Glyder Fach

Standing as one of the highest peaks in Wales, this rugged summit is a chaotic jumble of frost-shattered Ordovician rhyolite. Its character is defined by the stark, rock-strewn plateau of the Glyderau, offering a moonscape feel that contrasts sharply with the green Ogwen Valley and the formidable ridges of neighbouring Glyder Fawr.

• •The name derives from the Welsh 'Cludair', meaning a heap or pile, a literal description of the frost-shattered rock debris that litters the summit plateau. While 'Fach' means 'small' or 'lesser', it remains one of the highest points in the country.
• •The summit is home to the Cantilever Stone, a massive, flat slab of rock balanced precariously atop another. It is a rite of passage for walkers to stand on its overhanging end for a photograph, though the rock itself is far more stable than the dizzying drop beneath it suggests.
• •Located just to the west of the summit is Castell y Gwynt, or 'Castle of the Winds'. This jagged outcrop of vertical rock shards is one of the most striking geological features in Eryri and was famously used as a filming location for the 1981 film Dragonslayer.
• •From the summit, the view north offers a unique perspective directly down onto the shark-fin profile of Tryfan, while to the south, the massive horseshoe of the Snowdon massif dominates the horizon across the Llanberis Pass.
• •Despite the name Glyder Fach translating to 'Small Glyder', standing at 994 metres ensures it is only 'small' in the same sense that a shark is small compared to a whale.