A special CampaMate mountain challenge
Fifteen Welsh summits over 3,000 feet across three mountain groups. Attempt the classic 24-hour round, or complete them your way over days, weekends or years.
Two ways to complete them
Mountain ticks are shared with your Welsh Nuttalls list — tick Yr Wyddfa in either place and it is ticked in both. Your challenge times, notes and achievements are kept here.
Add individual summit dates in the mountain list below — they fill in your start and finish automatically.
Tick all 15 summits (0/15 so far).
Three groups, fifteen summits
Listed in the usual south-to-north order of the traditional round. Heights are from the Database of British and Irish Hills.
0 / 3 complete
Yr Wyddfa, Crib y Ddysgl and Crib Goch. The traditional round usually starts here — and Crib Goch’s exposed scramble comes early.
The highest mountain in Wales and the start of the traditional Welsh 3000s. The summit is reached by several well-known paths and by the Snowdon Mountain Railway, so it can be busy — but it remains a serious mountain in poor weather. Eryri National Park Authority uses the Welsh name, Yr Wyddfa.
Wales’s second-highest summit, also known as Garnedd Ugain, sits just north of Yr Wyddfa where the Pyg and Llanberis paths meet the ridge from Crib Goch.
A narrow red-rock arête and the most exposed section of the Snowdon Horseshoe. Crossing it is a graded scramble with big drops on both sides; it is not a walking route and is best avoided in wind, wet or winter conditions unless you have the right skills.
0 / 5 complete
Elidir Fawr, Y Garn, Glyder Fawr, Glyder Fach and Tryfan. A steep climb out of Nant Peris, rocky summits and a scramble on Tryfan before the descent to Ogwen.
The westernmost of the Glyderau 3000s, rising above Marchlyn Mawr reservoir. The Dinorwig pumped-storage power station is built deep inside the mountain.
A shapely peak above Cwm Idwal with fine views down to Llyn Idwal and Llyn Bochlwyd. On the 3000s it sits between Glyder Fawr and Elidir Fawr.
The highest of the Glyderau, just over 1,000m, with a summit of shattered rock spikes. The Devil’s Kitchen (Twll Du) cleft lies below its northern slopes.
A boulder-strewn summit famous for the balanced Cantilever Stone. Bristly Ridge, a popular scramble, climbs to it from the east, and Castell y Gwynt stands between it and Glyder Fawr.
One of the most recognisable mountains in Britain, rising steeply above Llyn Ogwen. There is no walking route to the top: every ascent involves scrambling. The summit boulders Adam and Eve stand side by side.
0 / 7 complete
Pen yr Ole Wen, Carnedd Dafydd, Carnedd Llewelyn, Yr Elen, Foel Grach, Carnedd Gwenllian and Foel-fras. Long, high and exposed to weather, with the out-and-back to Yr Elen.
The southern end of the Carneddau, rising steeply from Llyn Ogwen. Its direct ascent from Ogwen is one of the steepest climbs of the Welsh 3000s.
The second-highest of the Carneddau, with the dark cliffs of Ysgolion Duon (the Black Ladders) falling from the ridge to the north-east.
The highest summit of the Carneddau and the third-highest in Wales. Broad, stony and often windswept, it is the hub of the range’s high ridges.
A pointed spur off Carnedd Llewelyn. On the Welsh 3000s it is a dead end: you climb it and return the same way to Carnedd Llewelyn.
A broad summit on the main Carneddau ridge. A small emergency refuge shelter stands just below the top — for genuine emergencies only.
Formerly known as Garnedd Uchaf, this rocky top was renamed Carnedd Gwenllian in 2009 in honour of Gwenllian, daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. It is the lowest of the Carneddau 3000s.
The northernmost Welsh 3000 and the traditional finish of the challenge. Its stony summit has a trig point and a long stone wall.
Castell y Gwynt — “the castle of the winds” — is a crown of rock pinnacles between Glyder Fach and Glyder Fawr. It stands over 3,000ft and became a Nuttall in 2007, when surveyors measured a 16m drop. It is not one of the traditional fifteen: the Welsh 3000s list predates its promotion and is usually kept as the same fifteen summits, which are also the Welsh hills on the SMC’s list of 3,000ft “Furths” outside Scotland.
