Is this the best hike in Snowdonia National Park? Traversing the Nantlle Ridge

Shumai and welcome. Today's trail comes from the northwest of Snowdonia National Park where I'm going to be hiking across the Nantlle Ridge. This underappreciated and undervisited slice of Snowdonia is absolutely incredible and is one of my favorite hikes in the National Park. So let's get into it. The Nantlle Ridge stretches for nine kilometers between the villages of Nebo in the west and Reith Dee in the east. The challenging 11 kilometer one-way route involves 870 meters of elevation gain and should take between four and a half and eight hours depending on your fitness. Please remember to wear the appropriate clothing and equipment for the time of year you are hiking, check and monitor the weather conditions and either carry a physical map and compass or have the route downloaded for offline use. Now today because I'm being joined by a videographer we have decided to traverse the full ridge from west to east. We've left one car at the end point in Reith Dee and we've made the 10 mile drive to the start point here. Both car parks are free but are relatively small so bear that in mind. The hike starts by crossing the wooden footbridge 700 meter summit of Garned Gorch. In total it was just under three kilometers and involved around 470 meters of elevation gain. Initially the path is quite gentle and easy to follow however it does become a little bit steeper and harder to navigate. After around 2.3 kilometers you'll hit a stone wall. From there bear left and begin the steep 500 meter ascent up to the summit. So the summit translates to Red Karn and is marked by a rather sorry looking trig point which could do with a little bit of TLC. However you are granted spectacular panoramic 360 degree views over the Klyn Peninsula, Anglesey, Snowdonia and looking south down at the Keredigion coast. Right from here cross over the wooden stile and begin to follow the stone wall towards the next peak. After around a mile of gentle incline you'll reach the summit of Kraig Kum Silin. Now at 734 meters this is the highest point on the Nantfall ridge. The summit is marked by a stone shelter and it affords spectacular 360 degree panoramic views. My favorite view however is looking down the ridge towards Snowdon. There's more layers than the Annes Vianetta. It's absolutely majestical. Now the next section is probably the most technical and tricky on the route. You descend down to a saddle at 500 meters and there are some elements of light scrambling. So let's go tackle it. So the next summit you'll reach is Munneth Talamigneth. Now this is marked by an absolutely colossal trig point which is one of the largest I've ever seen. It was built to commemorate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee. The summit is a little over halfway into the walk and the majority of the climbing is behind you. For that reason I would recommend stopping here to have a little bit of lunch. Once you've done that continue onwards to follow the Viskol. Now at 709 meters it's only the second highest peak however it definitely has the best views with an epic sweeping ridgeline looking towards Snowdon and the rest of the ridge which you've already hiked in the backdrop. It truly is incredible. Now from here you follow the sweeping ridgeline down and back up to Munneth Drus y Coed before heading on to the final peak of Irgan. Nantlleir ridge and the views are absolutely spectacular. The sun is setting and it's incredible no matter which direction I look. Now take care coming down Munneth Drus y Coed. There is some light scrambling and the terrain is rocky and slippery underfoot. From here it's a two kilometer descent back down to your car. Again take care it's not technical or exposed however it does drop 450 meters so it is very steep. The sun is setting and like I said it's been an absolutely incredible day. This is definitely one of my favorite heights in the National Park and one that I recommend you come down and do for yourselves. The views are phenomenal, the scenery is incredible and best of all I haven't seen a single person across the entire hike. It's also a great introduction to ridge walking as the ridges are very wide, non-exposed and not technical. Anyway that's it from me. Until next time, diolch yn fawr.