How to Scramble Crib Goch in Snowdonia, Wales
Crib Goch is a fantastic grade 1 scramble along a knife edge ridge in Snowdonia, Wales.
It is probably one of the best scrambles in the United Kingdom, offering excitement to scramblers of all abilities.
This route guide describes the East Ridge of Crib Goch (the most popular) however for alternative scrambles and approaches please see our second guide here.
Prefer a POV Video of Crib Goch?
We also have a web story for this route.
Parking
Pont y Gromlech (maps link) or Pen y Pass Car Park (maps link). Get there EARLY! It cannot be stated enough that these parking spaces fill up fast, arriving at 7am on the weekends will often not get you into the Pen y Pass car park.
Alternatively you can use the Park and Ride at Nant Peris (maps link) where you can get the Sherpa bus to the Pen y Pass car park.
Be Prepared – Read This First
Don’t take this route lightly.
For the amateur walker, this is a serious undertaking, and you should prepare yourself.
Grade: 1** (with considerably more exposure than your average grade 1)
Weather: Avoid in high winds, snow makes it significantly more difficult (check the mountain forecast here).
Fitness: This is a fairly strenuous route, and you should be physically fit to attempt this. You should also have a good balance and a head for heights.
Time: This route can take between 4hrs and 6hrs depending on your fitness and how many stops you take.
Most important – Take the Right Equipment
The gear you take can save mountain rescue some serious headaches, so please ensure you have the following specific types of equipment (open the links in new tabs to read the important details):
- Scrambling boots (not average walking boots)
- Rucksack
- Waterproof & Windproof Lightweight Jacket – not too long, must allow free movement.
- Lightweight mountain trousers – must allow movement for big steps upward.
- Walking socks – aka the blister saver.
- Warm Hat
- Top layer – shirt, under armour, jumper (downt to personal preferences)
- Gloves – must offer enough movement for handholds on rock.
- Waterproof trousers (if the forecast is bad)
- Snood – great for keeping the wind out without adding another layer (optional)
- Compass
- Whistle
- Ordinance Survey Map of Snowdonia
- Fully charged smartphone.
- Food to sustain yourself during route.
- Emergency food.
- Water
- First Aid Kit
- Sun cream (if sunny)
- Crampons (in winter conditions)
- Blizzard Survival Jacket (in winter conditions or predicted snow)
How hard is Crib Goch?
On a calm and dry day with no snow or ice under foot, Crib Goch is an exciting but easy scrambling walk, with the main challenge of keeping your cool in the face of serious exposure either side of you.
However in bad weather or when faced with snow / ice, the ridge becomes much more of a serious outing, and should probably be left to the more experienced scrambler / mountaineer.
High winds are a very real danger on Crib Goch, and so it’s important to check the weather forecast beforehand.
Can children do Crib Goch?
Yes children are perfectly able to do the Crib Goch ridge scramble, and they can often find it easier than adults due to their lower centre of gravity.
However it can be a very frightening experience for children, so you would be wise to test out their reaction to less severe ridges such as Striding Edge in the Lake District, or the North Ridge of Tryfan.
Can you take your dog onto Crib Goch?
It’s not illegal of course, but you should seriously consider whether or not this is a good idea for you, for your dog, and for other people.
- From accounts of people taking their dog onto the ridge, they have their attention distracted by worrying about where the dog is and what it’s doing, which could lead to an accident.
- The dog itself may not be capable to the route, so you should judge the experiences you’ve had with your dog to decide if it’s a good idea.
- Also your dog may spook or put off other people doing Crib Goch, which in turn could also lead to a serious accident.
The dog must be well behaved, have a harness, and a long lead. Dogs have a tendency to jump up and off obstacles which can put themselves and others in danger.
How does Crib Goch compare?
If you’ve done similar routes in the past, and want to know how difficult Crib Goch is relative to them, then we’ve included some information below:
- Striding Edge vs Crib Goch – Striding edge is a good practice for Crib Goch, which is effectively a narrower, slightly more technical version of it. If you found Striding edge easy, you will be fine with Crib Goch.
- Tryfan vs Crib Goch – Tryfan offers more hands on rock than Crib Goch, but the exposure is far less. It would be worth testing how you handle exposure on something less exposed if you aren’t confident.
- CMD Arete vs Crib Goch – Similarly to Striding Edge, this CMD arete is significantly less exposed and less hands on, but would offer a good warm up to doing Crib Goch.
