24/01/2026
Tryfan (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈtrəvan]) is a mountain in the Ogwen Valley, Snowdonia, Wales. It forms part of the Glyderau group, and is one of the most recognisable peaks in Britain, having a classic pointed shape with rugged crags. At 917.5 metres (3,010 feet) above sea level, it is the fifteenth-highest mountain in Wales and what a stunning awsome playground it is beware of the huge mountain goats in the spring as the males can become territorial as i found out when one decided to chase me half way up tryfan ? Must of been the b n m's aftershave 😃.
There are many routes of ascent, ranging from easy follow the beever on the map provided to grade 1 ridge scrambling that if you dont have a head for heights stay clear 💩😭, to multi-pitch mountaineering rock climbs on the east face so please please research your route.
A popular ascent route is its north ridge my favourite for view points shown numberd on the beever map, which starts close to the A5 road, about one mile (1.5 km) east of Idwal Cottage (a youth hostel) or Ogwen Cottage (an outdoor pursuits centre) theres a free car park half way down the rd at lake ogwen near the first beever on the map 👍 From here a route leads directly up the ridge, a Grade 1 scramble by the easiest line. The difficulty can be increased if the most direct line is followed throughout, particularly in the upper sections of the ridge. About a third of the way up there is a distinctive rock known as "The Cannon" which points upwards at 45 degrees and is visible from the valley. The North Tower is located three quarters of the way up, which can be avoided to the right or climbed directly at a difficulty of Grade 2.
Tryfan may also be climbed by the south ridge, which links the mountain (via Bristly Ridge) to Glyder Fach. The route begins at Bwlch Tryfan, the col between Tryfan and Bristly Ridge. The col is reached by a path leading up from Idwal Cottage to the west, passing through Cwm Bochlwyd. This cwm contains Llyn Bochlwyd.
Two prominent pillar-like boulders are visible on the skyline midway through the approach to the summit via the South ridge. As these can be mistaken for Siôn a Siân from a distance, they have become known as Cain and Abel, continuing the biblical theme.
If you want the easiest and quickest route without to much climbing follow the pathway marked by the eager beevers this will take you up a winding path with plenty of stunning viewpoints much better in the short days and stunning in the summer when the heather and wild flowers are all in bloom.
The summit of Tryfan is famous for the twin monoliths of Siôn a Siân (Adam and Eve in English), a pair of rocks some three metres (10') high and separated by 1.2 metres (4'). The rocks are visible from the Ogwen valley, Those who tackle the "step" between the two rocks are said to gain the "Freedom of Tryfan" so youve just gotta pull up your big boy/girl pants up and make the jump, However, the exposure on one side is bum tingling, In calm dry weather it is not too hard a step but the penalties of failure are not only embarrassing but like me you may end up slipping on seagull pooh and taking a nose dive thankfully away from the exsposed cliff face on the other side always worse when its packed with people eating butties when youve just escaped A n E 😭 if it happens though pull them pants back up n do it again 👌
if tryfan is not enough for you the route can be exstended to take in glyder fach and glyder fawr
The approximate postcode for the car park is LL57 3LZ. If this one is full, there are several lay-bys and car parks further along the A5 along the banks of Lake Llyn Ogwen.
