31 guides
Hiking
Route guides, kit and safety for a proper day in the hills of Snowdonia: preparation, the mountain forecast, and what to carry.
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The Llanberis Path: What the Walk Is Really Like The National Park grades the Llanberis Path hard and strenuous. A section by section walk from Victoria Terrace to the top, what the railway beside you means, and when another path suits better. October 7, 2026 -
Microspikes for Snowdonia: Which Pair to Buy and When to Stay Low Microspikes grip packed snow and ice on a path. They are not crampons. Three chain-and-spike pairs for walking boots, what each maker publishes, how to fit them, and when to turn round instead. October 7, 2026 -
Pyg Track: Can You Manage It, and How Long Does It Take? The Pyg Track from Pen-y-Pass is graded hard: about 6.8 miles there and back and six hours. The bus to the start, the route in sections, the fork onto Crib Goch, and the way down. October 7, 2026 -
Walking Gloves for Snowdonia: Two Pairs, Not One Why one pair of gloves is rarely enough on a Welsh hill, what waterproof means on a glove, and four pairs worth buying: three waterproof and one fleece, from what each maker publishes. October 7, 2026 -
What Are the Welsh 3000s, and Could You Walk Them? Every Welsh summit over 3,000 feet, in one day on foot: about 24 miles and 3,100 metres of climbing. Which peaks count, who sets the rules, and the three places where attempts usually go wrong. September 25, 2026 -
Can You Wild Camp in Snowdonia? Only with the landowner’s permission, and never in a car park or on a verge. What the National Park and the access law actually say, why Scotland is different, and where to sleep instead. September 25, 2026 -
Best Walking Gaiters for Snowdonia Hill Paths Five pairs of walking gaiters for Eryri, split by the kind of day they suit. What each maker publishes, what almost none of them publishes, and why the under-boot strap decides more than the fabric does. September 18, 2026 -
Bothy Bag Sizes: What a 2, 4 or 8 Person Label Actually Means The person count on a bothy bag is not a standard, and two makers use it to mean different things. What each size gives you in published centimetres, and which one suits a walking group in Eryri. September 17, 2026 -
Cnicht: Is the Welsh Matterhorn Really an Easy Mountain? From the coast road Cnicht is a pyramid. From the top it is the end of a long ridge. What the Croesor route actually asks of you, where the two short scrambles are, and why the hard navigation comes after the summit. September 17, 2026 -
Can You Walk Up Glyder Fawr, or Is It a Scramble? The path past the Devil’s Kitchen is the walkers’ way onto the Glyderau, and the two guides that describe it use two different words for the same climb. What the ground is actually like, and where the day stops being a walk. September 17, 2026 -
Moel Siabod, the Mountain Where You Pick Your Own Difficulty Ordnance Survey publishes three route guides to Moel Siabod and grades the same mountain Hard on one and Medium on the others. The reason is the Daear Ddu ridge, where the line you take is your own choice. September 15, 2026 -
Can You Walk Up Snowdon and Get the Train Down? The Snowdon Mountain Railway does not sell a seat you can book for the way down. What it does sell, why the walk-up return is refused, and how to plan a descent you can rely on. September 15, 2026 -
Walking Poles for Snowdonia: The Pair That Helps Most on the Way Down Three pairs of walking poles compared on the locks, lengths and weights their makers publish. Why the makers do not weigh them on the same basis, and what that means when you are reading the numbers. September 14, 2026 -
Waterproof Overtrousers for Snowdonia: The Pair You Can Get On Over Your Boots Three pairs of waterproof overtrousers compared on the side zips, ratings and weights their makers publish. Why the zip decides this purchase more than the waterproof rating does. September 14, 2026 -
Head Torches for Snowdonia: Which One to Carry When the Walk Runs Late Three head torches compared on the burn times, beam distances and water ratings their makers publish. Why the battery decides this more than the brightness does. September 10, 2026 -
Tryfan, the mountain you cannot walk up Tryfan has no walking route to its summit. Every line up needs your hands. An honest look at the North Ridge, what a Grade 1 scramble really asks, and when to turn back. September 9, 2026 -
