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Walk up Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach from Pen y Pass

By Dave Roberts   

on January 8, 2018    4.5/5 (2)

Walk up Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach from Pen y Pass

Route Essentials

Route Summary

A quieter walk up the Glyderau that’s not as exciting as the routes from Ogwen, but makes up for this to some extent with views towards Snowdon and Crib Goch.

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

Distance

8.95 km

Ascent

727 m

Time

4-5 hours

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

Start Location

Pen y Pass to  Pen y Gwryd Hotel, or return to start.

Difficulty

Hard Walk

Hazards

Navigation can be tricky. some clambering over boulders.

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. 

Walk up Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach from Pen y Pass Ordnance Survey Map and GPX File Download

View the full route map

Download file for GPS

Walk up Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach from Pen y Pass

This walk up Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach, aka the Glyderau, is a slightly unusual walk in many respects. Not many people find their way to Pen y Pass, fight the crowds and then cross the road to the Glyderau rather than climbing Snowdon. You’ll also be bucking the trend as most people ascend Glyder Fawr from Ogwen rather than Pen y Pass.

This is an exploration of the less known side of the Glyderau, and hopefully too, less popular. Be warned though, that the path is indistinct in places and can be difficult to follow even when visibility is good.

The Route

1 The ascent of Glyder Fawr from Pen y Pass starts from the stile to the left of the youth hostel. The path takes you left and you are soon crossing boggy land. At this initial stage, the path is relatively easy to follow. If you spot some crimson splotches of paint on the rocks, then these way mark the route (unofficially) and are worth following (though they disappear when most needed) even if we think they’re vandalism. Within minutes, the lake of Llyn Cwmffynnon appears below Moel Berfedd. This minor summit is surely one worth visiting at some point, being in such a central position.

2 The path continues up the broad shoulder of Glyder Fawr, and from now on, care should be taken with navigation as the path is sketchy and easily lost. Just ensure you are going uphill, as bar one flat area (with a large rocky pavement), it is all slog.

3 Once you can see the summit rocks, there is no reason why you cannot aim straight for it, especially as the paths you’ll follow will often vanish with no warning! Thankfully the summit is rather obvious in clear weather, having two large mounds of jagged rocks. You’ll need to climb up both, just for the hell of it.

4  From Glyder Fawr, head across the rocky plateau to the Bwlch y Ddwy Glyder. It can be tricky in mist, but there are plenty of cairns that help you navigate.

5 After Bwlch y Ddwy Glyder, veer right where a path should see you contouring below Castell Y Gwynt. The climb isn’t obbvious, but keep an eye out for a bouldery scramble to your left which brings you out at Castell y Gwynt.

6 This is an interesting crenellation of vertically shattered rock that is nothing but a distraction on these mountains. What other, less well endowed, hills would do for a summit like this! Keep close to Castell y Gwynt, or better still, scramble over it, before crossing the boulder strewn summit of Glyder Fach. The summit proper is a pile of rounded boulders, so contrasting in character to it’s larger sibling that lies only a kilometer away. Today I skipped the summit and skirted it to the left to find the Cantilever and the Miner’s Track.

7 OK, stop here and take your photos of the Cantilever if you must. Try and tip it too, whatever. You won’t be alone. The path that veers left takes you to the top of Bristly Ridge, don’t go this way (it is easily recognised as it has a cairn). Instead carry on over the summit to find the Miner’s Track. It is a decent path in places, and easy to lose in others.

8 But you soon arrive at the bwlch where the Miner’s Track leaves Ogwen and drops down to Pen y Gwryd. Follow it right over some boggy ground, there are dried up ponds here, so be careful in poor visibility. When you see the ground dropping away, veer right.

9 From now on, the path is easy to follow, although rough. It has a stream flowing down much of it, and is generally a steep descent. The only problem now is the final section that is exceptionally boggy. There is a faint path, but aim for the stile or footbridge that you should be able to spot in most situations from the higher ground just before. The path from here is a couple of hundred metres, and you’re in the Pen Y Gwryd Hotel for a pint of whatever.

You can return to Pen-y-pass by following the second stage of our Moel Berfedd walk.

For more walks up Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach, visit our All the Walking Routes up Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach article.

Local Information and Recommended Maps and Guidebooks

Route Summary:

A quieter walk up the Glyderau that’s not as exciting as the routes from Ogwen, but makes up for this to some extent with views towards Snowdon and Crib Goch.

This walk includes the 2 Washis of Glyder Fawr, Glyder Fach

This walk includes the 2 Hewitts of Glyder Fawr, Glyder Fach

This walk includes the 3 Nuttalls of Glyder Fawr, Glyder Fach, Castell y Gwynt

Route Start Location: Pen y Pass to  Pen y Gwryd Hotel, or return to start.

Distance
Ascent
Time
8.95 km 727 m 4-5 hours

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

Activivity Type: Hard Walk

Summits and Places on this Route

Facilities

Cafe, parking WC.

Hazards

Navigation can be tricky. some clambering over boulders.

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 :

Limited in Pen y pass

Public Transport:

Sherpa Buses from Llanberis and Betws y Coed.

Traveline for UK Public Transport

Weather Forecast:

Met Office Snowdonia Mountain Weather

Check out our Best Mountain Weather Forecast?

Recommended Maps

Guidebooks:

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Dave Roberts

More Posts by Dave Roberts

3 thoughts on “Walk up Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach from Pen y Pass”

  1. Hello! I was just wondering, has this route got unavoidable, steep scrambles? – Only I plan to do this with my dog, he is very agile and capable, though scrambles especially steep ones would be unsuitable for him. If you have the time to respond or provide advice, I would very much appreciate it! 🙂

  2. From what I recall, the last time I walked this was on day two of a backpack with tired legs and I’d have clearly remembered any awkward sections. There were rocky sections but I don’t *think* any involved scrambling.

    There are some bouldery sections getting onto Glyder Fach that might pose more of a challenge, but we’re talking mostly clambering and a couple of high steps which you might be able to lift a dog onto ( depending on size!) There’s nothing close to the nature of Tryfan or any steep and prolonged scrambling.

  3. Dave, done a fair few of your routes and felt I needed to say thank you. Did this with my son, and added your path to Pen y pass route to make it fully circular.

    As ever your descriptions and notes were spot on.

    Many thanks

    Rob

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