Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) is the highest mountain in Wales at 1,085 m (3,560 ft). Fifteen Welsh summits stand over 3,000 feet, and all of them sit in three ranges in the north of Eryri.
How the fifteen add up
Three summits belong to the Yr Wyddfa massif, five to the Glyderau and seven to the Carneddau, with Carnedd Gwenllian among the seven.
Heights come from the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), and all are in metres. The BMC marks two summits “if included”, Castell y Gwynt and Carnedd Gwenllian; the fifteen here count Carnedd Gwenllian, as the challenge does.
The Welsh 3000s challenge, all fifteen summits within 24 hours, has its own page.
The Yr Wyddfa massif
Yr Wyddfa, at 1,085 m, is the highest mountain in England and Wales. Garnedd Ugain and Crib Goch complete the massif’s three.
| Summit | Height |
|---|---|
| Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) | 1,085 m |
| Garnedd Ugain | 1,065 m |
| Crib Goch | 923 m |
Garnedd Ugain, at 1,065 m, is the second highest of the fifteen.
Walkers choosing a route to the summit can weigh the main paths up Snowdon against each other.
The Glyderau
Glyder Fawr, at 1,001 m, is the highest of the five Glyderau summits in the fifteen.
| Summit | Height |
|---|---|
| Glyder Fawr | 1,001 m |
| Glyder Fach | 994 m |
| Y Garn | 947 m |
| Elidir Fawr | 924 m |
| Tryfan | 918 m |
Tryfan, at 918 m, is the lowest of the fifteen.
Most routes up the Glyderau start in the Ogwen Valley. On the Welsh 3000s route, the Glyder section starts from the road above Nant Peris.
Some lists add Castell y Gwynt (972 m) as a sixteenth, after a 2007 survey under the Nuttall classification system.
The Carneddau
Seven of the fifteen sit in the Carneddau, more than in either of the other ranges. Carnedd Llewelyn is the highest at 1,064 m.
| Summit | Height |
|---|---|
| Carnedd Llewelyn | 1,064 m |
| Carnedd Dafydd | 1,044 m |
| Pen yr Ole Wen | 978 m |
| Foel Grach | 976 m |
| Yr Elen | 962 m |
| Foel-fras | 942 m |
| Carnedd Gwenllian | 926 m |
Carnedd Gwenllian, also called Garnedd Uchaf, is the lowest of the seven at 926 m.
The main hills beyond the 3,000s
None of these reaches 3,000 feet. The highest is Aran Fawddwy at 905 m.
| Hill | Height | Usual start |
|---|---|---|
| Aran Fawddwy | 905 m | Cwm Cywarch, near Dinas Mawddwy |
| Cadair Idris | 893 m | Tŷ Nant car park, near Dolgellau |
| Moel Siabod | 872 m | Pont Cyfyng |
| Arenig Fawr | 854 m | Layby above Llyn Celyn |
| Moel Hebog | 783 m | Beddgelert |
| Moelwyn Mawr | 770 m | Croesor or Tanygrisiau |
| Nantlle Ridge | 734 m (highest point) | Rhyd Ddu |
| Moel Eilio | 726 m | Llanberis |
| Rhinog Fawr | 720 m | Cwm Bychan |
| Cnicht | 689 m | Croesor |
Heights come from Coflein, go4awalk, Get Lost Mountaineering (Rhinog Fawr) and walk-snowdonia.co.uk (Nantlle Ridge).
We compile and explain public route and safety information. We guide nobody and sell nothing on the hill.
Picking your next hill by where you stay
In the north, each base has a hill that starts from it:
- Llanberis: Moel Eilio starts at the town, by the Snowdon Mountain Railway station.
- Capel Curig: Moel Siabod is the hill here.
- Ogwen: the Ogwen Valley is where walks up Tryfan and Y Garn begin.
In the south, Cadair Idris is the Dolgellau hill. The Minffordd Path, another usual way up, starts at Dôl Idris car park.
For two hills from one start, take Cnicht and Moelwyn Mawr. Both begin at Croesor, and go4awalk lists a 9 mile route from the village over Cnicht, Hafod-yr-Hydd and Moelwyn Mawr, graded Hard.
