Descending Snowdon via Y Lliwedd

Hi,

I plan to head up to Snowdonia in a couple of weeks. I'm going to head up Snowdon via the Watkins path setting of at 5am ish.

I was thinking about coming down via the Rhyd Ddu path but the Sherpa Buses don't run very often from Rhyd Ddu to Nant Gwynant. So I am also considering coming down over Y Lliwedd.

My experience with mountains is going up Tryfans North face,down its South, and up and down Snowdon via the Watkins path.

How does Y Lliwedd compare to Tryfan's North face ?

Y Lliwedd is dead easy compared to Tryfan, steep and rocky but nowhere as technical as the north face. The worst bit of Lliwedd if coming off it scrambling down a very steep section off Lliwedd Bach (see 'Arghhh' on attached map)

Thanks Penny. Can you come down it forward, kinda sitting on your bum, or do you have to feel for somewhere to put your feet?

Kind of a combo of both especially if you're short, certainly hands on and there's only one place really that I had to go down backwards. Can be loose in places and there is some scope to pick alternative routes. The start of the path down is marked with this cairn. A bloke and his son we bumped into didn't believe us that this was the way down as it is a surprising drop off to start with!

If you decide against heading north at this point and sack it off to head directly south to go to Nantgwynant to join the Watkins lower down, don't. Go back over Lliwedd and descent the full length of the Watkins. The area directly south of this picture is covered in disused copper mining shafts and waste tips all stealthy hidden under very thick grasses and bracken.

Hi Penny,

Thanks for the info and great picture! Would you say that the Arghhh bit is easier to scramble up than go down?

I've gone up and down Lliwedd a few times and I don't remember any particular part where I had to properly scramble. Oh actually, maybe one little bit, for like 20 meters or so? I guess if the rock is wet then that could be a little bit more dangerous but nowhere near anything like Tryfan's north ridge (650 meters high).

Thanks Dave.