Pen y Gwryd to Pen y Pass

This is a purpose-made connector between the parking near Pen y Gwryd and Pen y Pass car park, graded There and back again at 2 km (1.25 miles) in total, not one way, with an official duration of about 1 hour. It was created to give walkers an off-road alternative to the roadside walk along the A4086.

From the car, walk along the right-hand side of the road in the direction of Nant Gwynant, then go through a wooden kissing gate and bear right. Cross a wooden bridge, then follow the path signed toward Pen y Pass as it works around the hillside over rough, stepped ground. Keep right at a small junction, following the Pen y Pass sign, and finish through a second kissing gate at the car park.

At that end you meet the main mountain routes: left for the Miners' Track, right through the car park for the Pyg Track. Both are far longer summit walks and are in no sense extensions of this short path.

The grading is Hard / Strenuous despite the short distance, and that is about terrain rather than length. Expect steep hills, rough country and possible short scrambling sections. Ground underfoot is uneven and the mapped profile rises and falls repeatedly between roughly 270 m and 385 m rather than climbing steadily.

• Navigation skills are essential, as is full hill-walking gear.
• Specialist winter equipment may be needed in cold conditions.
• Sturdy boots matter more here than on a road walk of the same length.

Start from the designated lay-by near Pen y Gwryd, off the A498 (grid reference SH659556). The path ends at Pen y Pass car park, off the A4086 (grid reference SH647557). Because the two ends are different places, either walk back the way you came to return to your vehicle, or plan a second car or a lift if you only want to travel one way.

Dogs are allowed on public footpaths and open-access land. Keep them under close control, use a short lead near livestock or wildlife, and on open-access land use a lead no longer than 2 m from 1 March to 31 July.

The walk sits in the mountain pass between the Glyderau and the Snowdon massif, with open hillside, rocky ground and long views up and down the valley. It does not reach a summit. Its value is as a safe, useful link between two access points, or as a compact rough walk for anyone who wants steep hill ground without a full mountain day.