Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)

Snowdon from its neighbour Y Lliwedd

Height: 1,085m (3,560ft)

Prominence: 1,038m (3405ft)

Region: Snowdonia - Snowdon

Classifications: Country Top, County Top, Nuttall, Hewitt, Marilyn, Welsh 3000

Summit feature: Large platform, trig pillar and cafe (and train station)

Times climbed: 7

Related trip reports:
Snowdon & Y Lliwedd via the Miners' Track - 02/02/2019
The Snowdon Horseshoe - 21/04/2018
Snowdon via the Watkin Path - 17/09/2017
Snowdon via Moel Eilio, Moel Cynghorion & The Snowdon Ranger Path - 03/06/2017
Snowdon via Y Gribin - 28/01/2017
Snowdon via Yr Aran & the South Ridge - 11/12/2016 

The Snowdon Horseshoe - 24/05/2016

A large toposcope caps the summit platform (yes, it really was empty!)

Snowdon's incredible view

Yr Wyddfa (Ur Ooh-ee-th-var - The Tumulus) is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of 1,085 metres above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands.

The summit can be reached by a number of well-known paths, and by the Snowdon Mountain Railway, a rack and pinion railway opened in 1896 which carries passengers the 4.7 miles (7.6 km) from Llanberis to the summit station.

The summit also houses a cafe called Hafod Eryri, open only when the railway is operating and built in 2006 to replace one built in the 1930s.

The name Snowdon is from the Old English for "snow hill", while the Welsh name – Yr Wyddfa – means "the tumulus", which may refer to the cairn thrown over the legendary giant Rhitta Gawr after his defeat by King Arthur.

Snowdon offers some of the most extensive views in the British Isles; on exceptionally clear days, Ireland, Scotland, England, and the Isle of Man are all visible, as well as 24 counties, 29 lakes and 17 islands. From here, it is also possible to see the mountains of the Peak District and South Pennines that surround Manchester.

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