Pen-y-Pass

Pen-y-Pass is a mountain pass in Snowdonia, North Wales. It is a popular location from which to walk up Snowdon, as three of the popular routes (Miners' track, Pyg track and the ascent via Crib Goch) can be started here. Glyder Fawr is also accessible from here.

Situated at the high point of the Llanberis pass, the road here was built in the 1830s to allow ore from the mines on Snowdon to be transported to Llanberis. It would be taken down the Miners' Track to a store-house at Pen-y-Pass first. Previously, the miners had had to move the ore over the Snowdon summit and down to Beddgelert.

The Llanberis pass road extends past Pen-y-Pass to join the Beddgelert to Capel Curig road at the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel.

A youth hostel and a National Park-run car park are located at Pen-y-Pass. The youth hostel was once used as a base by George Mallory whilst training for his expeditions to Mount Everest.

References

1. The mountains of England and Wales, Volume 1 Wales. John and Ann Nuttal
2. Youth Hostels Association Guidebook, 2005–06