The Nantlle Ridge ( cy, Crib Nantlle) is the name given to a small range of mountains in

Snowdonia Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951. Name and extent It was a commonly held belief that the nam ...

, north

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

which runs south-west from the village of

Rhyd Ddu Rhyd-ddu ( Welsh for 'black ford') is a small village in Snowdonia, North Wales which is a starting point for walks up Snowdon (via the Rhyd Ddu Path), Moel Hebog, Yr Aran and the Nantlle Ridge. It lies on the A4085 between Beddgelert and ...

for a distance of about , ending above Nebo in the

Nantlle Valley The Nantlle Valley ( cy, Dyffryn Nantlle, ) is an area in Gwynedd, North Wales, characterised by its numerous small settlements. The area is also historically important geologically, and featured in one of the most contentious disputes of the ...

. The Nantlle Ridge offers excellent hill walking with fewer crowds than on the more popular parts of Snowdonia. It can be started from either end, but the Rhyd Ddu end tends to be the more popular. There are no great technical difficulties, although a little

scrambling Scrambling is a mountaineering term for ascending steep terrain using one's hands to assist in holds and balance.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. It is also used to describe terrain that falls between hiking and rock climbing (as a “scramb ...

may be required on some parts of the ridge.

Summits

Starting from the Rhyd Ddu end, the Nantlle Ridge is composed of the following peaks (see

hill lists in the British Isles The mountains and hills of the British Isles are categorised into various lists based on different combinations of elevation, prominence, and other criteria such as isolation. These lists are used for peak bagging, whereby hillwalkers attempt ...

for an explanation of the terms "Nuttall", "Hewitt" and "Marilyn"): * Y Garn (); ) — sub-Hewitt, Nuttall *

Mynydd Drws-y-Coed Mynydd Drws-y-Coed is a peak on the Nantlle Ridge in Snowdonia, north Wales. It is located at the easterly end of the ridge, and is a subsidiary summit of Trum y Ddysgl. It has steep west-facing cliffs, the summit area being the highest poi ...

(); ) — Hewitt, Nuttall * Trum y Ddysgl (); ) — Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall *

Mynydd Tal-y-Mignedd Mynydd Tal-y-Mignedd is a peak on the Nantlle Ridge in Snowdonia, north Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea ...

(); ) — Hewitt, Nuttall *

Craig Cwm Silyn Craig Cwm Silyn is a mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales which forms the highest point on the celebrated Nantlle Ridge. The steep northern face is popular with climbers. To the west the Nantlle Ridge continues over Garnedd Goch and ends at My ...

(); ) — Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall *

Garnedd Goch Garnedd Goch is a top of Craig Cwm Silyn in Snowdonia, north Wales. It is one of the peaks that forms the Nantlle Ridge. It is the third highest point. The summit is strewn with rock debris and has a trig point and a cairn. The panorama includ ...

(); ) — sub-Hewitt, Nuttall *

Mynydd Graig Goch Mynydd Graig Goch ( Welsh, 'mountain of the red rock') is the western end peak of the Nantlle Ridge, and is a subsidiary summit of Craig Cwm Silyn. It is also the most westerly 2000 ft peak in Wales. For many years it was excluded from lis ...

(); )— Hewitt, Nuttall Craig Cwm Silyn is the highest point on the ridge, and can be reached by following the minor road running from

Llanllyfni Llanllyfni () is a village and a community in Gwynedd, Wales. It is in the historic county of Caernarfonshire. The community consists of the villages of Drws-y-coed, Nantlle, Nasareth, Nebo, Penygroes, Talysarn and the village of Llanllyfni ...

towards Llynnau Cwm Silyn, or as part of a traverse of the Nantlle Ridge from

. The crag of Craig yr Ogof is popular with

rock climbers Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically an ...

References

*Terry Marsh (1993) ''The summits of Snowdonia'' (Robert Hale) {{ISBN, 0-7090-5248-0

External links

''Nantlle Ridge Walk'' on Mud and Routeswww.geograph.co.uk : photos of the Nantlle Ridge and surrounding area
Betws Garmon Clynnog Dolbenmaen Llanllyfni Mountains and hills of Gwynedd Mountains and hills of Snowdonia