Shark Buttress – a tricky but awesome grade 3 scramble in Snowdonia (Eryri)
- lottieinthewild
- Aug 28, 2025
- 4 min read
With 2 definite sections that class more as climbing than scrambling, this bold route is sure to get the blood pumping! One of the big three routes up to Glyder Fach, you should strongly consider taking a rope and gear to pitch this one, though many have soloed it! It’s a great day out, has a bit of everything and the rock is pretty solid – if you’ve got a good head for heights, this is one for you!
Disclaimer: This is a grade 3 scramble, so at the very least a helmet is recommended. It really depends on how comfortable with soloing you are, but a rope and gear should be taken as a precaution. I’m not a mountain leader, and this is all my personal opinion.
Contents
Difficulty: difficult (for a scramble, if you’re a climber, easy-moderate)
Distance: 6miles / 10km
Duration: 6hrs+
Highest point: Glyder Fach 3261ft / 994m
Total elevation gain: 2230ft / 680m
Start/finish: Ogwen Cottage (///adjusted.envisaged.crops)
Note: As scrambles go, we thought sections of this were difficult and had real elements of climbing rather than just scrambling. If you’re a climber and you have the gear and the knowledge, it’s not difficult, but if you’re a hiker or scrambler looking to up your game into grade 3’s I would approach this with caution.
When to hike
On a good day after a dry spell. You don’t want to be hitting this after periods of rain. There are several grassy ledges which are slippery even on a dry day! This face doesn’t get sun until the afternoon so it’s great on a hot day but means the morning dew stays around a lot longer.
How long does it take
It’s quite a long day, 6hrs+. The approach to Llyn Bochlwyd is a fair tab in then getting to the actual start of the route is a bit of a climb from there. The descent off the Glyders via the scree next to Bristly Ridge is steep and slow going.
Where to start and finish
Start at Ogwen Cottage (what3words adjusted.envisaged.crops). Park in any of the layby’s along the A5 in Ogwen Valley. Getting close to the Ogwen Cottage end would be ideal, but not always possible due to the popularity of the valley! Closest layby what3words: mural.snored.torch
Route description
Start at Ogwen Cottage and take the main path to Llyn Idwal. Not long after the bridge, take the left hand path which branches off on a sweeping corner towards Tryfan. Follow the path, climbing steeply at the end on stairs to gain Llyn Bochlwyd.
From Bochlwyd, head to the main face of Glyder Fach towards a large triangular rock, known as The Alphabet Slab. Climb up the left of this, then work your way right until you reach a large grassy ledge. You’ll go past a drop to your right, over some rocks and then downclimb a metre or so on some scree with East Gully Scramble to your left. The grassy ledge is just in front of you. From the base of the climb, look up to see the main buttress.
Head up to a small ledge at the base of the left arete of the main buttress. Work up and traverse right until you reach a good gap between a large flake and a steep looking slab. It’s like a little pocket between rocks. Head up the tricky slab to some easy grassy ledges which leads you to the right arete of the main buttress.
Climb up the gully corner on the right side of the buttress and awkwardly make your way on top of it. There are good holds right in the back corner but it’s reachy and difficult to gain the ledge. Here you’ll see a large spike in a groove – climb this before making a bold step left onto a good ledge. It’s a bit of a ‘leap of faith’ move but there are solid hand holds if you can find them.
From here move easily up to the large spikes which make up the shark jaw pinnacles. You can either clamber over these are just walk to the right behind them.
Work your way left and up here in a grassy gully, until you can find any way to gain the rocks to the right which lead you back on top of the buttress. We found this the trickiest section as the rocks were wet and very overgrown. There’s a tiny grass ledge with an obvious rocky corner which we climbed but I don’t really recommend. The route is just to gain the rock face (image below) any which way you can – basically do whatever’s easiest for you at this point!
After regaining the buttress, move up some blocky steps to gain a huge grassy terrace. Go really far left, past some quartzy rock and find a faint path that leads easily up the left hand side. You can climb the tricky quartz directly if you prefer.
Above you is a large perched rock pinnacle, gain this kind of under it but to the left then continue left on a good path to a ridgeline which meets the rocky hillside. Continue up the hillside now which is more a less a walk and tops out just below the summit of Glyder Fach.
Descend via the scree slopes next to Bristly Ridge, taking the stile at the bottom of Tryfan back to Llyn Bochlwyd. Retrace your original route back to Ogwen Cottage.
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