A trip to Snowdonia was my birthday request this year. I wanted to revisit the summit following a journey in 2013. This time though, it was necessary to book the parking lot at the Pen Y Pass. It was a hefty £18 for 8 hours.
I thought we would only need like 5 hours, but the booking site extended it to 8 hours. Luckily, by the way!
PYG TRACK
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We began our hike at the car park, following the Pyg Track. It is considered hard. But I would argue.
The swirling road in the distance was going to Llanberis, the nearest town. And that's the view for at least an hour walking up.
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Hiking higher opens up a view of the Llyn Peris and Llyn Padam. You could also jump on one of the huge rocks and see it from a better point.
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The path is hard in some places because of the rocky climb. You would be forced to support yourselves with your hands. Also, some rocks looked unstable.
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But once you get to the mark of 587 m above the sea, that's where the fence begins. The view down the Miner's Track is mesmerising. Especially on a sunny day because the water looks turquoise in colour. The lake down there is called Llydaw.
It gets easier from here because the terrain is varied. You have a flat path, incline, decline, and climb, so it is fun. You get time to rest and catch your breath.
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And there are plenty of places to sit down and chill. Once you reach Llyn Glaslin, you begin a proper workout to the top. It is challenging and time-consuming. But again, sit down, rest and carry on. Just another 1,5 hours, and you are at the top of the mountain!
THE SUMMIT
After long 4 hours, we have finally reached the top. But not the summit yet. I was trying not to drink because I knew there were no toilets. That should become available in 2023. So I was happy to dig into my salad which gave me the necessary liquid. Looking down the valley, we enjoyed the views of so many lakes.
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The zig-zag path of the track was the most challenging bit. It looks incredible from the top, though, and the scale is grand.
There is a way to get here by train, but I am not sure if it runs now.
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We continued to the summit. There was a queue for standing at the top on your own to take pictures. Everyone was patient.
After waiting for about 5 min, we finally stood at the highest point in Wales at 1085 m - the Snowdon!
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After that, we were pressed for time to return to the car park with 3 hours to spare.
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MINERS' TRACK
We wanted to get down to the water and decided to return via the Miners' track on the way back. It is considered leisurely.
Our legs were shaky, and we had no time to spare. It was hard to find where the path was at times as there were not many people in the evening. Everything looked the same - piles of rocks or even scree on a rocky mountain. We were like goats trying to locate our way back.
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Resting has become very short, and checking the time more often. But after 80 minutes, we were by the Llyn Glaslyn. All around us, we could hear waterfalls. It seems that there is more water in the evening.
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Passing by the Llyn Llydaw, we found a miners' house. From the information board at the car park, we later learned that it was an old copper mine.
Looking back from time to time was rewarding. The peaks were so sharp against the background. The one in the middle is the Snowdon summit.
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Walking the Miners' track, we have also found a long pipe going down. No idea what and why other than maybe something to do with water?
Another lake is called Teyrn, followed by the views into the green valley.
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One part of the track saw a rocky slide. The rocks looked big and scary. But in the end, we made it back to the car park and finally the toilets! It was a 7-hour long hike and a sound 12 km track.
We were very slow because we had a kid with us. So it could have been quicker.
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