I’m off to Snowdonia with the mrs tonight for a couple days.

I’d like to do Snowdon one of the days but it will be on her limit fitness wise and I think crowds will make it a bit more stressful than enjoyable. Plus there are loads of big hills round there, so why add to the crowding problem

Anyway, I’ve looked about on maps and google and found a couple interesting looking spots but can anyone recommend a nice but less busy walk/peak/area in Snowdonia? Just want a peaceful walk up a big hill, if there was something similar elevation but less gradient that would be ideal

Any help appreciated! Don’t expect anyone to put any top secret locations up on here but there must some known but manageable spots out there

(Obviously the bike has been slid into the van, might disappear for an early morning ride to check out some rumoured trails just up from Bangor)

Y Lliwedd?

cnicht?

it’s just behind my FiL’s house and i keep meaning to do it but never quite made it up there. Going up in a couple of weeks so will try to tick it off.

Moel Siabob, Cnicht, any of the summits along the Nantlle ridge

Are you staying in Betws y Coed?
If so, there’s a nice walk up to the reservoir, starts at the back of the church near the Stables.
It’s within woodland, but opens up to great views once you get to the top. We do it quite regularly when hung over and fancy an easier walk. It’s steep at the start but eases out as you go a bit higher. Nice and flat at the top with a really nice walk around the reservoir.
In fact I’m there myself this weekend. Road riding and walking.

Takes me back to school days, around ’88 I went on a school organised holiday to Loggerheads adventure centre, we did a multi hill overnight hike including Cnict the following morning.

Model Siabod is a nice one, great views from the top.

FWIW, with the crowds, I wouldn’t go near Snowdon in the summer.

There’s very nice hills, arguably some better ones, within a few miles of there, and you won’t see many other folk.

The Rhinogs are good if you’re looking to get away from the masses. If you do the Roman steps there are a few different options when you get up there. Can be pretty challenging on some of the lesser walked trails (more like where’s the trail gone!?) but really peaceful and untrodden.

Up to the view of Crafnant from Capel Curig also a shout. An easy up and down, approx. 3hrs inc’ a lengthy break at the top.

All the above are good suggestions but Lliwedd is pretty much acessed via the Miners track up to Snowdon so it might be a bit busy especially as it is part of the Snowdon Horseshoe.

The Carneddau are quieter than the other groups, especially if approached from the Conwy Valley side. Further south you will pretty much be certain to have the Aran Benllyn, Aran Fawddwy, Rhobell Big, Rhobell Fawr etc and Arenig Fawr etc totally to yourselves.

cnicht?

I was gonna suggest this…spent weeks mapping it for my degree 😂

Cnicht and then the Moelwyns make for a great day out. Take a couple of decent torches and you can poke around into some of the slate quaries too- but be careful, some of them are full of hanging death!

I second Moel Siabod.

Also the Moelwyns are really nice, great hills with nice views.

Moel Hebog, including it’s smaller two summits are really nice as well.

Ooo…and Y Aran as well

Lots of good memories from the Paddy Buckley

Lots of good memories from the Paddy Buckley

But not Bwlch y Ddwy Elor?

A couple of outliers of the Carneddau: Pen Llithrig y Wrach and Pen yr Helgi Du, easy to do together if your partner has the energy.

Y Garn, from Ogwen area….although probably wont be much quieter than Snowdon!

carnedd Llewellyn Horseshoe is on the opposite side of the road and will be quieter, but is a fair bit harder than a walk up Snowdon.

Moel Siabod is a good shout. Get anywhere early to park though, we went last summer and abandoned as it was utter carnage, apparently it’s even worse this year!

A couple of other options, one of which @Ambrose might be hinting at up ^ there earlier in his first post

1) Circuit of Cwm Caseg from the west – up onto Carnedd Llewellyn via Foel Ganol and Yr Elen, and then anticlockwise over Foel Grach, Garnedd Uchaf & Drosgl before dropping back into the eastern outskirts of Bethesda. That would neatly bag you 4 of the Welsh 3000s in a relatively easy high-level walk. It wouldn’t be hard to do the out-and-back to Foel Fras for a 5th summit.
2) Some or all of the hills to the north(ish) side of Y Garn… Elidir Fawr, Foel Goch, Mynydd Perfedd, Carnedd Y Filiast could be done from Deiniolen and the Marchlyn Mawr Reservoir road quite easily.

I was going to suggest cnicht too. Lovely place to go for a wander, feels wild too.

