Cambria Sports Culture CIC Cymraeg

All walksEryri: Yr Wyddfa and Llanberis

Eryri: Yr Wyddfa and Llanberis

The Nantlle Ridge from the west

The far end of the ridge above the slate valley, climbing from a quarry village onto grass and rock with the whole ridge running east.

Distance
5.0 mi / 8 km
Time
3 hr 30
Ascent
500 m
Difficulty
Strenuous
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

Climb from Nantlle onto the western end of the ridge and follow it as far as time allows. return by the outward path; the full ridge is linear.

Worth knowing

  • The Nantlle valley below is one of the great slate landscapes and the tips are enormous.
  • The full ridge from here to Rhyd Ddu is one of the best walks in Wales and needs two cars.
  • Steep grass on the ascent, slippery when wet.

What you’ll see

The Nantlle valley and its quarries, the ridge running east, and the sea beyond Caernarfon.

Background

Nantlle’s quarries produced some of the finest slate in Wales and the valley was reshaped entirely by the tips.