The Nantlle ridge is one of Snowdonia’s real hidden gems. Unbelievably, it is hardly known by most who travel to North Wales.

The seven mile long ridge offers some dramatic scenery. There are several tasty non-technical scrambles along the way. The best part is that you will probably have it to yourself!

The scrambling on this hike isn’t technical. The exposed elements of the ridges can be avoided. It’s also a perfect hike for those wanting an introduction into ridge walking.

• Distance: approx 7 miles
• Average Hike Duration: 4-7 hours
• Elevation Gain: 930 m
• Hike Difficulty: Moderate/Hard  
• Hike type: Linear Route
• Start Point: Rhyd Ddu
• Finish point: Nebo
• Technicality – Some minor scrambling and exposed ridge walking

If you have two cars, it is by far the best way to tackle the logistics. We hiked one way from east to west. We started from Rhyd Ddu. First, leave a car at the end point in Nebo.

We parked in a small grassy area next to Llyn Cwm Dulyn. From here, you must drive back 10 miles east in the other car. The drive takes around 25 minutes to reach Rhyd Ddu.

Rhyd Ddu to Y Garn

We parked just uphill from the crowded the station car park at a convenient spot then headed west on a well-made path. After that, we started ascending the rugged east ridge of Y Garn.

This section of the route is a hard sweaty slog uphill with a mixture of grass and stones underfoot.

There is no scrambling on this first section. The summit is soon gained at 633 m above sea level.

Y Garn to Mynydd Drws-y-Coed

From the summit of Y Garn, take the route south. Follow this path for around 1 km. The next summit is Mynydd Drws-y-Coed.

The left hand side of this ridge is exciting and also very steep in places. Spots along the way if you loiter offer some delightful and airy views down the valley.

There is some grade 1 scrambling over occasionally messy rocks around this section (very slippery when wet). The path through the jumbled rocks is also quite feint and can be hard to follow if in poor visibility.

Mynydd-Drws-y-Coed to Trum y Ddysgl

From Mynydd Drws-y-Coed, the path descends and veers off to the right in a westerly direction. Then the route rises steeply up to the second-highest summit on the Nantlle Ridge – Trum y Ddysgl.

The path here gets slightly steeper but is mainly on dirt and is well-trodden enough to be visible.

Trum y Ddysgl to Mynydd Tal y Mignedd

The next section of the Nantlle Ridge runs from the summit of Trum y Ddysgl. It takes you on another well-trodden path up to The Obelisk on the summit of Mynydd Tal y Mignedd.

The path along this section is clearly visible and causes no issues with navigation.

From the Obelisk to Craig Cwm Silyn

From the Obelisk, we headed south on a grassy ridge for around 400 m. Then, we went down a steeper path to the double col at Bwlch Dros Bern.

The path is quite steep here and care does need to be taken especially if it is raining as it would be slippy.

The route up to Craig Cwm Silyn is then laid out in front of you. The area just to the left of the ridge is quite exciting and provides scrambling at an easy grade 1.

Further towards the right, the path avoids much of this. Take this path if you are not quite feeling it or questioning your wisdom at this point.

Craig Cwm Silyn to Garnedd Goch

From Craig Cwm Silyn, we followed a broad grassy ridge. It was featureless and boring by comparison the the route so far. This led us onto the final summit of Garnedd Goch.

This section of the route is pretty featureless. On a bad day, it could cause some navigational issues. However, on a bright pleasant day like we had, it was just joyous hill-walking at its best.

At this point, we debated whether to tag on Mynydd Graig Goch. We decided for argument’s sake that it was not really part of the main ridge. It could be considered as stand alone.

As fatigue had started to dig in this meant that we could now happily call it a day. We began our descent towards the Llyn and the parked car.

Some Final Thoughts on The Nantlle Ridge

The views on this the quieter side of Snowdonia are stunning. Getting away from the crowds is always a bonus. There is hardly anyone on these hills just a stone’s throw from Snowdon.

As a hiking route, we both rated The Nantlle Ridge very highly. There are a few sections of easy grade 1 scrambling to be aware of. It has everything you could want on a day out in the hills.

You also get a bit of added spice from the scrambling if you want it. The only drawback is the logistics.

However, if you can get around that, this is a solid and highly recommended day outdoors. JUST DON’T TELL ANYONE ELSE!

Accomodation – Bwythyn Bach

There are lots of options of where to stay in Snowdonia but we opted for this small detached bunkhouse. It sits just up the road from the start of the route at The Cwellyn Arms Campsite.

With 2 bunk beds it is ideal for 2 persons. It has a shower and toilet, a small baby belling cooker with hob and oven/grill, for basic cooking requirements, small fridge, kettle, toaster and sink.

It also has a wood burning stove. It is basic to say the least, but in my opinion that just adds to the adventure of the trip to the Welsh Mountains should you decide to tackle The Nantlle Ridge!