- Aonach Eagach vs Crib Goch – Aonach Eagach is considerably more difficult scrambling, although slightly less exposed. If you have done this route, then you will find Crib Goch perfectly fine.
Route Map
This route follows the Pyg track for a short period, before scrambling onto the Crib Goch ridge, and following that ontp the Crib y Ddysgl ridge, the Snowdon summit, and descending via the Pyg track. An alternative extension to this is the Snowdon Horseshoe (see below).
Approach
The approach to the start of the Crib Goch scramble usually follows the Pyg track, which can be reached from either the Pen y pas car park, or by ascending the hillside up the road from Pont y Gromlech (see map above).
You follow an easy to navigate path, up to the point with two styles on the left, and a faint path up the hillside on the right. Take this right hand path to start your way onto the Crib Goch ridge!
Continue Up
The next part involves a fairly well worn path, that winds its way up the hillside, and approaches the start of the Crib Goch scramble proper.
The Start of the Crib Goch Scramble
At this point the scrambling becomes much more hands on, with rocky ledges and steps to contend with. You can effectively pick your own route up, but try not to stray too far left or right of the crest.
The “Bad Step” on Crib Goch
The crux of the approach route is the bad step, but to be honest there are no real difficulties. You simply have to scramble up it on good holds, and it is fairly consistent with the rest of the scrambling on the approach.
You can also avoid it by taking a route slightly to the left of it.
The Crib Goch “Knife Edge” Ridge
Now it’s the time to test your metal! The knife edge ridge on Crib Goch is just in front of you, and it is exhilarating!
The flat path soon turns into a crest of uneven, slanting spikes of rock, barely keeping you from the sheer north facing drop on one side, and the slanting screens lopes on the other.
There are three ways to scramble the Crib Goch ridge:
- Easy – drop slightly down the left side of the ridge, and use the crest as a hand rail.
- Hard – stand upright and carefully place steps on the crest itself.
- Medium – a bit of both.
The exposure is quite serious, and with any large gust of wind you get a real adrenaline spike with a “I better not fall off now” feeling.
However if you take your time and tread carefully, the whole scramble is thoroughly enjoyable.
The Pinnacles on Crib Goch
The crux of the ridge involves moves up and around the three pinnacles. These are fairly easy to navigate, the first is best approached from the left through a groove with good holds. The second can be avoided or climbed directly via good holds. The third pinnacle is best climbed from left to right via a series of ledges.
Continuation to Snowdon Summit via Crib y Ddysgl
You may have completed Crib Goch now, but the scrambling isn’t over yet! Continuing from Bwlch Coch along the stony path in front of you leads onto Crib y Ddysgl, which offers some more fun scrambling before taking you around to the summit of Snowdon itself.
Descent
A direct descent can be made via the Pyg Track, which represents the fastest and easiest way back to the car parks. You could also choose to do the Crib Goch ridge in reverse, which is slightly more difficult than on the way up.
Extensions: Snowdon Horseshoe
To extend your day out with some more walking, you can complete the famous Snowdon Horseshoe route, which follows the ridge to Y Lliwedd, and then down Lliwedd Bach to join the miners path at Llyn Llydaw.
Recommended Guidebook & Map
The best guidebook for this route is the excellent Scrambles in Snowdonia Cicerone book by Steve Ashton, available on Amazon in paperback or ebook here.
The best map for this scrambling route is the OL17 Ordnance Survey Map – Snowdon / YR WYDDFA, which is available on Amazon here.
Recommended Scrambling Guide: (coming soon)
Recommended Accommodation: YHA Snowdon Pen-y-Pass
You can stay right at the foot of Snowdon, at the YHA Snowdon Pen-y-Pass. See the cheapest rates on Booking.com here.
Route Info
| Distance | 11.5 km |
| Elevation | 870m +/- |
| Duration | 4 - 5 hours |
| Grade | 1** (very exposed) |
| Transport | Car - Pont Y Gromlech or Pen Y Pass Car Park. |
Translation: Red Ridge
Navigation
| Guidebook | Best Book |
| Maps | Best Map |
| Guided Tours | Guides |
| Accommodation | Where To Stay? |
| Contributor | Who Contributed? |
Route Contributed by: Matt Jackson
This route was created by Matt Jackson and donated to the UK Scrambles website through our contributor program.
This generosity enables us to publish a whole range of scrambling routes to help you enjoy the outdoors.
If you have a route you could contribute, submit it to us today.
You can view other routes Matt has contributed here.
This Post Has 0 Comments