The north ridge of Tryfan is one of our best known, and most loved mountain routes and whichever way you choose to go up, you’ll need to use your hands to reach the top. Regularly voted one of the best scrambles in Snowdonia, this grade one scramble is a great way to step up from your typical hill-walking day but without the need for ropes and other technical equipment.

With scrambling there’ll often be more exposure and things can go wrong easily by going off-route and entering real climbing territory but that’s where MountainXperience come in. We’ll guide you safely on a day out you won’t forget picking the best route to the top for your ability.

You’ll meet your guide by Llyn Ogwen in the Ogwen Valley and start the short walk uphill around Milestone Buttress before arriving at the ridge itself. This is the start of a long, sustained scramble but with plenty of opportunities for breaks. After a photo stop at the famous cannon stone, you’ll continue towards the domineering north tower. We usually skirt around this preferring the secret gully option as we get close to the summit and the spectacular Adam and Eve boulders. After lunch, our descent is via the south ridge and around Llyn Bochlwyd before arriving back at Llyn Ogwen.

Whether you’re doing it for charity, with a group of friends, as a family outing or just for your own pleasure MountainXperience can take the hassle out of planning your adventure and keep you safe on the day. We only work with qualified and experienced mountain guides who are fully insured and hold up-to-date first aid certificates to ensure your safety. We’ve been exploring Snowdonia’s mountains for over a decade and we love nothing more than sharing them with you.

If you’re ready to book your mountain day on Tryfan with MountainXperience, simply choose your preferred date from our live availability calendar and our booking partners FareHarbor will arrange everything for you. 

You might also be interested in our Snowdon via Crib Goch adventure or our Intro to Scrambling course.

Pick your own date

    If there's three or more of you in your group we can add a date that suits you. We'll then advertise this new date on our website for others to join or if you'd like one of our guides to run a private event just for you, please contact us.

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    Frequently Asked Questions

    We deliberately keep our group sizes small to ensure your safety and to give you the most enjoyable experience. There’s typically up to six people on our Scramble Tryfan adventures.

    Of course! Around half our clients come on their own. It’s a great way to meet other like-minded adventurers.

    Children are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent or guardian at all times and we’d recommend a ratio of one adult to one child excluding our guide. We suggest that children should have some hiking experience and not be afraid of heights! If you’re unsure about your child’s suitability please get in touch and we can have a chat.

    That all depends on how quick you walk! If walking in a group then we’ll always aim to stay together and will go at the pace of the slowest person. You should treat it as a day out and expect it to take six to eight hours to get to the top and back down again. We never treat these days as races or endurance tests – the idea is to enjoy yourself.

    Absolutely not! As with many outdoor activities you can easily spend a fortune on the latest top-end clothing but there’s really no need. Hiking boots are better than walking shoes and walking shoes are better than trainers but if all you have is a pair of firm, comfy trainers then they’ll be fine.

    Starting from the bottom up, you’ll need something comfy to walk in. If you’ve bought new footwear try to wear them a few times before your day to make sure they’re a good fit. An extra pair of socks can also be a good idea. Walking trousers are great particularly the ones you can zip the bottoms off to make shorts. Jeans are really bad as if they get wet they become very heavy and are difficult to dry. The key to your top half is layers. Don’t wear a t-shirt then a big heavy coat – better to wear a t-shirt, a fleece of some sort and a jacket – that way you can easily add/remove layers as the conditions change. If you have a hat and gloves then pack them. Remember the temperature on the summit will always be considerably less than at sea level so be prepared. Finally you’ll need a rucksack to carry everything. No need for a huge expedition backpack – just something big enough to carry your lunch and spare bits. If you have any questions about what you need on the day, get in touch.

    There are public toilets and a small snack bar just up the road at the Ogwen Valley Centre close to where we end the walk but nothing else throughout the day so be sure to bring everything with you.

    Due to the nature of this activity it’s not really suitable for pets – even adventurous ones. Sorry.

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