SNOWDONIA
What do you do when you’re in a land synonymous with mountains and challenging hikes and your companions are not in the slightest bit ‘outdoorsy’? Helen Werin finds that a nasty bout of sciatica helps to give her the answers
Everyone we came across in Snowdonia had one goal in mind; to climb the mighty Snowdon itself. Indeed, in whichever direction we looked, Snowdonia’s majestic peaks were there. Imagine my dilemma then; not only did I have a recurring bout of painful sciatica which put paid to any plans to walk far, but I was also accompanied by two daughters, one of whom shrieks with horror at the very mention of the word ‘countryside’ and the other for whom the word ‘walk’ is usually incomprehensible. Not much potential, then, you would be well to think, for a week exploring a national park that is synonymous with mountains, climbing and challenging hikes. Thankfully, I could not have been more wrong. We quickly discovered that we did not have to look far beyond the majestic scenery to find a multitude of other activities to suit all ages, pockets and inclinations. |
‘Train-sported’
We had boarded The Ffestiniog Railway from beside the picturesque harbour at Porthmadog on a trip described in the brochure as ‘memorable’ and with ‘dramatic twists and turns’ through the Snowdonia National Park. It certainly was; at one point the train took a complete spiral. But I hadn’t expected to feel as if I had suddenly been ‘train-sported’ to another continent, which is what happened when we got off at the halfway point at Tan-y-Bwlch. We stepped through the little gate on the platform in to another world, the lush rainforest of the Coed Llyn Mair National Nature Reserve. I shall certainly think twice before complaining about Welsh weather after having seen the effect that frequent rain has on the landscape. Sculptures of birds and animals had been skilfully carved on fallen logs and tiny footpaths meandered off into an abundance of lush greenery. A ceiling of tall trees swayed above us and gurgling streams ran beside us. It was a beautiful afternoon and we followed the nature trail through the peaceful leafy glade down and across the road to the banks of Llyn Mair, where entire families were paddling in the ice cold water. Perhaps you can imagine what a great pleasure it was to find that the Ffestiniog’s ‘sister’ railway, the Welsh Highland, not only ran right alongside our second camp site, at Beddgelert, but also stopped just yards away from our pitch. From here, the train was to whisk us off to historic Caernarfon and my favourite Welsh castle of all. The site was also within striking distance of Snowdon itself and, in the other direction, Beddgelert village was the starting point for a wonderful morning’s walk down the dramatic Pass of Aberglaslyn. |
Rooftop of Wales
I didn’t miss the opportunity of going in to the mountains though. At the Sygun copper mine, near Beddgelert, we followed the old tram tracks through an entrance that was only cleared in 1986, retracing the steps of the Victorian copper miners. It was fascinating, but very sobering, to learn of the shockingly harsh lives of the miners. In these bleak conditions it is easy to comprehend why few of them lived beyond 40 years. From the Electric Mountain Centre, at Llanberis, it was a modern bus that whisked us deep down inside the Elidir mountain’s labyrinth of awesome tunnels. If I told you that it gave me the feeling of being on a film set and that I half expected Will Smith to come rushing towards me in his latest action epic then it would be no exaggeration. For this mountain houses the Dinorwig Power Station in what is the largest man-made cavern in Europe. And what power! Getting close up to the generators is akin to standing next to a sleeping giant. These monsters fire up from zero output to full power within seconds; all part of its raison d’etre to meet a sudden surge in demand that cannot be met by other power stations already connected to the grid.
All week we’d been very fortunate with the north Wales weather, so the only cloud looming at the end of our holiday was the thought of our return to reality after what really had been a magical and relaxing break in the land dominated by castles, great little trains, views to die for – and, of course, mountains. All photos © Robin Weaver |
FACT FILE
WHERE WE STAYED *We stayed near the beach at Harlech in the squeaky clean and quiet Min-y-Don Caravan Holiday Home and Touring Park (tel: 01766 780286; www.minydonholidayhomepark.co.uk) and at Forest Holidays' beautiful Beddgelert site (tel. 0845 130 8224; www.forestholidays.co.uk)
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WHAT ELSE TO SEE AND DO *Portmeirion (tel: 01766 770000; www.portmeirion-village.com). At Sir Clough Williams-Ellis' pretty village on its own private peninsula, the greatest delight here is to get away from the Italianate-style buildings of every colour and wander through the woodland gardens which run above the coast. Particularly photogenic is the Japanese garden and the views from tiny paths above the beaches. Fans of the 60s TV show The Prisoner, with Patrick McGoohan, will recall the series was filmed here. *Snowdon Mountain Railway, Llanberis LL55 4TY (tel. 0871 720 0033; www.snowdonrailway.co.uk). *Llechwedd Slate Caverns, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd LL41 3NB (tel: 01766 830306; www.llechwedd-slate-caverns.co.uk) boast Britain's steepest passenger railway and a tour to the underground lake and deep mine, where the slate which has roofed buildings on every continent was first discovered. *At GreenWood Forest Park, Y Felinheli, Gwynedd (info line; 01248 670076; www.greenwoodforestpark.co.uk) we rode the world's first people-powered roller coaster. *Llanberis Lake Railway, Padarn Country Park, Llanberis LL55 4TY (tel: 01286 870549; www.lake-railway.co.uk). A relaxing five mile chug following the old slate route alongside Lake Padarn and past Dolbadarn Castle. *Caernarfon Castle (tel: 01286 677617; www.cadw.wales.gov.uk) never fails to enchant. Edward I could not have built a more fairytale castle in a more impressive place. *Criccieth Castle (tel: 01766 522227; www.cadw.wales.gov.uk) was built by the Welsh around 1230, taken 50 years later by Edward I's troops and captured and burnt by Owain Glyn Dwr's troops in the 15th century. *Mighty Harlech Castle (tel: 01766 780552; www.cadw.wales.gov.uk) is built on a rock with an almost sheer drop of 200ft from two sides.
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FIND OUT MORE *www.attractionsofsnowdonia.com
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Because of my sciatica I was glad to let the train take the strain. In so doing, I had two of the loveliest steam-hauled journeys I have ever experienced, with unexpected ‘rewards’ along the way.
The call of the mountains was too strong to ignore though and, with my sciatica greatly improved, we found ourselves winding our way rather carefully through the Upper Glaslyn Valley, Pen-y-Pass and on down the Pass of Llanberis to Llanberis itself from where we were to start our climb up Snowdon. I would like to say that I made a very valiant attempt to climb Snowdon’s entire 3,500ft. However, my husband and eight-year-old Sophie can proudly claim the achievement of reaching ‘the rooftop of Wales’. Consequently, Sophie will never again be allowed to complain about walking anywhere. From the top they said they could see as far as Ireland and the Isle of Man, whilst I had to ‘make do’ with the fantastic views from the terrace of the Halfway Cafe.