Walk or take the train – the choice is yours
The awesome peak of Mount Snowdon, Yr Wyddfa in Welsh, is the highest in England and Wales; it has proved a perennial source of inspiration to all who tackle the 1085-metre ascent to the summit. Some routes to the top are relatively gentle, while others offer a far more serious challenge. Sir Edmund Hillary and the 1953 Everest expeditionary team trained here prior to their successful ascent of the world’s highest peak.
The mountain has inspired many artists over the years. Its wild, rugged landscape is the very epitome of the sublime beauty so beloved by the early 19th-century Romantic movement. J.M.W. Turner, a leading light of this movement, used Mount Snowdon and its surroundings as the subject of a number of his works. Snowdon is also home to many rare species of flora such as the Snowdon Lily, Lloydia serotina; named in honour of its discoverer, Edward Llwyd, it is seldom found elsewhere in Britain. In fact it was the botanist Thomas Johns, writing in 1639, who gave us the first recorded account of the ascent to the summit, though doubtless many other unrecorded ascents preceded his.
In 1896 the advent of the narrow-gauge rack-and-pinion railway from Llanberis to the summit – the only one of its kind in Britain – made the mountain a must-see destination for sightseers. It remains to this day one of the most popular tourist locations in the country.
Free Entry
Snowdon Mountain Railway Station on A4086 in Llanberis
Nearest station Bangor - 8 miles
Various bus stops Llanberis
There is a cycle track along the old railway on the south western side of Llyn Padarn
Allow 7 hours for walking return trip
Walking – check weather forecast and safety information. Allow 7 hours. Suitable clothing, footwear and food / water essential.
Full Figure Grid Reference: Summit SH 609543 OS Landranger map sheet: 115
Snowdonia National Park Authority