Wanderings: Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa

October 8, 2023

Unseasonably warm temperatures and unusually clear skies were the forecast today; great day for a hike to the high point of Wales. The Llanberis trail (from the town of the same name) was the longest trail to the summit of Mt. Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa in Welsh), with the greatest elevation gain, but also the safest (1). After sorting the pay & display parking (2), I bought a hiking stick at the cog railway station (3).

The first part of the hike is on an exceptionally steep paved road leading to sheep farms. We both hoped the whole trail would not be this steep. We soon left the pavement through a metal gate (4) and began hiking the well-maintained gravel and stone path. Given the high latitude we were soon above tree line at a relatively low altitude (5). The number of people who had already been to the summit today and were almost all the way back down was surprising.

At the beginning, we largely kept pace with two burley brothers (the red beard guys), and their thin friend (with the yellow backpack). The trail had steep sections, moderated by shallower parts, with the cog railway never far away. Crossing under the railway (about 1/3 up) and the halfway house heartened us and we stopped for fruit cake and soda to replenish our energy.

A long steep section into a moderate headwind followed, and we made an extended stop after the next railway underpass. The trail steepened further as we very slowly plodded our way up the steepest part of the climb. Sitting trailside to catch our breath, a descending hiker told us the trail grade moderated not far ahead and that the effort was worth it.

Soon, red beard brothers and yellow backpack (whom we had not seen in a while) appeared. I scarfed down some ham slices, opened my stick (6) and with renewed energy, headed up. As promised, the trail grade slackened not too far ahead. Soon, a number of other trails merged with the Llanberis for the final push to the summit, which was visible in the near distance.

Being a warm and clear Sunday, the small summit point was crowded, with a counter-clockwise queue to get to the small summit marker. A few hikers trying to sneak up the narrow down path (or simply too oblivious to notice the queue) were shamed by the crowd. While not obsessed with selfies, we didn't want to come this far and not make it to the summit, so we waited in the queue (7). Red beard & Co. were just below the summit marker pouring a libation into metal cups and toasting their success.

The railway summit station offers snacks, coffee, postcards and a mailbox where your mail can be stamped Summit of Snowdon. We partook of all three. A mother was telling her daughter (who had hiked up): "We would have to wait more than two hours to take train down, we can walk down faster than that." I couldn't help wondering if Mom may not have even enquired about the train, but just wanted the kid to suck it up (8).

Descending, we kept pace with a young family with two boys, all wearing blue shirts. When the boys tried to stop, I heard the mother say "Remember, Gran is going to give you a tenner if you finish."

As we returned to the paved road, we saw sheep in an enclosure running, while a shepherd called out (in Welsh) and flung his arms and staff about and a sheep dog corralled the stragglers. The road/trail had been closed off between two gates to allow the sheep to cross. While a group of us paused to watch, the shepherd asked us to move away, as the sheep were afraid to cross with strangers nearby.

All tolled today, a total hiking distance of 9 1/2 miles, with a 3,235 foot elevation gain (a personal record).

Back at the car, we decided to go out of our way back to the hotel on Anglesey. The hotel was an old manor house in the middle of nowhere. More importantly, there were spa facilities. My wife convinced the clerk to let us use the facilities again (even though we had checked out this morning) where our tired muscles had a good, hot soak.

On the drive back to Liverpool, the lighted castle walls at Conwy beckoned us off the motorway. A delicious pub meal (and rhubarb hard cider) in this ancient walled city was a nice way to end the trip

(1) The other trails have sections near cliffs, not for the first timer to Snowdon.

(2) £12, coins only. I had £11, 70 p.

(3) With their pointy ends, hiking sticks are not allowed on aircraft.

(4) These gates are common on Welsh trails, with signs to close the gate behind you. Some have a loop and swing gate, easy for a person to figure out, but beyond the ken of sheep, who lack opposable thumbs anyway.

(5) I had assumed there was a clear and understood relationship between latitude and the elevation at tree-line; I was wrong. An article in Nature states: "There is no uniform relationship between treeline position and latitude," and that the complex relationship "still eludes ecologists." Berdanier, A. B. (2010) Global Treeline Position. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):11

(6) Hiking sticks can help in an ascent, giving a pivot point and engaging the upper arms. I had been hesitant to use my recently-purchased stick due to right shoulder surgery this summer, but found a stick in my left hand (plus the ham and moderating trail steepness) made a big difference.

(7) The young couple behind us chuckled at our conversation about this, as I tried to take the second selfie. "It's a generational thing" I said to the 20- something couple. After explaining how our camera (not phone) worked, they were kind enough to take our picture at the summit marker. Most groups handed their phones to the group behind them for a picture.

(8) While a one way ticket is possible, the trains were quite full today with round-trippers. The railway warns hikers not to count on availability of descent tickets: "If you hike up, be prepared to hike down."