Cave gully route (GL16)
A route that is every bit as diabolical in descent.
The damp ferny cave that gives the mountain its name is clearly visible from the road about two thirds of the way up, and slightly L of, the prominent gully that rends its N face. The foot of the gully is best reached along the old road from the farm of Gwern Gof Isaf at 685600. Thereafter all you have to look forward to is a brute of a struggle up a treadmill of unstable scree and sparse grey grass. Rampant heather takes over as soon as the angle abates, but by then the damage is done with frayed tempers and dusty, aching limbs.
The Capel Curig route (GL17)
A stile by the side of Joe Brown’s mountain wear shop at Capel Curig signals the start of the old road to Ogwen. Follow it for about 5–10min, past the farmhouse, then break away L up the rock-studded hillside to the crest of the ridge. The route used to be waymarked in red but the signs have long since disappeared and the simplest course nowadays is to follow your nose, dodging cliffs and bog as best you can. Once atop the ridge a path permits a relaxing walk with plenty of opportunity to enjoy the views.
Y Garn
Y Garn means ‘cairn’ or simply ‘pile’ (of stones); not a very evocative name for a member of the famous 3000ft club. Yet it is a grand peak, proud and aloof, as witnessed by its domination of Ogwen. To see it at its best you must first climb Tryfan. Only then can you appreciate its magnificent architecture and admire the two sturdy arms in the bosom of which nestle the twin lakelets of Llyn Clyd. Little more than a mile from the road, yet unsuspected, their secluded hollow is a haven of tranquillity where the hills enclose you in mighty splendour – a perfect spot for a sunny day.
The more S of the two NE-facing ridges is just on the wrong side of the exposure scale for mere scramblers. The other atones by offering two variants. Combining these gives a fine excursion for a short day. There is also a pleasant route beside the Afon Las from Nant Peris. Otherwise the grassy S and W slopes are monotonous.
Once Y Garn’s scalp is in your bag it is a simple matter to capture Foel Goch too, a much less popular top. A gritty path leads down to a minor col overlooking Cwm Cywion, passing on the way the cairn which marks where GL18 comes in. Before long a grooved path takes over to bring you to a stile. The main path trends L here en route to Bwlch y Brecan. For Foel Goch you must follow, instead, a little-used track beside a fence that forges straight ahead, N.
As far as views go, of all the riches on display none compares with the noble line that extends from Snowdon to the scarps of Moel Eilio, with Mynydd Mawr, the Nantlle ridge, the Rivals, Anglesey and the sea all peeping over. Beyond Ogwen the broken face of Pen yr Ole Wen leads the eye to Carnedd Dafydd, Carnedd Llewelyn, Yr Elen, the lonely tor country of Gyrn Wigau and the smooth slopes of Pen Llithwrig y wrach. Finally there is a wonderful vista of the Glyders from Carnedd y Filiast to Tryfan. This is also a good place to appraise the complex lie of land supporting those three great ridges – Bristly, Gribin and Seniors. A keen eye can even discern the trace of the exquisite little path that curls round the foot of Y Gribin en route to Cwm Cneifion and Seniors Ridge.
NE ridge N (GL18)
From Ogwen take the well-used path to Llyn Idwal. Follow the N shoreline until you can cut across slightly N of W to the foot of the ridge at 638600 and a wide, badly eroded track. This climbs steeply to a little plateau where an untidy, rambling cairn marks the junction with the main ridge just below the top. This is an airy rewarding route, with steep drops either side demanding care in snow and outstanding views of Cwm Clyd and Cwm Cywion.
Y Garn
Fisherman’s Path (GL19)
The approach is similar to GL18 except that this time you aim for the stony path above the true R bank of the stream that comes cascading down from unseen Llyn Clyd like a silver thread. However, the two routes could scarcely be more different in character. Where the ridge is breezy and open, this is intimate and secluded with no inkling until the very end of the hanging cwm and its twin delights – Llyn Clyd, where you can laze in the sun on heather-clad slabs, and its reedy acolyte nearby. Continuing N from the tarns gives you the NE ridge to finish as in GL18.
Devil’s Kitchen/Cwm Las routes (GL20/21)
Take either GL8 or GL12 to Llyn y Cwn. Thereafter a massively wide path plods inexorably up the dull, stony slope to the edge at 634594 where the monotony is relieved for the final 400ft by views of Llyn Idwal and beyond. It is much better, however, to avoid the path altogether and hug the edge right from the start. (For the record GL20 is via the Devil’s Kitchen, GL21 via Cwm Las.)
Pen yr Ole Wen and the Carneddau from Y Garn (GL 18)
Foel Goch
The best of Foel Goch (Red Hill) is on its E side. Like Y Garn, dull grassy slopes make W approaches monotonous and many walkers avoid the hill altogether, a decision encouraged by the main ridge path which bypasses Foel Goch to the W. A far cry from the plunging arête that captivates the skyline ahead as you approach Ogwen from Capel Curig! The arête is Yr Esgair, the NW arm of Foel Goch and potentially one of the great ridge walks. Regretfully it is not to be. It starts attractively on grass that soon narrows to a fine scrambling edge. However, beyond a conspicuous notch where the angle really takes off, splintered flaky rock and crumbly turf banks, coupled with severe exposure immediately above the notch, render it out of bounds to mere scramblers.
The best route on Foel Goch is over the Creigiau Gleision/Mushroom Garden edge, and if this is combined with Cwm Cywion or another of the Glyders’ NE cwms you are guaranteed a day full of fresh, dramatic scenery, well off the beaten track. The untidy pile of browny-red stones forming the summit cairn sits astride an airy promontory with calamitous drops into Cwm Bual and Cwm Coch. The fence that crosses the top leads sedately down to the ridge path, halfway to Y Garn.
Cwm Gafr route (GL22)
I include this route purely out of duty. It is easy and it gets you to the top safely, even in mist, but it is also deadly dull.
Start from Nant Peris at 608583 behind a cluster of houses set in an alcove. A lane leads to a group of white buildings before trending R up the hillside past a white cottage. Thereon the track plods above, but parallel to, the Afon Gafr for 2 miles of the bleakest, most featureless grassland you will find in many a long day. Even the gradient barely alters. After an eternity you meet a fence near the edge overlooking Nant Ffrancon that leads directly to the cairn.
Esgair y Ceunant route (GL23)
More worthwhile than GL22, because it is higher with better views.
Start with Cwm Gafr but pull up to the narrow finger of Esgair y Ceunant as soon as practical. Then, at about 620604, bear L onto a little-used path that slants across to Bwlch y Brecan. From here follow the ridge path to the foot of Foel Goch’s shattered NW face where a steep zigzag up shaly screes leads to the top.