LANDSCAPE & COMMISSIONED PHOTOGRAPHY
LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY LOCATION GUIDES:
Snowdon Rhyd Ddu Path
Summary:
Best at / for: sunset for projected light on Snowdon and views southwards.
Best avoided: during low cloud / poor visibility
Parking: paid parking at start of the path.
Access: extensive steep hill walking required for summit.
Notes: great hiking / wild camping opportunities off the path.
Details:
Rather like its close neighbour the Snowdon Ranger Path, which starts from just along the valley between Beddgelert and Caernarfon, the Snowdon Rhyd Ddu Path is also one of the quieter of the 6 main routes to the summit. And although steep walking in parts, on the whole it is easier than other routes, with the exception of the Llanberis Path. But it is much shorter than the latter.
However, where the Rhyd Ddu Path comes into its own for the landscape photographer, is the access it affords to other peaks and panoramic views. And being on the south-facing side of the range it is sunlit – when there is any!
Looking north west along the ridge from Moel Cynghorion, Foels Goch & Gron, and Moel Eilio offers stunning summer sunset panoramas. And there are great vistas looking southwards across the Moelwyns, and towards the Lleyn Peninsula, with the whole of the Nantlle Ridge and Moel Hebog on show!
The lower slopes of the Path can be advantageous to photographers even when there is zero visibility of the peaks themselves. In these conditions, moody monochrome landscapes and intimate compositions can also be found. And mists in the forest areas across Llyns Cwellyn, Llyn y Dywarchen and Llyn Y Gader can make for good compositions from the elevated viewpoint of the lower slopes of the Rhyd Ddu Path.