Waterproof Jackets for Snowdonia and What Actually Keeps You Dry Three waterproof jackets compared on the figures their makers publish. What each rating means on a Welsh mountain, and how to tell whether the jacket you own is finished or just needs reproofing. September 9, 2026 -
Walking Boots or Trainers for Snowdon? Every Snowdon path is graded Hard or Strenuous. The National Park says full hill walking gear is essential. Here is what to put on your feet, and when trainers are still an honest answer. August 28, 2026 -
Climbing Cadair Idris: Pony Path or Minffordd Path? Cadair Idris is Snowdonia’s other big mountain day, quieter than Snowdon and just as serious. This guide compares the two main routes, the Minffordd Path and the Pony Path from Tŷ Nant, using the National Park’s own figures for distance, ascent and time. Both are graded Hard, so the choice is about which kind of hard walking suits you. August 28, 2026 -
Crib Goch: How Hard Is It Really? Crib Goch is the ridge some walkers reach by accident from the Pyg Track, and the Eryri National Park Authority calls it extremely dangerous. This article explains what the ridge actually demands, what experienced mountain walker means in practice, and who should choose a different route instead. August 28, 2026 -
Which OS Map Do You Need for Snowdonia? For Snowdon and the northern hills, the map you want is OS Explorer OL17. It does not cover the whole national park, so Cadair Idris and the south need OS Explorer OL23 instead. August 28, 2026 -
How Long Does It Take to Climb Snowdon? The Eryri National Park Authority gives six hours for five of Snowdon’s six paths, and seven for the Llanberis Path. The number that decides your day is not the walking time on the route page. It is what time you have to leave the car park. August 3, 2026 -
Walking Snowdon in Winter: What Actually Changes In summer the six paths up Snowdon are walks. In winter the National Park says plainly that reaching the top needs crampons, an ice axe, and knowing how to use them. Here is what actually changes, how to tell which state the mountain is in, and where a genuinely good winter day still is. August 3, 2026 -
Parking in Snowdonia: Pen-y-Pass, Park and Ride and the Sherpa’r Wyddfa Pen-y-Pass fills before most visitors have left home, and a full car park at nine on a summer Saturday derails plenty of Snowdon days. Here is how the parking and the Sherpa’r Wyddfa bus actually work, car park by car park, so your morning holds together. July 30, 2026 -
Climbing Snowdon with Kids: Which Route, How Long It Takes, and When to Turn Back Honest, path by path guidance on climbing Snowdon with children. Which route suits families, realistic timings with kids in the group, and why turning back partway is often the best outcome of the day. July 30, 2026 -
How Busy Is Snowdon, Really? More than half a million people walked up Snowdon in a single year. Here is what the footfall numbers mean for your day on Britain’s busiest mountain, and how to plan around the crowds. June 21, 2026 - How to Read Snowdonia’s Mountain Weather Before You Go The valley forecast and the summit forecast are not the same thing. Here is how to check the right one, understand what it means, and decide whether the hill is in good enough condition to go. June 21, 2026
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Why Walkers Need Rescuing in Snowdonia (and How Not to Be One) The volunteer mountain rescue teams here are among the busiest in Britain, and most of what they are called to is avoidable. Here is what actually goes wrong on the hill, and the simple things that keep you off the call-out list. June 21, 2026 -
What to Pack for a Day Walking in Snowdonia You do not need a fortune in gear for a day in the Welsh hills, but a few things genuinely matter when the weather turns. A no-upsell packing guide for Snowdonia. June 21, 2026 -
Which Path Up Snowdon Is Right for You? Six walking routes lead to the summit of Snowdon, and the one you choose matters more than how fit you are. A plain guide to the paths, who each one suits, and how to start your day right. June 21, 2026 -
Why Hiking and Outdoor Play Are So Good for Families Getting the family out into the Welsh hills costs almost nothing. What regular time outdoors gives children, and parents too. July 24, 2024