Wild Trails Wales Guide: 12 Welsh Mountains for your Calendar this year

Maybe you’ve walked Pen y Fan and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and want to expand your horizons, quite literally in the coming year. To mark the turning of the year, I wanted to come up with a guide which could inspire you to explore different mountains in Wales throughout the year ahead; help you get to know Wales better, and realise that there is always somewhere else to explore; another fantastic place to walk, and another view to take your breath away. So, this guide is a calendar worth of inspiration for mountain walking in Wales for the new year. I’ve tried to include a spread across Wales but inevitably some areas will be left out.

All mountain walks in Wales require good preparation and navigation. This list is intended to be used for inspiration and a starting point for you to plan your walks, rather than full route descriptions. If you’re looking for route descriptions why not sign up to our newsletter here, and you’ll receive a free regular route description to your inbox.

If you want to improve your skills & confidence for heading into the mountains why not take a look at our range of courses, or consider going with a qualified guide.

Without further ado, here are twelve beautiful mountains to visit in Wales, some are within easy reach and some require a bit more effort. As always, this guide is for inspiration only and we can’t be responsible for anything that goes wrong on your walks. Go prepared - see Adventure Smart for advice.

1/ Waun Fach

*Descending Waun Fach via Y Grib (Dragon’s Back)*

The highest point in the Black Mountains in the East of Wales, a visit to Waun Fach is best combined with an ascent or descent of the Dragon’s Back ridge, with phenomenal views over the surrounding countryside. The summit itself is not much to write home about, but the wide open spaces and charachter of the Black Mountains is not to be missed. Handy if travelling to Wales from the East.

2/ Fan Hir

Fan Hir - the long peak, is exactly as its name describes. There’s a long walk along a gently rising plateau with a dramatic escarpment to one side. This peak is one of the quieter places in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. A circular route takes you along the base of the mountain on the Beacons Way low route, climbing up at Bwlch Giedd and returning along the top, dropping down steeply at the end.

3/ Fan Gyhirch

Looking to Crai Reservoir from Fan Gyhirch

A very quiet summit, this one is fantastic for a sunrise or sunset as it’s a bit of an outlier with views in all directions. Access from the main road near Crai, or take a longer route via Fan Nedd from Heol Senni, or the long winding forestry track.

4/ Pumlumon

Trig point at Pumlumon overlooking the Nant y Moch reservoir

Situated in the middle of Wales, Pumlumon has views of the entire country on a clear day, from the Brecon Beacons in the south to Eryri in the north, as well as a sweep of the west coast of Wales. There are various approaches, but the approach from Eisteddfa Gurig is easiest for those coming from the south. The Nant y Moch approach offers the more dramatic perspective of the mountain though.

5/ Yr Elen, Carneddau

An outlier in the Carneddau, Yr Elen is best approached from Bethesda or as a detour on a classic Carneddau loop from Ogwen Valley. The views over the Caseg and Llafar valleys are breathtaking; both are worth exploring for remains of ancient settlements and sheepfolds as well as interesting nature.

6/ Elidir Fawr

This mountain is perhaps one of the most exploited by humans in Wales. From the Llanberis side the mountainside has been cut half away into the enormous quarry at Dinorwig, and at its northern base is the Marchlyn Mawr reservoir; an impressive feat of engineering. Approached from the east, there is still beauty and rawness to the mountain, which has a pyramidal peak distinctive from miles away.

7/ Cadair Berwyn

The Berwyns have a feeling of the wild west about them which is hard to put your finger on. Maybe it’s the boggy badlands at their base, or the poorly maintained stiles and tales of UFOs (yes, really). But these mountains offer lofty views of the east of Wales that are otherwise hard to come by. The view from Cadair Berwyn at 827m overlooking Llyn Lluncaws, over the expansive rural borders, is captivating. A long, and boggy route from Llandrillo takes in Cadair Bronwen and the stone circle, before heading over to Cadair Berwyn and back through forestry to Llandrillo. Otherwise, climb up from Pistyll Rhaeadr to include the waterfall in your visit.

8/ Pen yr Helgi Du

This is one of the lower peaks in the Carneddau range and often very quiet. A great walk goes via Ffynon Llugwy climbing to Bwlch Erw Farchog and includes a very small amount of easy scrambling. An easier return route is via Y Braich.

9/ Aran Fawddwy

One of the quietest mountains over 900 metres in Wales, Aran Fawddwy is also the furthest south of the 900m+ peaks in Wales. It’s a tough climb, involving a very long walk in or some steep climbing and significant bog. Approach from Llanwchllyn or Cwm Cywarch.

10/ Mynydd Mawr

Views towards Grib Nantlle (Nantlle Ridge) from Mynydd Mawr

A hunk of a mountain, Mynydd Mawr is off the radar of most people, being lower in elevation at just 698 metres. Size really doesn’t matter in this case though as the views are fantastic and you’ll likely have the place to yourself. Approach from Rhyd Du, Betws Garmon or Moel Tryfan.

11/ Moel Hebog

Moel Hebog stands tall over the village of Beddgelert and is rough and rugged, with various approaches. The easiest is from the west, along the smoother grassier slopes, but the more exciting approaches are from Beddgelert side. At 780 metres it is the highest peak in its range, and has amazing views over Pen Llyn and Tremadog bay to Harlech.

12/ Diffwys (Rhinogydd)

There are several peaks named Diffwys in Wales, meaning precipice or abyss. In this case the name is a perfect description as from the summit the land drops dramatically to the surrounding land far below. This Diffwys is found on the south of the Rhinogydd range and is easiest approached from this side. However, for the most interesting approach come through Cwm Mynach or Ganllwyd to see the remains of the gold mines.