Pyg Track

A there-and-back mountain walk from Pen-y-Pass to the summit of Yr Wyddfa, returning along the same corridor. The stored line runs about 5.29 km (3.29 miles) one way, and the figure quoted for this record, 11 km (6.8 miles), is the full round trip. Expect roughly 6 hours and 895 m of ascent, from about 362 m at the car park to 1,026 m on top. It is graded hard and strenuous: one of the shorter ways up, and among the most rugged.

From the far end of the car park you pass the helicopter landing site and squeeze through a narrow gap in a stone wall, then work up rough rocky ground to Bwlch y Moch. That col delivers the first real reward, a sudden view down to Llyn Llydaw and its causeway, a reminder of the valley's old copper-mining traffic. The path then contours along the foothills of Crib Goch, merges with the Miners' Track, and joins the Llanberis Path at Bwlch Glas for the final pull to the summit.

This is a route for experienced country walkers with good fitness. The ground is rough and rocky for long stretches, with several steep climbs, loose stony sections, and some scrambling where hands come into play. Descending the same way is often harder on the legs and more prone to slips than the climb, so keep time in hand for the return.

• Navigation skills are essential. Cloud can strip away the landmarks that make the line obvious in clear weather.
• The junctions at the Miners' Track merge and at Bwlch Glas are where people commit to the wrong descent path, so know which corridor you came up.
• Carry full hillwalking gear. In winter conditions, specialist winter equipment may be required, and the route should be treated as a serious undertaking.

The Pyg passes along the foothills of Crib Goch and does not traverse the ridge. Crib Goch itself is a different and extremely dangerous proposition, a knife-edge of roughly 500 m with no escape route once committed, and it belongs to mountaineering rather than walking. If you want the Pyg, stay on the main line above Bwlch y Moch and do not follow the branch climbing onto the ridge.

This is officially classed as a popular route, so plan for other walkers on the narrow and scrambly sections, particularly near Bwlch Glas where three routes converge. If you would rather trade the steep rocky start for a gentler lakeside approach, the Miners' Track from the same car park is a genuinely different experience for its first half before the two meet.

Pen y Pass is the trailhead for both the Pyg and the Miners' Track, and parking is very limited, so plan your arrival in advance. Sherpa'r Wyddfa buses link Pen y Pass with Nant Peris and Llanberis, with onward connections from Caernarfon, Bangor and Betws y Coed, which also makes a one-way finish by a different valley possible.

Dogs are allowed on the public footpaths and open access land here, under close control throughout. A 2 m lead is required on open access land from 1 March to 31 July, and a short lead is advised near livestock or wildlife. Bear in mind the rough rock and scrambling underfoot when judging whether your dog is suited to the ascent and the descent.