’s nature should visit the three small lakes – Nadroedd (Snakes), Coch (Red) and Glas (Blue) as this is an unashamed tour of as many features as you can visit!

cwm_clogwyn (1 of 1)

The path descends down the infant Afon Goch, a pain to cross in places, and past Llyn  Ffynnon-y-gwas and onto the Snowdon Ranger. On a busy summer day, you’ll have met not a soul since you left the Rhyd Ddu path and you’ll not welcome their intrusion, so you’ll pass through Bwlch Cwm Brwynog as soon as possible.

wyddfa_elidir_101_960

You’ll pass along a rougher, boulder hillside beneath Clogwyn Du’r Ardddu – affectionately known as Cloggy – and on to the lake of the same name. Rest here, for the next section is particularly arduous. While many suffer along the slog of Allt Moses who have ascended from Llanberis, mostly unaware of how tough the walk is, your solitude is what suffers and the effort needed to reach the top is a welcome diversion.

cwm_clogwyn_and_Cloggy (1 of 1)

If you were to ascend to the summit, then this is probably when to do so, but you must return to this point as you descend a steep grassy ridge down to one of Snowdonia’s best kept secrets – Cwm Glas. Again, the corrie has it’s lakes – with the unimaginative Llyn Bach (Little) and another Llyn Glas that’s not to be confused with the other Llyn Glas. Though strangely blue isn’t the colour you think of here (yes, yes – blue can also mean green in Welsh, but green doesn’t come to mind either) but the red of Crib Goch. For maximum effect – plan your trip to camp here.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

A scree path leads up to Bwlch Coch, though you could ascend Crib Goch North ridge for a more interesting ascent, and you’ll need to descend from Bwlch Coch to the Pyg Track below. This is more usually used as an emergency descent, and the section of the route that will need the most care.

Gribin_lliwedd_54_960

The Pyg Track and the Miners Tracks take us easily on to the Glaslyn and up the fine scramble of Y Gribin. This is steep, but nothing you wouldn’t expect from a Grade 1 scramble, and far too short. Keep off the Watkin Path for as long as possible, and to the ridge crest for some airy walking, but you’ll eventually need to drop down the Watkin all the way into the lower reaches of Cwm Tregalan to an old dam at around SH611 529 on the corrie lip.

cwmllan_22_960

Styles decided to ascend straight up the side of Allt Maenderyn from here, but that’s a bit steep for our liking! Instead, you can contour around to Bwch Cwm Llan, keeping as high as possible below the steep slopes and finally a wall that can be followed for 500m to Bwlch Cwm Llan.

Aran_snow_2015_ (6 of 7)

The final section, ascends the lower end of the South Ridge and contours on to Llyn Maenderyn (as good a name for it as any) and down Cwm Carregog to rejoin the Rhyd Ddu path and back to the start.

llyn_maenderyn (1 of 1)

 Gallery

Scrambling up Y Gribin on Snowdon

Local Information and Recommended Maps and Guidebooks

Route Summary:

Route Start Location:

Distance
 Ascent
 Time
22.02 km 1518 m

Calculate the time using Naismith’s Rule and factor in your own pace.

Activivity Type: Epic Walk, Scrambling, Scrambling Grade 1

Summits and Places on this Route

Facilities

Check out the businesses nearby for more places to stay and drink.

Hazards

Remember that we cannot outline every single hazard on a walk – it’s up to you to be safe and competent. Read up on Mountain Safety , Navigation and what equipment you’ll need.

Parking :

Public Transport:

Traveline for UK Public Transport

Weather Forecast:

Met Office Snowdonia Mountain Weather

Check out our Best Mountain Weather Forecast?

Recommended Maps: 

Guidebooks:

Please rate this

Dave Roberts

Dave Roberts founded Walk Eryri in 2004, with the aim of providing routes that are off the beaten track. Walk Eryri is now part of Mud and Routes which continues to provide more off beat routes and walks in Snowdonia and beyond. Dave has been exploring the hills of Eryri for over thirty years, and is a qualified Mountain Leader. Dave also established Walk up Snowdon, Walk up Scafell Pike and Walk up Ben Nevis just to mention a few.

More Posts by Dave Roberts

Leave a Reply