I’ve guided strong groups around the full Snowdon Horseshoe in five to six hours, while slower groups have taken over eight hours with a Miners’ Track descent. These are timings from my guided days, including the approach and the scrambling beyond Crib Goch.

By the time we stop below the first steep rock step, I’ve already learnt quite a lot about the group. A look at what I’m watching and doing throughout a guided Crib Goch day, including the decisions you might not notice.

My first crossing involved driving rain and an instructor hauling me along by my rucksack. Since then, there’s been a fell-running obsession and more than 200 crossings, with a slightly unreasonable amount of the route now lodged in my head.

A confident person ahead of you might be taking a harder line deliberately, or they might be lost. From the East Ridge to the Goat Track on Crib y Ddysgl, some examples of why a worn path or another person isn’t enough to choose your route.

What actually happens on a Mountain Craft Crib Goch day, from the joining information and the climb out of Pen y Pass to the pinnacles and the choice of descent. The whole outing, including the bits that rarely make it into the reels.

Most of my first-time clients find Crib Goch less frightening than they’d expected, though some find the exposure every bit as serious as they imagined. Here’s what the dramatic footage often leaves out.

Bwlch y Moch can be considerably windier than you’d expect. I carry a wind meter, but the reading is only part of the decision. Here’s how I assess a marginal Crib Goch day and what happens when we change the route.

If you’ve already had a difficult day on Crib Goch, I’d like to hear what happened before we plan a return. Sometimes going back makes sense; sometimes a different scramble is a better place to start.

What experience helps before Crib Goch, how I assess people on the approach and why I’d like to hear about the mountain day that didn’t go brilliantly as well as the ones you enjoyed.

Lliwedd can be a brilliant way to finish a Crib Goch day, but there’s a substantial amount of scrambling and descent left once you leave Yr Wyddfa. Here’s how I decide whether the full Snowdon Horseshoe suits the group.

The 24-hour and 3-day Welsh 3000s cover the same mountains, but they are not simply hard and easy versions of the same challenge. The pace, fatigue and experience of the route are very different.

People often ask how fit they need to be for the Welsh 3000s. There isn’t a single distance, pace or fitness test that gives a useful answer. What matters is how that fitness holds up on rough mountain terrain for a very long time.

Crib Goch gets most of the attention before a Welsh 3000s attempt, but it is rarely where I see the biggest problems. Three steep, rough descents later in the route can have far more effect on pace, fatigue and whether people carry on.

John joined Mountain Craft on its first guided mountain day, an open Nantlle Ridge group in April 2025. Since then there has been scrambling, navigation, Welsh 3000s, the first Blackout and a growing list of mountain days planned and completed for himself.

Four clients handed over their phones, cameras and GPS for 23 hours, without knowing the route beforehand. Experiment 000 was Mountain Craft’s first Solstice Blackout: a deliberately quiet mountain journey built around uncertainty, wild camping and seeing what happened when the usual technology disappeared.

After six months of training and two attempts affected by poor weather, Anna returned to the Welsh 3000s for a private third attempt. Across 53.8km, 4,170m of ascent and nearly 24 hours on the move, she crossed all 15 summits in one continuous journey through rain, cloud, darkness and some very difficult conditions.

The Llangollen Round is a 52km skyline circuit that demands respect. Last weekend, our team took on the full loop in classic mixed Welsh weather: bright sunshine, brief snow flurries, and testing 40-50mph winds. Read the trip report, see the stats from a solid 12-hour day on the hill, and download our verified HiiKER GPX map. Looking to test your own team? We run this iconic circuit as a fully supported private challenge.

Widely regarded as the most uncompromising day walk in Eryri, the Rhinogydd 700s is a journey into the "Badlands" of Wales. This ~20km circular tackles four 700m peaks across pathless heather and broken rock. Get the full route stats, download our verified HiiKER GPX map, or book a guided Mountain Craft day to safely navigate this prehistoric wilderness with an expert.

The Nantlle Ridge is a classic skyline traverse on the western edge of Eryri, offering a perfect balance of accessible hill walking and hands-on scrambling. Far quieter than the central peaks, this linear journey crosses seven summits with constant coastal panoramas. Get the full route stats, download our verified HiiKER GPX map, or book a guided Mountain Craft day to tackle the scramble with an expert.

Aran Fawddwy is the highest peak in Wales south of Yr Wyddfa, yet it sits in a pocket of Eryri that most walkers ignore. Discover our rugged 19km circular route from Llanuwchllyn through the "Empty Quarter" of the national park. Get the full route stats, download our verified HiiKER GPX map, or book a guided Mountain Craft day to tackle this spectacular terrain with an expert.