Many walkers cross it anyway on the way between the Glyders. Tick it here for your Nuttalls collection — it will never change your challenge total from 15/15.
Photo: George Tod · CC BY-SA 2.0About the Welsh 3000s
The Welsh 3000s are the fifteen mountains in Wales over 3,000 feet (914.4m) that make up the traditional challenge: three on the Yr Wyddfa massif, five in the Glyderau and seven in the Carneddau. All of them are also Nuttalls. You may see the round called the “14 Peaks” in older accounts.
The classic challenge is to stand on all fifteen within 24 hours. That is a serious endurance undertaking — but the summits themselves are open to everyone, and plenty of walkers enjoy collecting them over several days or seasons. CampaMate supports both.
The traditional rules time the round from the first summit to the last; walking in and out is extra. Most parties go south to north — Yr Wyddfa first, Foel-fras last — on a line of roughly 40km with around 3,000m of ascent between summits, plus a long walk in and out. Figures vary with the line taken, so plan your own.
Split the round by mountain group — one day each for the Yr Wyddfa massif, the Glyderau and the Carneddau — or pick off summits on separate visits. There is no time limit: add each summit date as you go and CampaMate works out how many days you used.
Recce the trickier sections first, especially Crib Goch, the descent to Nant Peris, Tryfan and the route off the Carneddau. Choose settled weather with long daylight, set realistic turn-back times and agree a plan for anyone who wants to stop part-way.
The round links three groups separated by deep valleys — Llanberis Pass (Nant Peris) and the Ogwen valley — so there are big descents and re-ascents. Yr Elen is an out-and-back from Carnedd Llewelyn. Water is scarce on the high ridges; plan where you can refill or meet support.
Even split over several days, these are high, rough mountains with steep ascents and descents. In a single push, fatigue, navigation and night sections add greatly to the challenge. Be honest about your fitness and experience.
Crib Goch is a graded scramble along a narrow, exposed ridge, and there is no walking route to its summit. Tryfan needs hands on rock to reach the top, and Castell y Gwynt and Bristly Ridge are rocky. In wind, rain or ice these sections become much more serious.
Eryri is one of the wettest parts of the UK and mountain weather can change within minutes. Summits are often in cloud and the Carneddau are very exposed to wind. Check the MWIS and Met Office mountain forecasts and be ready to change plans.
Navigation skills may be needed, especially on the broad Carneddau. Carry a map and compass as well as your phone. In an emergency call 999, ask for the Police and then Mountain Rescue — and register your phone for emergencySMS in case you have weak signal.
The round starts and finishes in different valleys, so plan transport before you go. Pen-y-Pass and Ogwen car parks fill early, and Pen-y-Pass has had pre-booked parking at busy times — check current arrangements. The Sherpa’r Wyddfa bus network serves the Yr Wyddfa area.
Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves, plenty of food and water (or a way to treat it), map and compass, charged phone and power bank, headtorch with spare batteries, first-aid kit, emergency shelter and a whistle. Good boots with grip for wet rock.
Follow the Countryside Code and AdventureSmart Wales advice. Stay on paths to limit erosion, take all litter home, keep dogs under close control near livestock, and respect local communities and parking restrictions — especially early in the morning.
Start early in summer for the longest daylight. Agree turn-back times before you set out. Do not chase a time in deteriorating weather — the mountains will still be there. A support team at Nant Peris and Ogwen makes the 24-hour round far more manageable.
Mountain weather can change rapidly, navigation skills may be required, and some sections involve scrambling and exposure. The full 24-hour challenge is a serious endurance undertaking. Assess your own ability, your group and the conditions on the day, and turn back early if anything is not right.
CampaMate information does not replace appropriate maps, navigation skills, mountain forecasts or professional advice. Consider a qualified mountain guide if you are unsure. Summit data: Database of British and Irish Hills v18.3, CC BY 4.0. Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors, credited on each image.