Snowdon | |
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Yr Wyddfa | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 1,085 m (3,560 ft) |
Prominence | 1,038 m (3,406 ft) Ranked joint 3rd in British Isles |
Parent peak | Ben Nevis |
Listing | Marilyn, Furth, Hewitt, Nuttall, Welsh 3000s, council top, Ribu |
Coordinates | 53°4′6.59″N 4°4′34.43″W / 53.0684972°N 4.0762306°WCoordinates: 53°4′6.59″N 4°4′34.43″W / 53.0684972°N 4.0762306°W |
Geography | |
Gwynedd, Wales
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Parent range | Snowdonia |
OS grid | SH6098954379 |
Topo map | OS Landranger 115 |
Listed summits of Snowdon | ||||
Name | Grid ref | Height | Status | |
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Crib y Ddysgl | SH610551 | 1,065 m (3,494 ft) | Welsh 3000s, Hewitt, Nuttall | |
Crib Goch | SH624551 | 923 m (3,028 ft) | Welsh 3000s, Hewitt, Nuttall | |
Craig Fach | SH635552 | 609 m (1,998 ft) | sub Hewitt | |
Craig Wen | SH597508 | 605 m (1,985 ft) | sub Hewitt |
Hafod Eryri | |
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Hafod Eryri, built in 2009
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General information | |
Address | via Snowdon Mountain Railway, Llanberis, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 4TY |
Coordinates | 53°04′08″N 4°04′32″W / 53.068865°N 4.075588°W |
Elevation | 1,085 m (3,560 ft) |
Opened | 12 June 2009 |
Cost | £8.4m |
Design and construction | |
Architecture firm | Ray Hole Architects |
Structural engineer | Arup |
Main contractor | Carillion |
Awards and prizes | RIBA Welsh Architecture Award 2010 |
Website | |
Hafod Eryri Visitor Centre |
Snowdon (Welsh: Yr Wyddfa, pronounced [ər ˈwɪðva]) is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles south of the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri) in Gwynedd. It has been described as "probably the busiest mountain in Britain", with approximately 444,000 people having walked up the mountain in 2016. It is designated as a national nature reserve for its rare flora and fauna.
The rocks that form Snowdon were produced by volcanoes in the Ordovician period, and the massif has been extensively sculpted by glaciation, forming the pyramidal peak of Snowdon and the arêtes of Crib Goch and Y Lliwedd. The cliff faces on Snowdon, including Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, are significant for rock climbing, and the mountain was used by Edmund Hillary in training for the 1953 ascent of Mount Everest.
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 opened in 2009 to replace one built in the 1930s. The railway generally operates to the summit station from Whitsun to October. The daily running schedule depends on weather and customer demand.