Walking in Snowdonia

Day 1
Llanberis
Welcome to Llanberis! This tranquil British town in the heart of Snowdonia National Park has a rich history and superb hiking trails as is the perfect jumping off point for tackling Mount Snowdon. There’s no packing and unpacking on this centre based trip and your accommodation is a highlight, with 30 acres of gardens and woodlands including the ruins of a 12th century castle. After you’ve checked into your hotel, meet your leader and the rest of your group at a Welcome Meeting in the early afternoon then enjoy an easy hike around beautiful Llyn Padarn, one of the two lakes that create the Llanberis pass, where you can immerse yourself in Snowdonia’s spectacular surroundings. Tonight you may like to join your group for a meal at a local restaurant or pub.

Day 2
Cwn Idwal and Y Garn
After breakfast, take a local bus to the neighbouring valley to explore the beautiful Cwm Idwal, a
National Nature Reserve. A short ascent from the trailhead takes us to Llyn Idwal – a beautiful lake in a picturesque hanging valley, surrounded by steep-sided peaks. Look closely and you may spot rock-climbers on the cliff faces. For the walk up to Y Garn, a lofty summit 947m above sea level, we take an easier route up the slopes but that’s not to say the walk is easy. Today features some challenging climbs but the effort is well worth it for the outstanding views of the Snowdonia mountains. From here, we return to the lake and walk down to the valley floor before we head back to Llanberis and find a cosy pub for a well-deserved drink.

Day 3
Mount Snowdon
Snowdon is the highest and most famous peak in Wales. There are many ways to reach the top – including a railway – but we’ll enjoy a fantastic point to point hike. Walking on a Friday avoids the crowds and ensures we don’t contribute to over tourism. A local bus takes us to Pen y Pass, meaning we start from 349m above sea level – a helpful boost on a long mountain day. We will follow a trail called the Pyg track, which offers grand mountain scenery, with Crib Goch on our right and Snowdon ahead of us. Eventually, we will reach the high pass at Bwlch Glas then hike alongside the mountain railway before the final push to the summit. After summit selfies, we will descend by an alternative route that takes us directly back to our hotel in Llanberis.

Day 4
Glyder Fach and the Cantilever Stone
Today you may like to take it easy with a less challenging walk after Mount Snowdon. If not, join your guides for the short transfer on the local bus to Llyn Ogwen, where we begin another classic Welsh mountain traverse. Our route today hikes up into Cwm Tryfan, where we gaze up at the cliffs of Tryfan, one of the United Kingdom’s most imposing mountains. We continue hiking to the saddle before a final push takes us to the summit of Glyder Fach, 994m above sea level. A short detour allows us to explore the spectacular rock formations of Castell y Gwynt, including the famous Cantilever Stone. From here, we will descend along a broad ridge which passes over several lower summits before reaching the small village of Capel Curig where we will catch a local bus back to Llanberis. With tired but happy legs, we will find a lively pub to celebrate our peak-bagging adventures in Snowdonia National Park and the penultimate night of our trip.

Day 5
Llanberis
After breakfast, we will take a short walk to the National Slate Museum which has been designed as if the quarrymen and engineers have just downed tools and left the Victorian era workshops for home. Talks and demonstrations including slate-splitting provide a fascinating insight into the heritage and culture of this mountain region. After our museum visit, your trip comes to an end and you can catch the bus back to Bangor to connect with trains for onward travel.