We started the Snowdon Horseshoe hike at Pen-Y-Pass car park. It cost us £18 for 8 hours which was more than enough. We even got there 59 minutes late. You will need to book it on the Just Park app.
Snowdon Horseshoe
Before I get into the Snowdon Horseshoe hike, I want to start by saying my other dedicated Crib Goch post will have more details regarding the ridge. In this one, I will go into less detail on the bank itself, so please check that out if you want to climb Crib Goch. This post will be about the entire Snowdon Horseshoe covering all aspects of the hike.
Crib Goch (923m)
Being a weekend, we assumed that Crib Goch would be very busy. Especially when starting on the Pyg Track, there were some large groups. However, we got lucky that when we turned off to head up Crib Goch (923m), none of the groups was heading up.
It is hard to know exactly where to turn off for Crib as it isn’t signed, so ensure you have researched where the turn-off point is. You will probably be able to spot it as the way you turn is well-walked, just no signage telling you where to go until you get up a bit. I believe this to be intentional, as people shouldn’t climb Crib Goch without prep.
This hike would be a bit of a challenge as soon as the scrambling started and the rocks were so slippery. I really wouldn’t recommend Crib when it’s wet. We powered through, getting up to the ridge where shell jackets had to come on as the wind and rain were quite prominent.
I did slip slightly on the ridge due to the slippery rocks. From that point, I had to take care of my foot placements; I didn’t want to take a proper fall on Crib Goch as that would probably end badly.
Going over the ridge is an easy line to follow as it is a knife edge; you can’t take the wrong path. I did find heading slightly down left made the impact of the wind not feel as bad.
Garnedd Ugain (1065m)
Garnedd Ugain snuck up on us. Even though I have done this part of the hike before, It was so cloudy. I was about 5 meters away from it when I noticed how close we were.
Heading from Crib Goch to Garnedd Again, there is a little bit of easy scrambling. Again it’s not an obvious path. So ensure to be prepped and know your route.
Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon 1085m)
Surprisingly, even though it was a weekend, a school holiday coming onto the Llanberis path, it was pretty quiet. Probably because of the bad weather, but I’ve been up before in bad weather, and it’s been packed. There were the everyday trainers and improper gear as always on Snowdon.
We carried on up the Llanberis path to the summit. Where again, there was no queue at all. We were all amazed by this, but it was nice to go to the summit without running up and down and having a chance to get a photo. It’s just a shame we had terrible weather.
Watkins Path
Now we are on the second and technically the descent as we have been passed the highest point. Even though we had one more summit, so a climb to go. Getting to the Watkins Path from Snowdon, you want to walk down a path to the left of where the cafe is, then follow that until you see a large stone where you will go left to the Watkins. If you go straight, you come to the Ranger’s path.
Y allowed (898m)
Now we have turned onto the Ranger’s path; we start the hike to the summit of Y allowed. This part was more complicated than anticipated. Don’t get me wrong; it wasn’t that bad. However, I expected a reasonably steady hike to the summit and then backed down to the car.
PS. I was Wrong
We did have spells of being out of the clouds while we descended between Yr Wddfa and Y Lliwedd, which was a nice change. There were some lovely views (as always in Snowdonia). Going down the Watkins path, there are areas where we needed to scramble. This proved to be quite challenging, especially considering the slipperiness of the polished rocks. Scrambling down is much more complex than up (in my opinion). I had a few instances where I slipped a bit. Luckily these weren’t that bad, and I managed to stay up. That would change on the final descent.
Now the descent into a valley was made; we had to keep taking paths that ran left. If you follow the full Watkin’s approach, it takes you to the final summit. I suggest keeping to the left on this side (not too far left to not go over the edge, but that’s a given). You will come to a section on the ascent of Y Lliwedd where you can follow the path around or head straight up, and it makes for a fun scramble. We took the scramble. Once again, another summit for us in the clouds, so no photos from up here either.
Final Descent
Here is the descent which caused me a bit of a problem. It’s not that it was difficult or I struggled. I just found that my boots would not grip the rock at all. I may have slipped about 3-4 times on this descent. When done climbing the over rock, I felt like I was walking on algae into a lake. The descent was relatively easy other than this. We just followed the ridge line down to a path. From here, we followed the path which met with the Miners Track, essentially a pavement, that we followed back to Pen-Y_Pass car park at the end of the course (where we were parked).
Overview of the Snowdon horseshoe
This was, all in all, a great hike and a great challenge. I love to challenge myself, and doing it in wind and rain made it even better for me (other than my slips). I would recommend you do this in better conditions. However, it is all down to your confidence in your ability. I would also recommend tackling the crib on its own once, especially if heights scare you, as it is very exposed. If in doubt, find a reputable guide to take you.
This hike was 13.52km, with an elevation gain of 1053 meters. Our moving time was 4:49:31, so elapsed time may have been one on top of that, but I am not sure. I would give at least 6 hours as you never know what can happen on a mountain.
MY RATING:
- Difficulty 4/5
- Enjoyment 4/5
- Views 2/5 (We had some excellent views but were in the clouds for most of them.)
- Overall 3.5/5
If you enjoyed this read, check out more from Snowdonia.
