The Nantlle Ridge – a guide to hiking Snowdonia’s epic ridgeline
- lottieinthewild
- Nov 5, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 8
The Nantlle Ridge is a spectacular linear hike (you can make it circular!) in Eryri. If you’ve ever been up Yr Wyddfa and looked towards the sea you might’ve seen a pretty distinctive ridgeline with several high summits, well that’s it!
It’s quite renowned in the hiking world as a ‘classic’ and a great mountain day, but it’s not to be underestimated. There are several scrambling sections, some exposed drops and the rock can feel quite greasy when wet.
The scrambling isn’t classed as technical and there are alternative routes to avoid the exposed edges, so if you’re looking to step-up your hiking game, this could be the one for you! However, one slip in the wrong place and it could end in a serious injury. This is absolutely not to put you off, but just to make you aware and be realistic about the terrain!
Ok ok, let’s get into it 👇🏻
Contents
The stats
Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult
Distance: 7 miles / 11km
Duration: 4-7 hours
Highest point: Craig Cwm Silyn 734m
Total elevation gain: 3239ft / 987m
Start: Rhyd Ddu
Finish: Llyn Cwm Dulyn car park, Nebo
When to hike
Given how mixed our seasons are these days, it can be done all year round, but like most hikes, it’s best done in clear dry weather but you can’t always guarantee it’ll stay that way. We went on what was supposed to be a sunny autumn day, summited the first mountain and immediately went into the clouds. It added that real moody aspect but I would’ve killed for a better view of the ridge!
The route is fairly obvious in most parts, but you’ll need to be extra careful if low clouds roll in. The route is rockier and more exposed on the Rhyd Ddu side making it more dangerous in poor visibility and flatter and more open on the Nebo side making route finding more difficult, but there are cairns along the way!
How long does it take
It’s a good mountain day and expect to be out anywhere between 4 and 7 hours depending on your pace, your fitness and how many snack and photo breaks you want! It’s a beautiful ridge so don’t rush it. Take in the scenery and enjoy the peace!
Where to start and finish
First off, this is best hiked as a linear route and you’ll need to leave a car at each end, so buddy up! It can be done as a circular route but this will significantly increase the distance.
It can be hiked both east-west or west-east, it’s really your call. I hiked it east-west starting in Rhyd Ddu and ending in Nebo and found it made the most sense as you were going up the scrambling parts rather than coming down them, but it really doesn’t make too much difference!
So, meet your hiking buddies at either end, leave a car and then drive together to the other end and hike your way back. Simple!
Parking in Rhyd Ddu
There’s a car park in the village and a free layby on the B4418 at the trailhead. Try the layby first and head to the car park if its full! The car park also serves Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) so can get busy at times.
Rhyd Ddu car park: LL54 6TL
Rhyd Ddu layby: what3words: ///cargo.utter.bookshelf
Google maps link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/kwvyb4q1AeispEy78
Parking in Nebo
A small free car park can be found near Llyn Cwm Dulyn down a narrow bumpy lane just outside of the village, it has space for about 6 cars.
what3words: ///padding.inventors.lived
The route
Starting at the village end of the layby, go through the gate and take the right hand path towards the base of Y Garn. It’s not long before climb starts and be prepared, it’s a hard one! The path is good and obvious and it winds all the way to the top of Y Garn (633m) where you join the ridgeline that heads up to Mynydd Drws-y-coed.
Cross the wall and turn left (south) and follow the path until it starts to get steeper. Here you’ll have the option to take the scramble route or move a little to your left away from the edge and take a slightly less exposed route. Keep going up until you reach the top of Mynydd Drws-y-coed (695m) and head right back down the other side.
After the path levels out in the col, it’ll split where you branch off to the right and take in the summit of Trum y Ddysgl (709m). If you like, you can avoid this summit by carrying straight ahead where the two paths will eventually meet again at around 690m.
Carry straight ahead and cross the saddle between Trum y Ddysgl and Mynydd Tal-y-mignedd where you’ll be greeted with a large obelisk. This is a perfect snack break before the inevitable steep climb down and huge loss in elevation, only to climb right back up again to summit Craig Cwm Silyn. It’s a lot, it’s sad and it’s unavoidable.
Once you drop down and head towards the ascent of Craig Cwm Silyn, you’re met with what looks like a solid wall of rock. This apparently is a scramble route, but the path does have a right hand fork in it which if you take, will lead you to a lovely well worn albeit rocky path. Follow this all the way to the summit which is marked by a shelter (and sometimes long-distance radio fanatics! - true story)
Head straight across the rocky summit (kinda has the Glyder vibes) where you’ll cross a stile in a wall. Follow the wall running directly away from you for a fair distance until the path bends slightly to the right up to the final summit and trig point of Garnedd Goch (700m). You’ll cross another wall just before the summit.
The path continues quite steeply alongside the wall until it meets another path at a T-junction. Take the right hand path and follow it towards Llyn Cwm Dulyn. You should see the car park in the distance just after the end of the reservoir. You’ll follow the path until you reach a wall, where you cross another stile and then a bridge to your left. Follow a good gravel track to the car park and you’re done!
GPX route download
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