The Glyderau group of mountains is home to many of Snowdonia’s favourite peaks. This is only about 30 minutes away from Llandudno, so you can enjoy the trekking on a day’s trip from your Hotel, or self catering cottage in Llandudno.
The Ogwen Cottage centre is a central hub for the area’s tourism interests. There you will find a spacious car park, a café, restaurant, guest house, and Information centre. This is the perfect base of operations for tackling this spectacular mountain section of Snowdonia.
Tryfan capped in Cloud
The Ogwen Valley lies at the foot of Tryfan, and there rests the beautiful Llyn Ogwen.
Tryfan is a relatively detatched independent peak which is arguably the most famous of all the mountains. It is a rocky scramble to the top, where you will find a long ridge leading to the summit. Here There are the standing stones of Adam and Eve. Brave mountaineers may leap between the stones if they desire to earn the ‘Freedom of Tryfan’.
The Glyderau Mountains are home to many feral goats that are seen leaping over hillsides and mountain passes, natural climbers, these guys have access to pretty much anywhere in the local mountain range; you will find them all over the valley.
The namesake of the range, the mountains of Glyder Fawr (Big) and Glyder Fach (Small) sit behind Tryfan, yet stand a head taller. Glyder Fawr is the tallest mountain in the area, and the 5th largest in Wales. Here many movies have been filmed; making use of the mountain’s striking rock formations and outcrops. The Cantilever Stone is a famous natural landmark, an overhanging slab which is possible to walk onto.
Across the ‘cliff of goats’ you will find another great mountain, Y Garn. One side is a gentle slope, the other is steep and rocky. This means that ascending this particular mountain is popular, as it caters for various abilities and types of climbs.
Cantilever Rock
An example of a particularly challenging route up to the top of this ridge is ‘The Devil’s Kitchen’. This is essentially up a rocky indent which has a stream trickling down it. This means the boulders may be slippy, but is seen as part of the scrambling route’s appeal.
Elider Fawr is the group’s northernmost peak, it is particularly prominent and therefore exhilarating to summit, it is also the sight of many old quarry works which makes for some brilliant sights to behold.
The Glyderau are visited by people from all across the globe, as they are internationally renowned as a place of overwhelming natural beauty.
It’s possible to take your dogs on a circuit of various mountain passes, but ensure you don’t push your canine into doing a scramble which it may be unable to do.
A dog friendly route up Glyder Fawr