The 50 Highest Mountains In Wales

Most people know the highest mountain in Wales is Mount Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), but I’d bet most people don’t know what the second highest mountain in Wales is or even the third for that matter! In this guide I hope to rectify that situation.

Wales is a small, mountainous country on the British mainland which has the Cambrian Mountains running north to south along its length. Branching off this backbone are two mountainous areas, Snowdonia (Eryri) and the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog), which also serve as National Parks. The highest peaks in Wales are mostly found in these two national parks, with only a few notable exceptions.

Snowdonia (Eryri) is characterised by rugged rock formations, many of which are volcanic in origin whereas the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) are characterised by softer, flat-topped peaks and valleys carved by glaciers.

The highest mountain in North Wales is Mount Snowdon or Yr Wyddfa to use its official Welsh name and is found in Snowdonia (Eryri) National Park. The Highest mountain in South Wales is Pen y Fan which is found in the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) National Park.

The three highest mountains in Wales are Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), Garnedd Ugain (Crib y Ddigyl) and Carnedd Llewelyn. They are all located in Snowdonia National Park in North Wales.

Below is a list of the 50 tallest mountains in Wales. This list reflects the Nuttalls classification, where a mountain in England and Wales is defined as being over 2000ft (610m) in height, with a rise of 50ft (15m) from all its surroundings. There are a total of 190 Nuttalls in Wales.

This is different to a Hewitt which applies to peaks in England, Wales and Ireland. By this definition a mountain is defined as being over 200ft (610m) in height but with a rise of 98.4ft (30m).

The first 15 of these Welsh mountains (Hewitts) are collectively known as the Welsh 3000s. These are mountains in Wales with a height of 3000ft or more. There is a challenge where brave competitors aim to summit all 15 peaks in under 24 hours. The total journey is 50km with nearly 4000m of ascent!

Note: You may notice there are 16 mountains in this list with a height of 3000ft or more however, Castell Y Gwynt is classed only as a Nuttall rather than a mountain (Hewitt), so is not included in the Welsh 3000s and is excluded from most ‘top 10 highest’ lists.

As somebody who grew up surrounded by these Welsh mountains and who has hiked many of them, I wanted to share this little tid-bit of knowledge with you all. The largest mountains in Wales are certainly not that large when compared to peaks in the Himalayas or the Alps, but they are beautiful none the less and offer their own unique challenges and rewards.

I hope you enjoy discovering all about the highest mountains in Wales and manage to get out there to hike a fair few too 🙂

