Mt. Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Miner & PyG Tracks

“‘It’s a grand day for Snowdon!’
‘Yes indeed — perhaps,’ was his mysterious reply.
The Welsh, unless they know you very well, are too polite to contradict you. I now realize that this remark translated into good Scots would be:
‘It isna a guid day, man — ye’re mad!‘”

In Search of Wales by H.V. Morton (1932)

It was Friday, Day 5 and final hiking day of my August 2024 trip to Snowdonia. After previously ascending Yr Wyddfa, the highest mountain in Wales, via the Watkin Path earlier in the week and the Snowdon Ranger and Rhyd Dhu trails back in 2018, today would cover two more of the common routes to the summit, the Miner’s Track and the PyG Track. After being befuddled by the clouds on my first two ascents, I awoke that morning with a measured hope. As I looked out the window of my cottage, though, you could almost hear the collective sigh of several centuries of exasperated hill walkers waking up on similar mornings. The clouds formed a fractured tapestry across the sky, as rugged as the hills they were blanketing. There would be no summit views today, but the overhanging mist would play its role beckoning you into the mystique of Arthurian legend, like a well-seasoned Shakespearean actor. The hike would be as suitably breathtaking as it was frustrating.

“And dear old Snowdon with his mist-cap on has baffled the forces of Norman and English again and again as he hugged to his heart the gallant but outnumbered Welsh. It was not the rugged heights or the impenetrable ravines alone that bewildered and held back the invader, but the cap of cloud which Snowdon drew over the refugees who clung to him for safety.”

A Book of North Wales by S. Baring-Gould (1903)

Hike Details

This hike ascends on the higher PyG Track (“PyG” stands for Pen-y-Gwryd, a nearby old mountaineer’s hotel) and returns via the lower Miner’s Track which follows along three lakes and passes by several ruins of an old copper mine. By taking the PyG Track, one avoids the Crib Goch which is the more famous but challenging route to the summit. There was nothing on this hike that tested my fear of heights.

Parking at the Pen-y-Pass lot requires reservations which I did not have, so I parked along the A498. This adds a couple extra kilometers to the hike.

Starting/Ending Point	Roadside Parking #807996 on the A498 before the turn to Pen-y-Pass coming from Beddgelert. Use Pay by Phone app.
Distance	15.2 km
My Moving Time	3h 51m

It’s Not Just a Beer, It’s a Journey

“Nature shrouds its great head in a cloud, and man has woven around it a cloud of legend.”

In Search of Wales by H.V. Morton (1932)

The trail from the A498 parking is well-marked and scenic enough to not feel like wasted energy.

The real fun begins from the Pen-y-Pass parking lot. Taking the PyG Track begins what is known as the Snowdon Horseshoe. The initial ascent from the parking lot is the “First Nail in the Horseshoe.”¹

As you ascend, have a look to the west. This valley leads to the town of Llanberis where you can catch the steam train to the summit or follow the Llanberis route to the summit.

At a certain point you will come to a spot where a path branches off to the right. This leads up to the famous (or infamous) Crib Goch ridge which is part of the official Snowdon Horseshoe route. Crib Goch is notoriously tricky to navigate especially solo in the clouds. I was not in the mood to tempt fate and add another route to my Scaredy Bear list.

The PyG Track gives a great birds-eye view of a series of lakes on the way to the final ascent.

At the highest of the lakes, Llyn Glaslyn, the Miner’s Track converges with the PyG Track. From above, the water of Llyn Glaslyn has a dark turquoise almost obsidian-like quality. The ridge around the lake forms part of the Snowdon Horseshoe. That is not part of this hike.

After meeting up with the Miner’s Track, the trail ascends into the legendary clouds. Yr Wyddfa (sometimes spelled Y Wyddfa) is believed to be short for Yr Wyddfa Fawr which means ‘great burial place’². If this is true, it gives the clouds a more ethereal symbolism, as if entering sacred ground.

Of all the routes to the summit that I have hiked, this was by far the busiest. The final zig-zag was a constant procession of hikers.

I arrived at the summit just as the steam train was arriving from Llanberis.

The wind and cold was not quite as vicious as earlier in the week but nevertheless still biting. I could keep the beer bottle standing up for the photo which was already a plus. The cafe was open but overcrowded so I browsed the gift shop briefly and started my descent.

The view above Llyn Glaslyn gives a great look at where the two tracks meet. The Miner’s Track heads down to the lake.

From Llyn Llydaw, the hike is easy-going. The further you got away from Yr Wyddfa, the more the clouds were starting to break up giving some patches of sunshine.

Final Words

As I reached my car knowing that the hiking Gods had turned me away for a third time, I undoubtedly had greater clarity that the ancient protector of the Welsh people was not going to dissolve away simply because the Normans or English aren’t raiding their villages. This is the bargain all hikers must enter into, without negotiation. Yet, this is also the lure, and why I am already planning to go back. These are the lands where Arthur & Merlin roamed and where Vortigern’s great fortress once stood. I have barely scratched the surface. With one day left, I decided to take in some scenery in a more relaxing way. One of the great characters of this land is not of Arthurian legend or linked to Welsh rebellion but leftover from its mining heritage; The steam train.

1. Rambles in North Wales by Roger A. Redfern (1968) ↩︎
2. In Search of Wales by H.V. Morton (1932) ↩︎