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Criccieth

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May 26

We woke up to another fantastic sunny day and Felicity swearing that this would be a day with VERY LITTLE walking. Knowing that the weather could turn foul anytime, we decided we should go to the top of Snowden first thing. The road traveled through the cute town of Bedgellert , through the Nantgwynant Valley and then over Llanberis Pass. Mount Snowden is easily north Wales ' biggest tourist attraction and the presence of tour buses as we pulled into Llanberis made that abundantly clear. There was a traffic jam full of cars trying to get into the main parking lot for the Snowdon Mountain Railway so we swung around the corner and parked down the road at a slightly cheaper Pay and Display. We arrived at the ticket counter to find out that we were to be given only 30 minutes at the top and if you missed the scheduled trip down, you could not be guaranteed a seat for the ride back. A return ticket is £20 and one way is £14. We stepped out of line just long enough for the 12:00 train to sell out. Let's note this. It was Felicity's idea to walk down from the top. I questioned her multiple times and reminded her of her vow of little walking. She felt confident that she would be fine and at 11:00 we set our fate in stone (perhaps slate) and purchased one way tickets to the top on the 12:30 train. This gave us time to buy some supplies for the walk (water and sandwiches to be devoured at the summit) and realize that we had left our rain gear at the Seaspray. We threw some sweaters in knowing the temperature difference could be great at the top and arrived early in line for the train. Take note that your position in line for the train has no bearing on seating choice and the best way to get a good seat is to push the women, children and little old ladies out of the way as you make a mad dash for the perfect roost. It also helps if, once through the gate, you proceed to the right about ten steps, still being prepared to trample all who get in your way. We were stupidly polite and ended up getting the last two seats on the train, not together. Those already seated were not only not about to give up their rudely acquired window seats, but no effort was to be made to even adjust their legs to allow us to pass. I showed a bit of hostility for the whole situation by accidentally bashing a few people on the head with my backpack full of goodies and my camera bag.

The train to the top has you packed in like sardines and if you have any desire to snap off some pictures, you will probably be disappointed especially if you don't land one of the coveted window seats. There are two stops along the way and you can open a window and lean out to take a picture, but otherwise, it's hard to get much photographic freedom. Felicity also noted that it's a good thing to face up the hill on the train instead of backwards because, as you climb, staying in your chair is a challenge. The train ride is an hour each way with some recorded commentary going on, much of which you can't hear because of train noise. It helps a bit if you are directly under the speaker. All that said, the hike to the top would be a chore and the train is a good option if you want to eliminate pain from your legs.

The view at the top is awe inspiring. Mt. Snowdon's peak can be covered in clouds much of the time and as we arrived at the top, wisps of clouds passed the peak just to the South. To the north it was perfectly clear. I went out on a ledge and took some pictures and then we took the short climb to the very top which allowed as a view in all directions. We lingered for a while and then sat down and ate our sandwiches while a class full of kids on a very cool field trip dined with us. The good news was that they were taking the more difficult trail down an we would not have to contend with them on our decent.

The easiest path down, and the one that would lead us back to the car follows the rail tracks to the bottom. Although, the first thought is that you've already seen it, you haven't because the trail allows so much more time and finds itself with some different views. Just below the top, the trail becomes very steep and the loose slate surface makes it a bit treacherous. It becomes easier after a while but the trail can always be slick as Felicity found out the hard way when she slid down the hill feet first which would have been hilarious if I had done it. I instead showed the appropriate amount of concern and the temporary fear that Flight for Life would have to be called in to get her off the mountain. She was fine though.

There is a "Halfway House" not surprisingly at the halfway point which was closed and from what I could tell from the brief bit of commentary on the train has either been sold or is up for sale. Unfortunately, they were closed and thus no toilets. Indeed, there are no trees for about 80% of the hike so the presence of natural toilets is also absent. As you near the bottom, you leave the trail and follow paved roads. We thought that sounded good until we realized that they too were very steep Steps would have been much easier. The last little bit was the most tiring. I knew I would be a bit sore the next morning and I feared Felicity would be incapacitated. The hike was listed at 2 hours and at a brisk pace, that could be achieved. We did it in about 2.5

We hobbled back to the Bad Idea and decided to drive to Bedgellert (the long way) for dinner. We settled in at the Prince LLewelyn and had another fine meal. When we arrived home, I offered to throw Felicity over my shoulder to carry her up the stairs. She declined.

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