Climbing Snowdon via Crib Goch can be extremely scary for those who don’t do well with heights. You are scrambling over a knife edge. Luckily I’m okay with heights, so I knew I would be alright too. Read along with this blog to see what it is like and know if it’s a good choice.
My time on this mountain starts like every other climb, at the bottom. We arrived the night before and camped in our cars/vans. It sounds worse than it is. I can pull out a pretty decent bed in my car. My mate has a converted van that makes it easier to cook and eat in that; then, I can use mine to sleep in. See the photos of my car camper below.
The sleep was good, and we woke up at about 7:30-8 ready to meet another friend driving up. We also had booked onto Pen-YP-ass car park, which you must do on the Just Park app before you go if you want a space. It is pretty expensive, though. We booked one car, met at a layby, then drove up and split the £18 for a day cost.
The Hike
A bit of an overview. The hike was about 6 hours, and we started at Pen-Y-Pass. We planned to go down the Pyg track but went to the miners for a swim. I’ll get more into it all in this post. If you’re looking to do this hike, it’s not technically challenging, but it is exposed, so you need to be confident.
Crib Goch
We started by hiking up the trail on the right of Pen-Y-Pass car park. Following the course for a while, you come to a point where you can see Yr Wyddfa, and you have to turn off the Pyg track right to go up to Crib Goch.
It’s not apparent that you need to go right there. I think this is, so people only go up if that’s the plan. Being as dangerous as it is, you don’t want people up there by accident. We knew where we needed to go as we had a plan already. Which you should always have on a mountain you’ve not climbed before—especially one like Crib Goch.
The ascent onto the ridge is quite a steep and quick one. There isn’t a path to follow. You want to head up. You can see where other people have gone over the years; the rock has been quite polished, guiding you up.
Once up to the ridge, we were pretty content with where we were going. It is just one ridge line we had to follow. If you are afraid of heights like my mate was, it’s a bit scary. I have no innate fear of heights or falling, so I felt comfortable.
The ridge is relatively easy and as fun as it is. I believe it is a little bit overhyped. Don’t get me wrong, it is only a grade one, so it will not be technically challenging. I think people on social media make it out to be a lot harder than it is.
Once over the ridge, you will come to a little downclimb into a plateau. This is where we stopped and had a bit of food before carrying on. The down climb is a bit of a challenge and relies on ensuring 3 points of contact on the rock at all times to ensure the utmost safety for the group. We don’t want any silly incidents.
Garnedd Again
From this plateau, you are finished and over the knife edge of Crib Goch. Don’t worry; the scrambling isn’t over yet. Heading to Garnedd ugain there are two sections of scrambles (Both of which you can walk around the side, but that’s no fun). In my opinion, this scramble felt technically a little more challenging. Well, the route I took did (it may have looked more fun than optimal).
We got over these scrambles and just had a bit of a hill to walk up to summit Garnedd Ugain. Most people forget to mention this and coming here, it’s clear why. It is essentially just an intermediate peak classified as its mountain between Crib Goch and Yr Wyddfa.
Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)
Now on the easy part. After Garnedd Ugain, we descended onto the Llanberis path (Otherwise known as the tourist route). It has people on it who definitely should and aren’t prepared to be on a mountain.
Painfully, I did get a cramp in my right quad on this section which was horrible. I am glad it didn’t set in while on Crib, as this may have ended differently. I rested for 5 minutes, had a drink and then carried the last 100 meters to the summit.
As always, there was a massive queue for the summit photo. As we weren’t that bothered, we quickly climbed up the side to touch the top. I had to touch the summit, at least. People complain, but I don’t think that queuing is a big deal if you’re not spending time up there.
Descent
For the descent, we had planned to go down the PYG track. However, we made a last-minute decision to go down the miners. Not for any other reason than to go for a quick wild swim, as the heat was crazy.
We also ventured into the mine shaft for a quick exploration of it, as non of us had been in it before. It was pretty wet at the entrance, but only for a few meters, then it dried up, and we could walk normally. It was pitch black (obviously), but I always carry a torch in my pack, which is why. You never know when you’ll be glad you packed it.
After the swim and mine exploration, we followed the long path back to Pen-Y-Pass car park and drove home. Not before stopping for a chippy on the beach first.
Overview
This is a grand ridge and was a lot of fun. However, I could help thinking that it was a bit overhyped. Don’t get me wrong; I did love it and recommend it. I feel other scrambles are just as fun, if not better, that are less talked about.
This hike consisted of 3 summits, 15.77km travelled and took us 6:37:14.
My Ratings:
- Difficulty 3/5
- Enjoyment 3.5/5
- Views 5/5
- Overall 4/5
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