Foel Goch

The main scrambling route on Foel Goch is The Mushroom Garden route.

The Mushroom Garden

This route takes a line up the remote crag of Creigiau Gleision.

Not many people come here and so the rock is vegetated and stays damp; save this one for a dry spell. The scramble is not long and should easily be completed in less than one hour. Despite these negative points, a day out on the crag has an adventurous feel, so missing from many of the more popular scrambles in the Glyders.

Start at Ogwen Cottage and follow the minor road past the youth hostel and The Squeeze. At a small bridge leave the road on an almost invisible path across marshy ground, heading to the base of Foel Goch. Contour round the slopes aiming for a collection of dry stone walls above a small crag.

You should now be overlooking Cwm-coch with Creigiau Gleision sprawled up to your left. A large scree fan emerges from a prominent gully on the left hand side; this is Eastern Gully and the start of the scramble.

Climb the gully with the occasional step until blocked by a steep little wall. Here take a path out left to open ground. Head uphill tackling or avoiding a few rocky steps. A larger barrier above is accessed by a left-slanting ramp.
Continue up this recess with a step to exit and large drops into the gully on the right.

The next obstacle is a small slab angled to the left. Overcome this then move left past a tower into a gully. Either climb the gully (steep walking) or enjoy as much sport as possible on its right-hand walls. Soon you emerge out of the crag onto the shoulder of Foel Goch. The final section is just walking to the summit.

The best plan for the rest of the day is to head south along the ridge over Y Garn before descending via the Devil’s Kitchen path into Cwm Idwal. Note that the confusing nature of Creigiau Gleision means that this scramble is best left for a clear day. This also gives the opportunity to admire the crag’s impressive array of pinnacles, ridges and gullies.