Parking
Start at Rhyd Ddu Station Car Park off the A4085, grid reference SH 571 526. Join the signed Rhyd Ddu Path from the station-side access and return to the same car park.
Overview
About Rhyd Ddu Path
Why go
- A long ridge approach to the summit
- Open views across Cwm Clogwyn
Heads up
- Exposed Bwlch Main must be crossed again on descent
- Steep rocky climbing demands a full mountain day
Map & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Eryri Tour Guide
Your drive to Rhyd Ddu Path, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Eryri National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Rhyd Ddu Path to Yr Wyddfa0:00 / 0:28
“Rhyd Ddu is coming up, the start of a demanding route to Yr Wyddfa's summit. The first mile follows an old slate quarry track, but the path soon climbs steeply onto rocky ridges.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Eryri Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Visitor That Fell on Beddgelert
- The Ice Age Fish of Llyn Cwellyn
- Snowdon Ranger and Llyn Cwellyn
- The Railway Built Twice
- 298 audio storiesacross Eryri’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grey Heron, Tawny Owl, Common Raven, and 9 more
- Works offlinemaps, 120 trails, 82 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Rhyd Ddu Path
The route in shortAn out-and-back climb to the summit of Yr Wyddfa from Rhyd Ddu, 12 km (about 7.
An out-and-back climb to the summit of Yr Wyddfa from Rhyd Ddu, 12 km (about 7.5 miles) return, with 6 hours a realistic allowance. It is graded hard and strenuous, and it suits walkers with hill experience, good fitness and solid navigation skills.
Start and finishBegin and end at Rhyd Ddu Station Car Park, off the A4085 (grid reference SH 571 526).
Begin and end at Rhyd Ddu Station Car Park, off the A4085 (grid reference SH 571 526).
How the climb unfoldsThe first mile is the gentlest part, rising gradually on the old slate quarry track towards…
The first mile is the gentlest part, rising gradually on the old slate quarry track towards Bwlch Cwm Llan. After that the path steepens noticeably over rocky ground as it works up to the Llechog ridge, then follows the crest towards Bwlch Main before the final pull to the summit.
The ridge, and what it asks of youBwlch Main is a narrow rocky ridge with steep slopes falling away on either side.
Bwlch Main is a narrow rocky ridge with steep slopes falling away on either side. It is exposed, so it is not a good choice if you are uneasy with heights. Because this is a there-and-back walk, you cross the same ridge again on the way down, with tired legs.
SceneryThe route stays high and open once the quarry track is behind you: broad hillsides, the long…
The route stays high and open once the quarry track is behind you: broad hillsides, the long line of the Llechog ridge, and Cwm Clogwyn dropping away below the upper section, with the summit in view ahead as you gain the crest.
Come preparedFull hillwalking gear is essential, as are navigation skills for the open upper mountain.
Full hillwalking gear is essential, as are navigation skills for the open upper mountain. In winter conditions the route can call for specialist equipment and the experience to use it.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Eryri
77 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
17 sightingsTawny OwlMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
32 sightingsCommon RavenMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
21 sightingsGreat Spotted WoodpeckerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
18 sightingsEuropean RabbitMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
161 sightingsViviparous LizardMost seen around 10 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Eryri. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
