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Route 31 – Cwm Bochlwyd Horseshoe

Grade 1

Distance 6km

Ascent 900m

Time 5 hours

Start/finish Layby by the A5 just below the climber’s venue of the Milestone Buttress (SH663602) – more parking is available along the road towards Idwal Cottage too.

Maps OS Landranger (1:50000) 115; OS Explorer (1:25000) OL17; Harvey British Mountain Map (1:40000) Snowdonia

Accommodation See route 21

Sleeping out See route 29

Public transport See route 24

Seasonal notes This is a winter mountaineering expedition of similar quality to the Snowdon Horseshoe, but with rather greater and more sustained difficulties. The climbing doesn’t depend on frozen turf and is possible in any sort of snow cover. In full conditions of iced-up rock and firm snow the North Ridge of Tryfan and Bristly Ridge are both testing grade IIs if the most direct lines are taken. The Gribin Ridge is similarly tricky, and tired parties descending at the end of a long hard day might be advised not to follow the crest religiously. However the extreme conditions of yesteryear are nowadays unlikely. Under a frosty dusting or unconsolidated snow the Cwm Bochlwyd Horseshoe may be more a wintry scramble than a full-on winter climb; but always come with respect (and crampons and an axe). Although polished, the route is perfectly feasible in the wet.

With its grand austerity, atmospheric positions and endlessly varied rocky ground the circuit of Cwm Bochlwyd is unquestionably the finest easy all-day ridge scramble south of Scotland. First comes Tryfan, icon of Snowdonian ruggedness. From some angles it resembles a giant stone dorsal fin dwarfing the ant-like traffic on the A5; from others, the buttressed ramparts and crumbling turrets of a decaying fortress. Tryfan doesn’t have a boring side. The North Ridge offers 600m of top quality scrambling that is none the worse for its overwhelming popularity. This outlying peak safely negotiated, an ascent of the fittingly-named Bristly Ridge is the natural next step, exposed but easy clambering over a coxcomb of spectacular pinnacles. A wander over the otherworldly boulder graveyard of the Glyder plateau, a scramble through the shattered spires of Castell y Gwynt and an airy descent of the Gribin Ridge round off an intense trip.

Climb

Tryfan North Ridge, grade 1

The scale of this scramble is unusual for Wales, the ridge beginning just above the road and leading all the way to Tryfan’s summit. A well-worn line (or rather, intertwining collection of lines) weaves up the broad crest via a succession of craggy walls and generous ledges that minimise the sense of exposure.

Every tier in turn presents several possible variations, from polished easy options to short challenging pitches that can be a lot harder than grade 1. You’re unlikely to find exactly the same route from one visit to the next, and due to the go-anywhere nature of the ground a minute description would confuse rather than illuminate.

From the layby go through a gate and ascend the steep path just left of a drystone wall, bearing left on rough ground beneath the rambling east walls of the Milestone Buttress to reach the lowest heathery shoulder of the North Ridge. Now follow your nose up the blunt crest, making things as hard or as easy as you fancy. The first notable feature is a quartzy terrace; just to the right is the leaning block known as The Cannon, but it’s easily missed. The next scrambly section can (if you wish) be more or less avoided on the left, above which comes a second pronounced platform. Passing left of a prominent perched pinnacle reminiscent of The Cannon, a polished scramble then leads onto a minor summit. Downclimb into a tight notch.

A direct ascent out of this gap is an entertaining grade 2 scramble; for an easier option, slant right to find a blocky gully which leads to Tryfan’s North Summit. Beyond a bouldery saddle is the crowning Central Summit. Jutting proud of the main massif, this is a magnificent spot. Have a break and perhaps a cheeky apple under the twin monoliths Adam and Eve (which is which seems unclear); tradition dictates taking an airy stride from one to the other, but on a wet or blustery day you’d be risking a precipitate fall from grace down the East Face.

Descent

Tryfan South Ridge, grade 1

Beyond another gap is the rocky South Summit. Continue down the rough South Ridge, crossing a slight saddle marked by a drystone wall before climbing briefly onto the little Far South Summit; the most straightforward line is generally right of the crest, though even the hands-on direct route is easy enough. From this final top of Tryfan the least problematic choice bears slightly right down bouldery slopes to reach a path leading to the major saddle of Bwlch Tryfan. From here obvious paths offer escape routes into the valley.

Scramble

Bristly Ridge, grade 1

If necessary this scramble can be entirely avoided by taking an unpleasant path below the east flank of the ridge, but that would be missing the point. Parties made of sterner stuff should toil up an eroded trail alongside a drystone wall to reach a scrappy gully – Sinister Gully – that breaches the base of the obvious ridge. Climb this (watching out for loose bits), bearing slightly left where the gully steepens, to gain easier ground on the crest. The ridge soon narrows, breaking into the short row of lumpy towers that give it its name. Clamber direct over the first rock mass, dropping into a pronounced gap on the far side. Pass just right of the next big tower (the Great Pinnacle), then bear up left through a little niche and back onto the crest. Rapidly easing scrambling now leads up the shattered ridge onto the summit plateau of Glyder Fach.

Bear right and just beyond the highest tor the plateau narrows. The descent to Bwlch y Ddwy-Glyder, the pass between Glyders Fach and Fawr, is barred by the massed stone spears of Castell y Gwynt; there is a rough path to the left of this dramatic minor ‘summit’, but taking it direct is much more fun. From the bwlch a well-blazed route makes a beeline for Glyder Fawr, which can be quickly bagged if you feel like it. To complete the Bochlwyd Horseshoe however, stick with the rim of the cwm, bearing right onto a level area at the top of the Gribin Ridge.

Descent

Gribin Ridge, grade 1

Although it’s only a modest and short-lived affair and tends to be underrated the scramble directly down this airy crest is very enjoyable. For best results stay on the lip of Cwm Bochlwyd, where a succession of little rocky problems provides a gradual wind-down from the day’s excitements. As usual there’s a less pleasant, less hands-on option – a rubbly path just down on the W flank – but why bother?

Below the rocky upper crest the mood of the ridge relents. Cross a broad grassy stretch above the top of the Cneifion Arete (route 28), then follow the obvious path down the lower crest to the T-junction. Turning right here, the outflow of Llyn Bochlwyd is soon reached. Cross the stream and head NE over the hillside to meet another well-trodden path. This descends quite steeply past little Bochlwyd Buttress to reach the A5 a short distance W of the starting point.