The Glyders: the roof of our land

Castell y Gwynt, a stunning spot in the Glyder range

THE WELSH hills, from the miniature Sugar Loaf overlooking Abergavenny to the vast wilderness of mid Wales where the commonly ignored peak of Pumlumon Fawr is found, have held the British adventurer to attention for centuries. From peak baggers who opt for the so-called honeypot summits, to the aficionados who prefer the solitude of the Black Mountain, Wales truly offers some of the best mountaineering in the world – and that’s before we mention the country’s solid rock climbing heritage.

But one of the greatest rewards of all for the adventurous who climb every crease and crack of Snowdonia can be found on the magnificent shark fin of rock that is Tryfan, at the head of the Glyders range. Sandwiched between the elegant yet oversubscribed Snowdon range to the south and the majestic mass of the high Carneddau to the north, resides an altogether different beast within the north Wales National Park.

For the crowds who trudge the gradual five miles up the Tourist Path to ‘claim’ Snowdon, a peer north across the deep Llanberis Pass may justify their choice of mountain, as only grassy nondescript slopes of uninteresting terrain is revealed. However, if the range is approached from Capel Curig, along the A5 towards Bethesda and through the Ogwen valley, a whole new panorama of aggressive rock gradually appears, guarded at its head by Tryfan, a sentinel of stone.

A map of the Glyder range

The Glyders boast five of the 14 (or arguably 15) Welsh 3,000ers including Tryfan (915m), Elidir Fawr (923m), Y Garn (947m), Glyder Fach (994m) and Glyder Fawr (999m), and offer an abundance of outdoor entertainment from walking to serious grade rock climbing.

From the base of Tryfan’s north ridge (its easiest route is still a grade 1 scramble) to the moon-like landscape on the vast Glyder plateau and a return to the Ogwen valley underneath the Idwal Slabs, or via the armchair of Y Garn, you cannot fail to pick an entertaining and challenging undertaking in these hills. Containing many three star classic scrambles, Tryfan can sometimes be busy but on a windless, perfectly clear April afternoon in 2009 I encountered no people making their way up the north ridge, and only a mere two local lads from Bangor on its summit.

On Tryfan’s boulder strewn top stand Adam and Eve, twin rock monoliths that if jumped from one to the other grant the brave soul the freedom of Tryfan. On a clear day – unfortunately rare in Snowdonia – the panorama provided by this isolated peak is magnificent. To the north lie the Carneddau range with bulky Pen yr Ole Wen staring directly back, its steep heather coated flanks tumbling down to the shores of Llyn Ogwen. To the west is the geologically important and perfectly formed U-shaped glacial valley of Nant Ffrancon, along with the remaining peaks in the Glyders range, with Y Garn presiding over Cwm Idwal and its lake, which in turn dominates the cwm below.

The breath taking Cantilever

Glancing south reveals the most striking features of the Glyders range – the aptly named Bristly Ridge, technically simple in scrambling terms but very exposed, and the massive, imposing, north west face of Glyder Fach, which contains many higher end scrambles like Shark Buttress, the Chasm Face and the Dolmen Ridge, which will definitely require rope skills and a knack for route finding, and on to pure rock climbs like Hawks Nest Arête and E graded route Kaya.

Whichever route you choose to get to the summit of Glyder Fach, it provides some of the most striking rock features in the whole of Britain including the Cantilever and the nightmarish form of Castell y Gwynt. From Bwlch y Dwy Glyder, it is a case of picking your way through the rocks and boulders that litter the summit plateau to the proper summit of Glyder Fawr, and the challenge of locating its high point on one of the many rocky outcrops that stud its lunar top.

The majesty of Twll Du, also known as the Devil's Kitchen

After dropping down to a hollow in which Llyn y Cwn lies, a steep slope rises to Y Garn and then into the distant Glyders, including Foel Goch (831m), Elidir Fawr (924m), Mynydd Perfedd (812m) and Carnedd y Filiast (821m). Most decide at this point that the pub is calling and a descent via Devil’s Kitchen into Cwm Idwal is the best and most dramatic escape route.

As you descend past the dark dripping cleft of the Devil’s Kitchen marvel at the surroundings as you are now dropping through one of the most famous climbing crucibles in Britain and – when the British winter decides to be less fickle – some of the best winter mountain routes rear their icy heads on the hanging valley walls, particularly the frozen waterfalls of the Devil’s Kitchen that holds the classic Devil’s Appendix route. On late summer evenings there will always be rock climbers on the historic Idwal slabs as you pass underneath, attempting routes of all grades including the ominously-named Suicide Wall Route 1.

Some of my favourite days in the hills have been in the Glyders, and while they are not as famous as the adjacent peaks in the Snowdon Group, there are many more satisfying challenges to be found away from its neighbour’s tourist tracks. So grab your walking boots and head for the Ogwen Valley – and don’t forget your map and compass.