The Tallest Mountains In Wales 

Rank	Mountain	Height (metres)	Height (feet)	Mountain Range	Region
1	Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)	1085	3560	Snowdon Massif	Snowdonia
2	Garnedd Ugain (Crib y Ddysgl)	1065	3560	Snowdon Massif	Snowdonia
3	Carnedd Llewelyn	1064	3491	Carneddau	Snowdonia
4	Carnedd Dafydd	1044	3425	Carneddau	Snowdonia
5	Glyder Fawr	1001	3283	Glyderau	Snowdonia
6	Glyder Fach	994	3262	Glyderau	Snowdonia
7	Pen yr Ole Wen	978	3209	Carneddau	Snowdonia
8	Foel Grach	976	3203	Carneddau	Snowdonia
9	Castell y Gwynt	972	3189	Glyderau	Snowdonia
10	Yr Elen	962	3156	Carneddau	Snowdonia
11	Y Garn	947	3107	Glyderau	Snowdonia
12	Foel-ffras	942	3091	Carneddau	Snowdonia
13	Carnedd Gwenllian	936	3038	Carneddau	Snowdonia
14	Elidir Fawr	924	3031	Glyderau	Snowdonia
15	Crib Goch	923	3028	Snowdon Massif	Snowdonia
16	Tryfan	918	3010	Glyderau	Snowdonia
17	Aran Fawddwy	905	2969	Arans	Snowdonia
18	Y Lliwedd	898	2946	Snowdon Massif	Snowdonia
19	Y Lliwedd east top	893	2930	Snowdon Massif	Snowdonia
20	Cadair Idris	893	2930	Cadair Idris	Snowdonia
21	Pen y Fan	886	2907	Brecon Beacons	Brecon Beacons
22	Aran Benllyn	885	2907	Arans	Snowdonia
23	Corn Du	873	2864	Brecon Beacons	Brecon Beacons
24	Erw y Ddafa-ddu	872	2861	Arans	Snowdonia
25	Moel Siabod	872	2861	Moelwynions	Snowdonia
26	Mynydd Moel	863	2831	Cadair Idris	Snowdonia
27	Arenig Fawr	854	2802	Arenigs
28	Llwytmor	849	2785	Carneddau	Snowdonia
29	Pen yr Helgi Du	833	2733	Carneddau	Snowdonia
30	Cadair Berwyn	832	2730	Berwyns	Powys
31	Foel Goch	831	2726	Glyderau	Snowdonia
32	Arenig Fawr South Top	830	2723	Arenigs	Snowdonia
33	Cadair Berwyn North Top	827	2713	Berwyns	Powys
34	Moel Sych	827	2713	Berwyns	Powys
35	Craig Gwaun Taf (Duwynt)	826	2710	Brecon Beacons	Brecon Beacons
36	Carnedd y Filliast	821	2694	Glyderau	Snowdonia
37	Lliwedd Bach	818	2684	Snowdon Massif	Snowdonia
38	Mynydd Perfedd	812	2664	Glyderau	Snowdonia
39	Cyfrwy	811	2661	Cadair Idris	Snowdonia
40	Waun Fach	811	2661	Black Mountains	Brecon Beacons
41	Bera Bach	807	2648	Carneddau	Snowdonia
42	Y Foel Goch	805	2641	Glyderau	Snowdonia
43	Fan Brycheiniog	802	2631	The Black Mountain	Brecon Beacons
44	Foel Meirch	800	2625	Carneddau	Snowdonia
45	Pen Llithrig y Wrach	799	2621	Carneddau	Snowdonia
46	Cribyn	795	2608		Brecon Beacons
47	Bera Mawr	794	2605	Carneddau	Snowdonia
48	Craig Cwm Amarch	791	2595	Cadair Idris	Snowdonia
49	Cadair Bronwen	783	2570	Berwyns	Powys
50	Moel Hebog	783	2570	Hebog and Nantile Ridge	Snowdonia

A Closer Look At The Top 10 Highest Mountains In Wales

1. Snowdon/ Yr Wyddfa, 1085m

• Map: OS Explorer OL17
• Pronounced: Err-With-va
• Meaning: Burial Mound (Often debated but this is the most likely)

Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales and England and sits within Snowdonia National Park. There are multiple hiking routes to the summit which I describe in this guide. Alternatively, in the Summer months visitors can take a train to the summit from the nearby town of Llanberis. 

2. Garnedd Ugain/Crib y Ddysgl, 1065m

• Map: OS Explorer OL17
• Pronounced: Gar-neth Ee-gain
• Meaning: Cairn of the Twenty, possibly named after a Roman legion based in Caernarfon.

The 2nd highest mountain in Wales is Garnedd Ugain. Garnedd Ugain is a neighbouring peak to Snowdon and is often climbed in combination with Crib Goch, Snowdon and Y Lliwedd to form the Snowdon Horseshoe. An incredible mountain day involving grade 1 scrambles and knife edge ridge walks.

Learn more about how to pronounce Welsh words in this guide.

3. Carnedd Llywelyn, 1064m

• Map: OS Explorer OL17
• Pronounced: Car-nedd Thlew-elen
• Meaning: Llywelyn’s Cairn, likely named after Llywelyn ap Gruffudd who was the last Prince of Wales and great grandson of Llywelyn the Great.

Carnedd Llywelyn is the third highest mountain in Wales and the highest mountain in the Carneddau range. This range has the largest area of land over 3000ft in England and Wales and many of the highest peaks. Carnedd Llywelyn itself is a rather sprawly peak but offers fine 360 degree views. 

