We had quite a big day today. We were on the road at 7:45 and didn’t get back to Snowdonia Mountain Lodge until 9:45pm.
The lodge was kind enough to give us a tray of breakfast things seeing we were away before the usual breakfast time of 8:00.
The first stop was the Snowdon Mountain Railway at Llanberis. We took a little windy road up over the mountain into the next valley to Llanberis. Fortunately, at that hour of the morning, there was not too much traffic coming the other way. I’m enjoying driving the Mercedes. It is a beautiful car.
The first stop was the Snowdon Mountain Railway at Llanberis. We took a little windy road up over the mountain into the next valley to Llanberis. Fortunately, at that hour of the morning, there was not too much traffic coming the other way. I’m enjoying driving the Mercedes. It is a beautiful car.
Arrived in Llanberis around 8:30 in time to pick up our pre-booked tickets for the 9am trip. The railway goes up Mt Snowdon to the summit (1085m) – the highest mountain in Wales. While that doesn’t sound very high by international (or even Australian) standards, when the rise is from not too far above sea level it is quite a climb. The railway uses diesel and steam engines. We had a diesel pushing our carriage. The railway works on a rack and pinion system. A third toothed rail interacts with a toothed cog in the engine enabling the train to negotiate steep slopes – and steep it was. It took about an hour to reach the summit, occasionally having to sit for a few minutes in a siding to let a train come down.
Close to the top, we entered the clouds so it looked like we were going to miss out on the view. The train stopped at the summit for 30 minutes which provided enough time to walk the few metres from the station to the actual summit and to have a cup of coffee.
In our case, after we were called to the train for the trip down, we were informed that there was a 10-minute hold up while we waited for a steam train to get to the top. Apparently, it had to stop to build up steam for the final assault. It was blamed on poor quality coal. It certainly looked like poor quality coal when we were down the bottom. The engines were belching out masses of dirty brown smoke. Anyhow, this holdup was a ‘blessing in disguise" because while we were waiting the cloud lifted and the sun came out. The view was amazing – right through to the Irish Sea and Anglesea. Going down was quite spectacular.
We then took the B road towards Conwy so that we could call into Trefriw to check out the Woollen Mill. Using water from the nearby Crafnant and Geitonydd lakes to generate power, the mill has been producing traditional Welsh bedspreads and tweeds for over 150 years. We actually had one of their bedspreads on our bed at Snowdonia Mountain Lodge. The mill is working all the time and you can see bedspreads being woven on the loom as well as observe the hydroelectric turbines in action.
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| Snowdon Mountain Railway |
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| On top of Mount Snowdon |
In our case, after we were called to the train for the trip down, we were informed that there was a 10-minute hold up while we waited for a steam train to get to the top. Apparently, it had to stop to build up steam for the final assault. It was blamed on poor quality coal. It certainly looked like poor quality coal when we were down the bottom. The engines were belching out masses of dirty brown smoke. Anyhow, this holdup was a ‘blessing in disguise" because while we were waiting the cloud lifted and the sun came out. The view was amazing – right through to the Irish Sea and Anglesea. Going down was quite spectacular.
After the train trip, we had a bit of a walk around Llanberis and then lunch. From there we drove to Betws-y-Coed for a quick look around. The difference in the landscape as you drive along is amazing. The Llanberis valley is very barren. Lots of slate and very little vegetation. Only a few miles later you are at Betws. Here the village is nestled among forested hills - no wonder it is such a popular holiday destination - such a very pretty spot. We checked out the 1815 Thomas Telford Waterloo Bridge and did a little shopping. I bought a couple of T shirts.
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| Betws-y-Coed |
We then took the B road towards Conwy so that we could call into Trefriw to check out the Woollen Mill. Using water from the nearby Crafnant and Geitonydd lakes to generate power, the mill has been producing traditional Welsh bedspreads and tweeds for over 150 years. We actually had one of their bedspreads on our bed at Snowdonia Mountain Lodge. The mill is working all the time and you can see bedspreads being woven on the loom as well as observe the hydroelectric turbines in action.
On to Conwy where we spent some time at the castle. Conwy Castle was built for English King Edward I between 1283 and 1289 during his second campaign in North Wales.
In 1295 Edward was besieged here during the rebellion of Madog ap Llywelyn. The siege lasted for several months and supplies ran low. However, the castle and town were not captured. You can see why. Even today it is an impressive structure. Well fortified and the wall which stretches right around the town is impressive. It didn’t always work out like this though. In 1403 Welsh forces led by Rhys ap Tudur and his brother Gwilym captured the castle and its English garrison. The fortress and the soldiers were later ransomed back to Henry IV.
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| Conwy Castle |
On to Llandudno for dinner. This is an amazing old Victorian resort town.
The fact that it was serviced by rail from 1858 ensured its success. In 1864 it earned the label ‘Queen of the Welsh Resorts”. It is still the largest seaside resort in Wales and the bay is completely lined with hotels – there must be at least a ‘million’ beds on offer each night (a slight embellishment perhaps!!). We walked out along the very long jetty which has been restored by the council in recent years. Lots of ‘holiday type’ amusement activities taking place (many pretty tacky). From the jetty, you could see quite a lot of wind generators which had been constructed out to sea. There were not a lot of people around at this time of day (about 6pm) but after we had walked around town and had dinner there were more people out and about on the promenade. Lots of activities too – Morris Dancers, Community Hymn singing etc. The whole place looked like it was lifted out of a previous time - but clean and tidy and obviously well cared for apart from a few buildings that needed much TLC.
The drive back to Snowdonia Mountain Lodge was quite spectacular. Initially along a cliff edge road at Llandudno and then on the A55 expressway which included a number of tunnels, two through mountains and, one quite lengthy (the Twnnel Conwy Tunnel) under an inlet (under the sea I suppose).
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| Llandudno |
The fact that it was serviced by rail from 1858 ensured its success. In 1864 it earned the label ‘Queen of the Welsh Resorts”. It is still the largest seaside resort in Wales and the bay is completely lined with hotels – there must be at least a ‘million’ beds on offer each night (a slight embellishment perhaps!!). We walked out along the very long jetty which has been restored by the council in recent years. Lots of ‘holiday type’ amusement activities taking place (many pretty tacky). From the jetty, you could see quite a lot of wind generators which had been constructed out to sea. There were not a lot of people around at this time of day (about 6pm) but after we had walked around town and had dinner there were more people out and about on the promenade. Lots of activities too – Morris Dancers, Community Hymn singing etc. The whole place looked like it was lifted out of a previous time - but clean and tidy and obviously well cared for apart from a few buildings that needed much TLC.
The drive back to Snowdonia Mountain Lodge was quite spectacular. Initially along a cliff edge road at Llandudno and then on the A55 expressway which included a number of tunnels, two through mountains and, one quite lengthy (the Twnnel Conwy Tunnel) under an inlet (under the sea I suppose).
