Yr Wyddfa, from the Nant yr Llys plateau - photo Mark Trengove

Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)

1085m, P1039m

Location

Gwynedd, north-west Wales, UK.

Coordinates

53.0685° N, 4.0761° W

Range

Eryri (Snowdonia)

Description of the mountain and geology

Yr Wyddfa (“the burial mound”) is the highest mountain in Wales and the focal summit of the Snowdon Massif, a complex of ridges radiating from a central core.

The mountain’s rugged form reflects its volcanic and glacial past. The bedrock belongs mainly to the Ordovician Snowdon Volcanic Group, composed of thick sequences of rhyolitic and andesitic lavas, welded tuffs, and volcaniclastic sediments deposited in a submarine volcanic arc around 450 million years ago. Later folding, faulting, and extensive glacial erosion during the Pleistocene sculpted the sharp arêtes and cwms (cirques) that characterise the peak. The summit lies near the boundary between two major formations: the Lower Rhyolitic Tuff Formation and the Upper Rhyolitic Lavas, both prominent in the surrounding cliffs.

Archaeological, historical, and cultural notes

Yr Wyddfa has deep cultural resonance in Welsh folklore. According to legend, the giant Rhita Gawr, slain by King Arthur, was buried beneath the cairn that gave the mountain its Welsh name. The area was later central to medieval Welsh identity, being close to the royal stronghold of Dolbadarn Castle, symbol of native resistance to Anglo-Norman rule.  

The name ‘Snowdon’ is Anglo-Saxon in origin, derived from the Old English words "snaw" and "dun", meaning "snow hill" or "snow mountain". The name is recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as 1095 ACE. 

The first recorded ascent is attributed to the botanist Thomas Pennant in 1752, though shepherds and miners had long frequented its slopes. The mountain became a tourist attraction before, and especially after, the opening of the Snowdon Mountain Railway in 1896. The modern summit building, Hafod Eryri, opened in 2009, houses a café and visitor centre.  The summit, with trig pillar, lies a short way to the east on a rocky tor, marking the highest point in Wales.

Summit description

The summit of Yr Wyddfa forms a narrow rocky cone composed mainly of pale grey rhyolitic lava. A stone plinth with a brass plaque marks the exact highest point, reached by a short ascent on rocky steps from the railway terminus and visitor centre. On a clear day, the panorama extends from the Llŷn Peninsula to Anglesey, east to the Berwyn Hills, and south across Cardigan Bay to Cadair Idris. In the warmer parts of the year a long queue to reach the summit often develops.

Popular routes to the summit

There are six principal walking routes:

- Llanberis Path: the easiest and longest, following the railway (7 km each way).
- Pyg Track and Miner’s Track: start from Pen-y-Pass and ascend via Llyn Llydaw and Glaslyn.
- Rhyd Ddu Path: scenic, less crowded, approaching from the south-west.
- Watkin Path: the steepest ascent, starting near Nant Gwynant, with fine waterfalls.
- Snowdon Ranger Path: historic miners’ route from Llyn Cwellyn.
- The Crib Goch ridge traverse provides an airy, knife-edged scramble for experienced scramblers (no rope is required).

Other items of interest

Snowdonia supports diverse montane flora such as Saxifraga oppositifolia and Lloydia serotina, relics of the last Ice Age. Its Welsh name, Eryri, originally meant “place of eagles”, or, alternatively “the high place”. The peak remains a geological showpiece, a very notable place in British rock-climbing history, and a cultural emblem—celebrated in poetry, folklore, and the national identity of Wales.

Peakbagger website link - here

Note:  this profile has been generated, under human direction, using AI (ChatGPT), and then human-edited.