Cambria Sports Culture CIC Cymraeg

All walksEryri: Yr Wyddfa and Llanberis

Eryri: Yr Wyddfa and Llanberis

Nant Peris and the Old Pass Road

Quieter way into the Llanberis Pass, following the old road and field paths below the crags where climbing in Britain largely began.

Distance
4.3 mi / 7 km
Time
3 hr
Ascent
400 m
Difficulty
Demanding
Shape
There and back

Where it is

The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.

The route

From the village, take the path on the northern side of the valley heading south-east into the pass, below Dinas Cromlech and the other crags. Back the same way or drop to the road.

Worth knowing

  • Nant Peris has a park and ride for Pen-y-Pass, which solves the parking problem entirely.
  • The crags above are among the most historically important in British climbing. Cenotaph Corner on Dinas Cromlech is the obvious right-angled corner.
  • The valley floor is wet ground. Boots rather than trainers.

What you’ll see

The pass narrowing ahead, Dinas Cromlech, and climbers on the crags most weekends.

Background

The Llanberis Pass was the cradle of hard rock climbing in Britain through the 1950s and 60s, with routes here setting the standard for a generation.