Whilst the Llanberis Path is regarded as the ‘easiest’ way up Snowdon, it’s also the longest but if you wanted to make it even longer, why not return to Llanberis along the Snowdon Ranger Path!

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There’s plenty of (rarely good value) parking available in Llanberis – the largest, most convenient and therefore most expensive can be found directly opposite the Snowdon Mountain Railway Station (close to LL55 4TU or SH 583 598 or ///shady.ground.joys). You’ll save a few pounds using smaller car parks further in to the village but will receive firm Welsh scowls from the locals and very likely a parking ticket if you try and park in side streets or in resident permit areas.

How to climb Snowdon via the Llanberis Path

On arrival in Llanberis make your way to the far west of the village where you’ll find the Snowdon Mountain Railway Station. Here you can grin at the tourists taking the hour-long, uncomfortable train ride to the summit knowing you’ll have a much greater sense of achievement at the end of the day.

With your back to the railway station, turn right and walk away from the village towards the Victoria Hotel on your left until you reach a mini roundabout with a finger point signpost handily sending you right down Victoria Terrace. Follow this narrow road for 300m until it becomes an even narrower (but still tarmaced) track which quickly begins to steepen. A lot! Take your time here. This is actually one of the steepest parts of the whole walk and you’ll do yourself no favours knackering yourself out in the first half hour of the day. Bring your pace right down to that of a snail and take it easy.

Keep heading uphill around the bends until you reach the Pen Ceunant cafe on your left, your last sign of civilisation for a while. Carry on winding your way up and very quickly the track becomes much more friendly and you can start to relax. You’ll pass some farm buildings on your right before finally getting to a well signposted footpath on your left for ‘Llanberis Path’. This is where you leave the track and start going ‘off road’.

Head through the small gate and follow the well-trodden path gradually upwards. Eventually the path goes beneath the railway line for the first time and before you know it you’ll reach the Halfway House, a small pit stop selling drinks, snacks and tacky souvenirs usually only open on summer weekends and so named as it’s sort of the half way marker (it’s actually a little more than half way in distance but in fact takes its name from being half way up from sea level). When you’ve had a break continue on along the same path. You’ll soon reach the next steep section up to Clogwyn Station. It’s a tough but short stretch along a nicely stoned path so just like at the start of the day, take your time and know that you’re getting close to the summit! When the path flattens out you’ll again pass beneath the railway line and turn right alongside the track for a short time.

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There’s now less than a mile to go! Keep plodding on uphill and over the brow when the gradient relaxes and you reach a point where three paths converge, the Snowdon Ranger Path from the right and the Pyg Track from the left. It’s worth pausing here, looking back and making a mental note of the scene as there is often confusion on the return with walkers taking the wrong path down.

You should (hopefully) have a good view of the summit just 500m ahead. Continue along the obvious path to you make your way to the summit area. The path becomes a staircase as you bear left to reach the summit stone. Congratulations – you’re now the highest person in Wales … for a few minutes. Grab your selfie and take the time to look around. If you’re lucky enough to be there on a clear day the views are amazing.

At this point you may have noticed the large spaceship-type building to your right. This is Hafod Eryri, the Snowdon Summit Visitor Centre and unsurprisingly the highest visitor centre in the UK. Here you’ll find toilets, an ok cafe, lots of useful information boards and a chance to buy some Snowdon souvenirs but beware the visitor centre is only open when the Snowdon Mountain Railway operates which is typically from around late Spring until the last weekend in October and even then only on good weather days.

How to get down from Snowdon along the Llanberis and Snowdon Ranger Paths

When you’ve had your lunch and seen enough of the views retrace your steps back along the path you came up on keeping the railway track down to your left until you reach the point I mentioned earlier where three paths now diverge. Ignore the path straight ahead that you came in on and instead descend to your left crossing over the railway track and heading out to the grassy hill. This is now the Snowdon Ranger path and whilst it starts nice and easy, you’ve got some steeper down bits coming up. The path, however, is pretty easy to follow but if visibility is poor, look out for the stone piles called cairns.

After a short, steepish descent the path starts to flatten out somewhat. When you reach a path junction at the edge of the open access land, turn right for a short incline to Bwlch Maesgwm. Pass through a gate then follow this easy to walk track formerly called Telegraph Alley. You’ll eventually reach another path junction where you can turn right to cross the footbridges and rejoin the steep road you started on or you can carry on a bit further where you’ll meet a farm road. Very quickly, turn right back onto a footpath which will lead you back into the village. After descending the steep road, turn right then left to rejoin Victoria Terrace where your day began.