Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon

At 1,085 metres, Yr Wyddfa is the highest point in Wales, the high point of Gwynedd and the anchor of the wider Eryri range, and it’s popular, for a reason worth spelling out: there’s a way up here for very nearly everyone, provided the right path gets chosen. Not every route to the top is equal, and that’s the bit to plan around, not an afterthought.

The Llanberis Path is the one to reach for on a first visit. It’s the longest route but also the gentlest, following a clear track that shadows the Snowdon Mountain Railway most of the way — and the railway itself is there for anyone who’d rather ride up, or ride down after walking up, or simply isn’t sure their legs are up to the whole thing on the day. Neither choice is a lesser one.

At the other end of the scale sits Crib Goch, a narrow, exposed scramble along a knife-edge ridge to the north-east. It’s a brilliant route for those with scrambling experience and a solid head for heights, and it is emphatically not a route for beginners, for children, or for anyone unsure of their footing — this isn’t caution for its own sake, it’s how the mountain actually is. Crib y Ddysgl and Y Lliwedd ring the same summit and carry their own seriousness too.

Whatever the route, the top of Yr Wyddfa runs its own weather, often cold, wet and windy when the valley below is calm, so a warm layer and a proper look at the forecast beforehand are worth having, whichever route gets chosen. Sturdy boots and a full day in the diary make for a far better story than a rushed one.

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