4. Carnedd Dafydd, 1044m

• Map: OS Explorer OL17
• Pronounced: Car-neth Dav-ith
• Meaning: David’s Cairn, David being the younger brother to Llywelyn.

Carnedd Dafydd is the neighbour to bigger brother Llywelyn. As the two largest peaks in the range, Dafydd and Llywelyn are often combined in walks around the Carneddau. The ridge from Dafydd to Llywelyn is a fine section of high mountain walking, with great views on offer the whole way.

5. Glyder Fawr, 1000.8m

• Map: OS Explorer OL17
• Pronounced: Glid-er Vaw-oor
• Meaning: Big pile of rocks

Glyder Fawr, meaning big pile of rocks, is the highest peak in the Glyderau range. Glyder Fawr was remeasured with GPS in 2010 and was nearly 2 meters higher than previously thought, meaning it joined the list of Wales’ “Super Mountains” (mountains over 1000m high). It is an intriguing mountain with other-worldly rock formations strewed across the summit.

There are many routes to the top of Glyder Fawr which is often climbed in combination with other peaks in the range, namely Glyder Fach. A common route to the summit of Glyder Fawr is via the ominously named Devil’s Kitchen. You can read more about hiking routes through the Devil’s Kitchen to Glyder Fawr in this guide.

6. Glyder Fach, 994m

• Map: OS Explorer OL17
• Pronounced: Glid-er Var-ch with a soft ch as in loch
• Meaning: Small pile of rocks

Glyder Fach, meaning small pile of rocks, is a slightly smaller version of it’s adjoining peak Glyder Fawr. Although smaller, I would suggest this peak is even more interesting than Glyder Fawr, as it has the Cantilever Stone to play around on. For hiking routes to the top of Glyder Fach including some top grade scrambles, take a look at this guide.

7. Pen yr Ole Wen, 978m

• Map: OS Explorer OL17
• Pronounced: Pen-er-Ol-e-When
• Meaning: Head (top) of the White Slope

Pen yr Ole Wen, meaning Head of the White Slope, provides access to the rest of the Carneddau range from Ogwen Valley. A direct scree-climb to the summit of Pen yr Ole Wen is possible from Ogwen Boathouse, however there is a far more interesting route available from the eastern side. To learn more about hiking Pen yr Ole wen, take a look at this guide.

8. Foel Grach, 976m

• Map: OS Explorer OL17
• Pronounced: Voil Grar-ch with a soft ch as in lock
• Meaning: Scabby/Bare Hill

Foel Grach is another from the Carneddau range and the northerly neighbour to Carnedd Llywelyn. Translating to (the rather unglamorous) Scabby Hill, this broad, grassy peak tends to collect snow in the Winter months. There is now a shelter just off the summit if refuge is required.

9. Castell y Gwynt, 972m

• Map: OS Explorer OL17
• Pronounced: Kas-tethl ur Goo-int
• Meaning: Castle of the Wind

Located between the two peaks of Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach, Castell y Gwynt or Castle of Winds is an intriguing rock formation. Castell y Gwynt was remeasured in 2007 and upgraded to a Nuttall. Despite this new classification it has not been added to the Welsh 3000 list.

None the less, Castell y Gwynt offers a fun scramble for anyone wanting to bag the summit but can also be easily by-passed when passing between the two main Glyder peaks.

10. Yr Elen, 962m

• Map: OS Explorer OL17
• Pronounced: Er Elen
• Meaning: Elen is possibly short for Eleanor who was the wife of Llywelyn

Coming in at number 10 on this list of Welsh mountains is Yr Elen, which is another from the Carneddau range. Yr Elen is found just to the west of Carnedd Llywelyn to which it is connected by a ridge. Yr Elen tends to attract little attention from walkers since it stands as a spur away from the main ridge. Hikes to Yr Elen are often combined in loops with Llywelyn and Dafydd.

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