Tryfan
917 m
United Kingdom
Also known as ТрйфанAlso known as
Трйфан
- Elevation
- 917 m
- Prominence
- 191 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- May–Jun
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 2 check notes
- the line does not follow 'Llyn Bochlwyd', the route's namesake (167 m away): mislabelled
- waypoints not on the route line: Llyn Bochlwyd (166 m off the trail)
Sources differ: UK scrambling grade 1 (low end) (The Bald Scrambler; Mud and Routes)
The least difficult way up Tryfan, though still a scramble: from Ogwen Cottage up the path into Cwm Bochlwyd, past Llyn Bochlwyd to the wall at Bwlch Tryfan, then hands-on clambering up the rocky South Ridge to the twin summit monoliths of Adam and Eve. About 600 m of ascent and 2–3 hours up.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 3.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +613 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 917 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 2h 25m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 1h 36m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at the Ogwen Centre car park at Ogwen Cottage (about 310 m) at the west end of Llyn Ogwen. Climb the pitched path towards Cwm Idwal and after about five minutes take the easily missed left fork, which climbs beside the stream and waterfall issuing from Cwm Bochlwyd. Cross the outflow of Llyn Bochlwyd and follow the partly paved path, then boulders and rougher ground, south-east to the stone wall at Bwlch Tryfan (about 750 m), the col between Tryfan and Glyder Fach's Bristly Ridge. From the wall the ground steepens. There is no single path: follow the polished, well-worn rock up the South Ridge over the Far South Peak; if the rock looks untrodden you have strayed off line. The upper ridge is rockier, with a short exposed 'bad step' above the drops into Cwm Tryfan before the flat summit and the 3 m monoliths Adam and Eve (Siôn a Siân). Allow 2–3 hours up. The usual descent is back down the South Ridge to the wall and Cwm Bochlwyd (about 1½ hours). The broad western scree gully above the A5 is quicker but loose, and slips have occurred there; avoid the other gullies on both faces, which lead into steep crags. In wet, windy or misty weather the polished rock is slippery and route-finding hard, and Tryfan accounts for about 30% of mountain deaths in the Glyderau and Carneddau.
Start
Ogwen Cottage304 m
- TrawsCymru T10 (Bangor–Bethesda–Betws-y-Coed–Corwen) stops at Ogwen Cottage; Bws Ogwen electric minibus from Bethesda
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ogwen Cottage → Tryfan | 3.0 | 613 | 0 | 2h 25m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Ogwen Cottage304 m
National Park pay-and-display car park, toilets, snack bar; T10 bus stop Llyn Ogwen, Pen y Benglog
- Feature: Llyn Bochlwyd550 m
not on route line
- Col: Bwlch Tryfan727 m
Stone wall; start of the South Ridge and of Bristly Ridge
- Summit: Tryfan917 m
Key Passages
- Easily missed left fork towards Cwm Bochlwyd
- Wall at Bwlch Tryfan
- Exposed 'bad step' on the upper South Ridge
- Adam and Eve summit monoliths
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
A jagged fin of rock rising straight out of the Ogwen valley in Eryri (Snowdonia), 917 m high. Every way to its summit monoliths, Adam and Eve, needs hands on rock, which makes it the classic introduction to British scrambling.
Tryfan stands in the Glyderau, directly above the A5 and Llyn Ogwen, its three buttresses and long North Ridge visible from the road. It is a mountain of bare, rough rock with no walking route to the top: the South Ridge is the easiest line, a short grade 1 clamber from Bwlch Tryfan, while the North Ridge gives 600 m of continuous scrambling from the valley floor. The flat summit carries two 3 m pillars, Adam and Eve (Siôn a Siân), and stepping across the 1.2 m gap between them is said to earn the 'Freedom of Tryfan'.
Because the start is at 310 m and the summit only 2–4 hours away, Tryfan is extremely popular, and it has a poor safety record: walkers underestimate the scrambling, lose the line in mist on polished rock, or descend the wrong gully into crags. In good conditions it is a superb short day, often extended over Bristly Ridge to Glyder Fach and Glyder Fawr.
The east face holds multi-pitch rock climbs, and the Milestone Buttress above the road is one of the most climbed crags in Wales. In winter the mountain becomes a serious winter mountaineering objective.
Climbing Notes
Hill fitness for 600 m of ascent is enough; what matters is a head for heights, confident movement on rock, and the judgement to turn back. The South Ridge from Ogwen Cottage via Llyn Bochlwyd is the best first ascent; the North Ridge is better for those with some scrambling experience, descending by the South Ridge. Allow 4–6 hours for a round trip.
Go in dry, clear weather: the polished rock is slippery when wet and route-finding in mist is notoriously difficult. Carry OS OL17 or Harvey's Snowdonia North map and a compass, and know the descent before you go (South Ridge to Bwlch Tryfan). A helmet is sensible on the busy ridges. Don't carry a rope unless you know how to use it. In winter conditions an ice axe, crampons and winter skills are essential. Guided scrambling days are offered by many instructors based in the Ogwen and Capel Curig area.
History
The name probably combines the intensifier try- with ban ('peak'), roughly 'very high peak'. Legend places the grave of Sir Bedivere (Bedwyr) on the mountain. The Direct Route on the Milestone Buttress, graded Very Difficult, was first climbed by G. Barlow and H. Priestley-Smith in 1910 and is still one of the busiest climbs in Wales. Tryfan's height was given as 915 m from the mid-1980s until a GPS survey in June 2010 found it 2.4 m higher, at 917.5 m. Readers of Trail magazine have voted it Britain's favourite mountain.
Season
Best May–Jun- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Winter mountaineering in snow and ice; short days
- Feb
- Winter conditions likely; ice axe and crampons
- Mar
- Variable; snow and verglas possible on the ridges
- Apr
- Usually snow-free; busy at Easter
- May
- Long days, often dry rock
- Jun
- Long days; start early or late to avoid queues
- Jul
- Busy; Ogwen car park fills early
- Aug
- Busy; Ogwen car park fills early
- Sep
- Fewer people; dry rock in settled spells
- Oct
- Wetter, shorter days
- Nov
- Wet, windy and short days
- Dec
- Winter conditions possible
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Ogwen Centre car park (Eryri National Park): GBP 6 per day or GBP 3 for 4 hours, card payment only
- Bethesda Football Club park-and-ride car park: GBP 7 per day
- Rules
- No parking on the A5 through the Ogwen valley: double yellow lines (Prohibition of Waiting Order in force since 21 March 2023) cover both sides from Ogwen Cottage to beyond the east end of Llyn Ogwen; the Milestone Buttress and Bryn Melyn lay-bys are not affected. Vehicles touching the carriageway are ticketed and may be towed.
- Eryri National Park: stay on paths where they exist and keep dogs under control near livestock and feral goats
- Getting There
Bethesda (and Capel Curig)
Liverpool John Lennon (LPL) or Manchester (MAN)
- TrawsCymru T10 bus (Bangor–Bethesda–Ogwen–Capel Curig–Betws-y-Coed–Corwen), roughly hourly, stops at Ogwen Cottage and Gwern Gof Isaf
- Bws Ogwen, a 9-seat electric minibus between Bethesda and Ogwen run by the Ogwen Partnership
- Rail to Bangor or Betws-y-Coed, then the T10
- By car on the A5; Ogwen car park fills early in holidays, so use the Bethesda park-and-ride
Hazards
- Exposure
- Weather