Snowdon was the first mountain I climbed and it made a deep impression. It is perhaps Britain's most derided mountain, largely because the summit can be reached by train. Only Snaefell on the Isle of Man shares this indignity although the transport there is more like a tram. Snowdon also boasts a restaurant and bar on top so you can enjoy an alchoholic celebration of your arrival on the summit without carrying it up yourself. Don't rely on this though since in winter neither train nor restaurant is functional.The truth is that Snowdon, known to the Welsh as Yr Wyddfa, is one of the finest hills in Britain and has something for everyone: a journey on the exciting railway, a simple stroll beside the track, the superb Snowdon horseshoe or a difficult rock climb. There are in fact walking routes from every direction; the long plod up from Llanberis alongside the railway, the Miner's Track from Pen-y-Pass or the famous Pyg Track from the same high starting place, named after the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel and sometimes wrongly called the Pig Track. From the south-east comes the Watkin path which winds up to the col with Lliwedd. A left fork low down leads instead to the col with Yr Aran and an approach along the south ridge. This ridge is reached higher up by a good path from Rhyd Ddu and finally the Snowdon Ranger path, which I used on my first ascent, comes up from Snowdon Ranger youth hostel and is one of the oldest paths on the mountain.
Most rewarding of all for the competent scrambler is the Snowdon horseshoe which soon leaves the Pyg Track to scramble up onto Crib Goch. This knife edge is followed by a few pinnacles and leads to the summit of Crib-y-ddysgl from where a short drop and reascent leads to the highest summit in Wales. The route continues with easier scrambling over Lliwedd which has many rock climbs on its steep north face.
Please read my account of the Snowdon Horseshoe done as part of my traverse across all the Welsh two-thousanders.
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