Mt Snowden advice please

[magicmistertea]

Im heading up to Wales next month for a little road trip, I was thinking of riding up Mt Snowden on the mountain bikes with the mrs.
So I was after a little advice.. which route is best ? which routes are we allowed to ride ? any other tips much appreciated.

 

[Chute55uk]

Your allowed up Llanberis path and the ranger to be honest whatever way you go your mainly gonna be pushing up. Llanberis has massive bounders but is much wider although it is very steep at the bottom by the car park. Ive ridden both ways I would go up the ranger and down Llanberis but obviously if you leave your car at the ranger you will have a fair trip to recover it. There is an unwritten rule that bikes are off the mountain by 10am and Llanberis gets very very busy from around 9am so if your gonna be coming down that way it will be slow going. I cant comment on the pyg ive never ridden it. The last time I did it was 2009 up and fiwn Llanberis we set off at 6 and was back by 10.30

 

[We_are_Stevo]

If you stay here...

http://www.campinginllanberis.com/

...you have the best of both worlds; you can ride to the Ranger Path from the site (steep rocky section you will have to carry the bikes up) then come back down the Llanberis Path, which is rideable all the way down

As above for setting out early to avoid the worst of the walkers...

 

[nazgul]

The voluntary agreement is that between the hours of 10.00 am and 5 pm from 1st May to 30th September cyclists should not cycle on the Snowdon bridleways apart from the Bwlch Maesgwm bridleway
The only trouble with the morning ( apart from getting up early ) is that you meet all the walkers going up, usually on the steep tarmac hill into the village, much easier in the evening

 

[MikeD]

Up Llanberis path (1/2-2/3 rideable). Down Rangers, but not all the way. Push up to Bwlch Maesgwm, descend back to Llanberis.

 

[We_are_Stevo]

Having run down both I would rather ride 'down' the Llanberis; wouldn't recommend riding down the Ranger to someone who doesn't know it...

...the gentle, grassy decline from Hafod Eryri rapidly turns into something akin to cycling off Beach Head, quickly followed by a slightly less demanding version of the Giants Causeway! :shock:

Better to carry it 'up' those sections then have a nice 5-mile downhill on the Llanberis, after a fortifying Oggi and a cup of tea followed by the ubiquitous photo session (if you get a clear day)

 

[MikeD]

Dunno. Llanberis seems like walker pinball at the best of times. Might as well just do a Llanberis out-and-back if you want to come down that way -- it's an easier climb as well.

Rangers is quite adventurous in places, I'll grant you


Snowdon by MikeDavis, on Flickr