Tryfan and Glyder Fawr: Wales’ best walk?
Here’s an all-day link-up of three of the greatest scrambling routes to be found in Wales, courtesy of Jeremy Ashcroft.
High above the Ogwen Valley and facing true north, the deep, glacially carved corrie of Cwm Bochlwyd is the stuff of scramblers’ dreams. All its enclosing walls soar skyward in a crazy collection of pinnacles, castellated rocks and dark, brooding crags. Among the confines of this cauldron of rock and over its surrounding peaks you will find the greatest concentration of quality scrambles Wales has to offer. Such close proximity means you can easily string a succession of routes together for a full-on mountain experience.
Routes like The Chasm Face and Dolmen Ridge on the back wall of Cwm Bochlwyd can be preceded by taking in routes either on Tryfan’s east face or on the west face of Y Gribin to provide scrambling test-piece link-ups of sublime quality. Before you embark on these link-ups, however, you absolutely must do the greatest enchainment of the bunch: the skyline traverse of the whole of Cwm Bochlwyd. This classic adventure gains height by first tackling Tryfan’s north ridge; it then embarks on a roller coaster trip, up Bristly Ridge and then down the shapely crest of Y Gribin. The three routes stacked one after each other give an outing of Alpine-like magnitude involving entertaining moves over rough slabs, up short hold-strewn walls, around intricate pinnacles and down delicate crests.
All three routes comfortably fit into the Grade 1 scrambling bracket and so will not attract the out-and-out hillwalker. However if you have a reasonable head for heights and are happy unravelling the mysteries of scrambling terrain then this route is a must. If the weather closes in, or you feel uncomfortable at any point, there are a variety of escape routes and bypass options that can be taken. 1 SH648603 Follow the path beside the A5 east to the path (stile) on the right at SH662602. A path up the left-hand side of a drystone wall leads you around the bottom of Milestone Buttress and onto the base of the north ridge.
2 SH664600 Past Milestone Buttress you trend left slightly, but not too far, as this is the path around onto Heather Terrace and the east face. The lower half of the north ridge is ill-defined and there are lots of variants. Be aware that over the years people have followed harder routes than the normal Grade 1 line, so you will encounter signs of traffic all over the ridge. If you encounter a steep section you are not happy with, have a good look around for an easier line before you over-commit. The top section of the ridge is more defined and is more like a crest but there are still lots of variants. It is particularly important not to drift out left onto the east face. The 1:25,000 OS map has an error high on Tryfan. It shows the path up the north ridge out on the east face. Ignore the pecked path line and pay attention to the contour lines instead.
3 SH664593 The summit of Tryfan is marked by the unmistakeable twin standing rocks of ‘Adam and Eve’. The continuation off the summit of Tryfan is down the south ridge and over the rocky summit of Far South Peak. The going is much easier than the north ridge, but there is still the odd place you might need your hands. Also pay attention to route-finding, as there are various false paths that can be problematic, particularly in mist.
4 SH661588 If the weather turns after Tryfan the paths down through Cwm Bochlwyd provide an easy way off. From Bwlch Tryfan follow the wall and ascend a short section of scree to the mouth of a gully system 10m right of the base of Bristly Ridge. Follow the gully. The difficult sections can be avoided on the left, to gain the crest of the ridge via a short traverse right (when wet the gully system can be particularly difficult; and watch out for loose rock). Follow the crest over and around the undulations of the pinnacles (all steep sections can be avoided) to join the main Glyders ridge. A scree gully to the left of Bristly Ridge is sometimes used as a bypass but it cannot be recommended as it is steep and loose. The Miners’ Track is a much more suitable bypass for Bristly Ridge.
5 SH658583 At the top of Bristly Ridge join the main path and follow it onto the summit dome; this then becomes vague amid the rocks. Huge fins of rock litter the area and as you progress west-south-west among them you
should pass the much-photographed and obvious Cantilever Stone.
6 SH656583 The summit of Glyder Fach is marked by natural rock and it can be tricky to work out which is the highest bit in poor visibility. As you leave Glyder Fach and head down to Bwlch y Ddwy-Glyder you come across another collection of huge rock fins. These rocks are called Castell y Gwynt and if you arrive at them on a breezy day you will quickly understand why their name in English means ‘Castle of the Wind’!
7 SH650582 Just up the main ridge path from Bwlch y Ddwy-Glyder is a promontory that marks the head of Y Gribin. Scramble north down Y Gribin either along its crest or more easily on the west (Cwm Cneifion) side. The gradient of the ridge soon eases; continue north, watching out for the path to Llyn Bochlwyd that turns sharp right (east) as the base of the ridge is neared. It is important to take the Llyn Bochlwyd path as to continue past it down the ridge leads to the top of the crags of Gribin Facet.
8 SH655594 From Llyn Bochlwyd follow the path that descends north-west to the car park at Idwal Cottage.