Walks in the Carneddau

Maps

OS Landranger 15 Snowdon & surrounding area
OS Explorer Outdoor Leisure 17 Snowdon & Conwy Valley

Peaks

1
mountain
1064m
Carnedd Llewellyn
2
mountain
1044m
Carnedd Dafydd
3
mountain
978m
Pen yr Ole Wen
4
mountain
976m
Foel Grach
5
mountain
962m
Yr Elen
6
mountain
942m
Foel Fras
7
mountain
926m
Carnedd Gwenllian (Carnedd Uchaf)
8
peak
849m
Llwytmor
9
peak
833m
Pen yr Helgi Du
10
peak
807m
Bera Bach
11
peak
799m
Pen Llithrig y Wrach
12
peak
794m
Bera Mawr
13
peak
770m
Drum
14
peak
758m
Drosgl
15
peak
643m
Gyrn Wigau
16
peak
634m
Cerigiau Gleision
17
peak
623m
Pen y Castell
18
peak
610m
Tal y Fan
19
peak
603m
Foel Lwyd
20
minor
580m
Moel Wnion
21
minor
548m
Craig Wen
22
minor
546m
Moel Eilio
23
minor
542m
Gyrn
24
minor
408m
Moel Faban

The Carneddau is the biggest range to be covered by this site. It has 19 peaks over 600m in height, of which 7 are over 914m (3000 ft). These include Carnedd Llewelyn which is the 3rd highest mountain in Snowdonia. There are several access points to the range, varying from the Ogwen Valley on the A5, to Aber Falls, just off the A55 North Coast Road.

There is a half hourly bus service from Bangor and Llandudno to Abergwyngregyn, and a less frequent service from Bethesda to Llyn Ogwen.

The range is quite rugged, with navigation being difficult in cloud (as always, take a map and compass). Care should be taken in these conditions to avoid the steep cliffs of Craig yr Ysfa on Carnedd Llewellyn. One of the steepest routes up Pen yr Ole Wen is straight up from Ogwen Cottage, however this has been omitted from this site since there is a lot of erosion on this route, and the alternative provided is probably more enjoyable for most walkers.

The selection of routes below will cover all of the summits in the Carneddau. Some of these can be shortened substantially, and this has been indicated in the route description. This should mean that there is a route for everyone, and also allows for variations if the weather changes. Each route description includes a rough idea of time, a description of the route, its difficulty and possible variations. There are also photos taken on the walks.

Key: mountainMountain over 914m   peakPeak over 600m   peakPeak under 600m  

The GO Guide to Snowdonia