If the weather’s shit head to the top of the Lleyn, specifically Yr Eifl and it’s Iron Age hill fort neighbour, as they usually have better weather than the main peaks. Then walk or drive down the nutty road to Nant Gwytheyrn to the cafe and walk along the deserted stony beach for a mile. You could combine the whole lot into a single circular in which you’ll be going from sea level to 564m. I’m here right now and it’s ace with none of the madness of Llanberis and Betws.

https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/52.968432779005724,-4.453238589142586,12/pin

Yr Eifl is the big one at the back

If you do still fancy Snowdon, getting the train some/all of the way up/down is another option.

Thanks so much! We’ve got a day dossing about Conwy tomorrow so as the weather is likely to be terrible I’ll research all of those properly tomorrow. Carnedd Llewelyn looks like a favourite though so far, pretty close to those trails I’ve heard of as well..

We walked the Rhydd Dhu (SP?) route up Snowdon with the kids (10 and 11) in June. It was dead quiet, when we got to the top it was like a zoo and a 45 min queue for a summit selfie! We didn’t hang about for that nonsense!
It is a little exposed in places and probably more prone to bad weather but never difficult or too steep.
We came down the Ranger path and it was also dead quiet, and has a nice boozer and a possible dip in a lake at the bottom. A great day out.

Up Cerigiau Gleision from Llyn crafnant was lovely. We saw almost noone all day! Absolutely stunning views.

North Wales path is a nice trail. Can get the train back to your car depending on where you start.

Views are amazing. Will probably go riding there at the weekend.

Moel Siabod is excellent approached from the South side (the normal route on the North is a grind). Start at Post Cyfyng near Capel Curig and take an easy track up to the disused quarry. Continue past Llyn y Foel and onto the SE ridge (not exposed) to reach the summit. Down my the normal North route and back through the woods to your starting point.

Good beer in the Tyn-y-Coed where I also once had a sublime steak.

Llywedd is a good shout approached via the Watkin path from Bethania. It’s up and down the same way but a nice walk.

A favourite circuit of mine (which I generally save for the winter) is start at Talywaen above Deiniolen then up Carnedd y Filiast, Mynydd Perfedd (great views down the Ogwen Valley) and Elidir Fawr.

For something a little simpler and the opportunity to check out some biking routes, take the road from Rowen to the car park west of Car Coch and climb Drum and beyond.

In the end we started at Llyn Ogwen, went up past the small lake and over the wall by Tryfan then upwards into the clouds over Castell Goch and to Glyder Fawg. At that point we intended to continue over to Glyder Fach and down the Devil’s Kitchen but the low visibility and fairly gnarly terrain and lack of actual track meant we made the wise choice to turn back

In fairness it was a bit too much for the mrs and I shouldn’t have taken her up that far but I knew the weather wasn’t going to deteriorate and we hadn’t climbed anything she couldn’t get back down. I’d also taken a tonne of food and water to try weigh myself down so we were pretty covered. Luckily she has blind faith in me in these situations so I made sure to stay calm and as a result she was fine

Anyway, all in all a great day out, she went way beyond her comfort zone and is now well chuffed with herself!

I’ll be back solo though to get that route completed, with a scramble up Tyfan on the way up

Thread bookmarked, we’ll start ticking off the suggestions now!

Sounds like a positive day 👍

Tryfan is a fun scramble. I tried to fail my ML Assessment up there….

Tryfan, Glyders and Devils Kitchen so in winter was my first ever go at scrambling. All went well until it turned into a white out. Couple of blokes from my hometown of Stoke rescued me in their Discovery after I walked down the wrong side of the mountain and ended up at Pen y Pass!!! They spent the whole drive back to Ogwen joking about murdering me 😂

some good suggestions above, i’d add Moel Eilio into that for a decent but relatively gentle walk, you also get the pleasure of sitting on the top in relative clam and being able to see the ques on the top on snowdon

the glyders are great (especially if you add in Tryfan), but if snowdon is pushing the limits they possibley not be one for your wife. the Carneddau will deff be quieter, but can be more challenging navigation dependent on weather. i’d give the Rhinoggs a miss (much of it isn’t that pleasant walking) and head to cader if you going to head down that way

Cnicht is a really good shout (look very impressive but in reality is a very pleasant walk, especially the decent through the old works) as is moel siabod

i’d give Snowdon a very wide birth for llanberis, pyg or miners track unless starting early or late