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.

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.

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.

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.

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.