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  • Snowdon question with a difference
  • DavidM
    Free Member

    Ok, so say you were to head down the Rhyd Ddu bridleway (consensus seems to be that is worth doing no?), is it worth crossing the road and heading up Beddgelert forest fireroads to try and get to the Prince of Wales mine? It looks like you can fireroad most of the way up, then a bit of pathlessness to get over to the mine, then a decent looking bridleway back towards the bottom of the ranger path? Has anyone done it and fancy sharing?

    JImmAwelon
    Free Member

    Yes Rhyd Ddu is worth doing as is your bit in the forest but be careful if you venture up and over to the mine – there is a great looking incline descent but it contains a mahusive gap jump that you will not clear.

    Go up the forestry tracks past Llyn Llewellyn almost to the top but not necessarily into the mine and then bear right down the bridlepath back to Rhyd Ddu, it is however a short spin up the road to get to the Snowdon Ranger Path. The forestry tracks on the map as always bare little resemblance to what you find on the ground but it’s quite straightforward, they have logged the top section in the last few years so it is hard to miss.
    The route is documented in the Pete Bursnall North Wales guide as part of his Cwm Llan ride (The Cwm Llan bit is on the Snowdon side).

    excitable1
    Free Member

    I did the Rhyd Ddu descent at the beginning of October. When the rest of the country was enjoying a freak heat wave Snowdon was covered in cloud and the winds were gale force at the top.

    The first part of the descent is not really ridable and neither is the first part of the ridge. In gale force winds with a bike in one hand when you really need two to stop you falling down the sheer drop to your death it’s not much fun.

    After that it’s a big wide open moon scape of a drop where you simply have to pick a line. It then levels out and passes over what I believe are old mine workings, some of it’s ridable but some of the boulders have to be climbed over. Expect some big hits, I knocked the back wheel out of the frame.

    Getting to the bottom the final descent is just a wide firm track to the station.

    My plan that day was to go back up to the top and do the Rangers descent too but the combination of the Rhyd Ddu and climbing the first switch backs of the Rangers up to Maesgwyn was exhausting.

    A better ride 2 weeks later (to get over the feeling of being defeated) was up the Llanberis to the summit then a very quick descent down the Llanberis to the gate at the top of the tarmac, then back up Llanberis to the top of the Rangers, then down the Rangers and finally up over Maesgwyn and back into Llanberis itself. Just under 5hrs and loads of fun.

    Short version: the Rangers and the Lllanberis descents are a lot more ridable and a lot more fun than Rhyd Ddu, and Rhyd Ddu is not advaible in crap weather.

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    tom13
    Free Member

    Lllanberis descent is really good. Worth the climb and in all honesty the climb is really fun too. It’s nice and technical and you can probably ride about 75%. We only got off on the steps and as you go under the railway bridge, the gradient gets very steep.

    Will_B
    Free Member

    Slightly off topic but I’m in the snowdon area just for tomorrow. Weather looks a bit windy/misty, is it worth a go or will i die up there? Cheers.

    Pook
    Full Member

    Will; if it gets too bad, you can always turn back….

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