Glyder Fawr Summit

The Ogwen Valley is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful locations in all of Snowdonia and looking over it from the summit of Glyder Fawr is one of the best ways to see why. At 3,284 feet (1001 m), this mountain’s jagged summit entrances hikers from the very beginning and it stands proud as the fifth-highest in Wales. 

Not only is Glyder Fawr the highest in the Glyderau range, which includes neighbouring Glyder Fach and Tryfan, it also has one of the most incredible views in the region. And that’s saying something. Snowdon and Crib Goch are visible in clear weather, while you can see straight down the Nant Ffrancon Valley and over to Ogwen Valley too, a view you’ll struggle to look away from. 

Scree, scrambles and skylines

It’s not just the phenomenal views from Glyder Fawr that draw innumerable hikers up this tough ascent each year, it’s the mountain itself. Littered with shattered rock, jagged shards and impressive formations, this glacier-formed landscape is almost intimidating with its brutal ruggedness. 

The hiking trails up to Glyder Fawr offer several choices, including scrambling opportunities for more experienced hikers. In the warmer months, the mountainsides are grassy and rocky with exhilarating scree slopes down the savagely-carved cwms. Find Devil’s Kitchen up from Cym Idwal, a dark crack splitting the mountain. From autumn through to mid-spring, Glyder Fawr and its sisters are more desolate-looking, with frequent snow in the depths of winter. 

Experienced winter mountaineers relish the challenge of Glyder Fawr when snow gives the peak a mottled appearance and soaks the summit in cloud. If you want a long day in summer, you can easily expand your hike to include the neighbouring peaks in the Glyderau range, each as exquisite as the last.

Find food and accommodation nearby in Capel Curig, Llanberis, Bethesda or even tiny Pont Pen y Benglog. You can hike with your dog but the mountain is strenuous and not every dog will manage.