pslewis

When is the best time to catch the train to the summit? Morning/evening?

How do you find out the weather on the summit, without access to the internet?

Where must I visit in the area?

Pete

Bonehead

Oh bugger, I thought the silly old sod had put a thread up about the lovely Lisa Snowdon......ah well!

Turbohot

Oye PS! When are you coming this way? Its just that I need to warn those sheep.........................................

Graz

Real men, like what you claim to be, walk up / down. So come on show us what you made of are you a man or as you put it a "Nivea wearing bloody ponce".

Choose one of the paths on the Beddgelert side, much nicer / quieter than the main tourist route from Llanberis.

The train is for the lazy fat American tourists who would almost certainly have a heart attack if they tried it

Turbohot

Good idea!

CooperS

Walk it you lord

ozzy

walk?

run you lazy *******

ChrisB

We're not all mountain whippets like you Ozzy.

unclebuck

Anyone know if you can take mountain bikes on the train?

Graz

Not sure but I do know they have restrictions, via local by-laws, on mountain bike use on the Llanberis path to very early morning and late evening during the tourist season. I doubt you would want to ride down any of the other legal paths unless you are really sh*t hot downhill racer or you have a death wish

Chip

Come and see me. I'll be working by Criccieth tomorrow and Thursday.

Try to get to mid Wales as well to the Royal Welsh show.

Chip

pslewis

I'm coming up there next Sunday 24th - Lake Bala is my stay over point.

Used to go camping on Shell Island, near Harlech, when a wee bairn

Whats Barmouth like?

Pete

redwrx

Snowdon mountain railway, costs £20 per adult, and £14 per child for the return trip, or £11 one way.

The trip up takes approx 1 hour, you get 30 minutes at the top, and the return takes about 45mins.

There is a carpark opposite which costs £3 for all day.

Weekends, tend to be busy, and on a really nice day you can expect waits of up to a couple of hours. Trains are every 30mins and seat about 50. So best to get there early.

The weather at the top, can be very different to ground level ...it is normally a bit windy at the top, and the temperature drops a bit, so take a jacket ...even on a nice day.

I walked up 3 weekends ago, at the ground is was quite nice, lo level wind, at half way, it was 30 mile per hour winds, thick fog, and blustery. And the trains were stopping at that point also.

There is a cafe at the top.

I haven't seen mountain bikes on the train, but unless you are a serious mountain biker, i wouldnt risk it.

There are several routes up, the common one's are from pen-y-pass, but parking there if you dont get there before 9am, is pretty much impossible, although there is a sherpa bus. IF you dont like scrambling, i wouldnt go from pen y pass, as most of the route has limited climbs, but the last part, is a very rapid accent, and scrambly, whereas the route from Llanberis, following the train is longer, and is a continuous climb, with only a few hard bits #(hard as in steep) ...

i did from Llanberis station to the top with my 9 year old daughter and 5 year old son in 2hrs55, but we got the train back, cos they were wrecked..... 5 hours round trip is about average.

Ive done the pen-y-pass route in 3hrs 45 to the top with the kids a year younger, and 3 hours down, but i had someone else with me, in a group.


Best advice, regular stops, drink loads, take some eats for energy, if you cant walk and talk - youre walking to fast, take water proofs, and something warm -just incase.

There are some websites, if i can find the links.

http://homepages.enterprise.net/hyla...eris_path.html

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/...wlp/snowlb.htm

http://www.tpnw.org/newsletters/snowdon/llanberis.htm



Frank

redwrx

Glanllyn campsite, at Bala is good - £11/night for 2 adults, with tent and car.


http://www.glanllyn.com/glanllyn-lakeside.htm

Graz

How much Walking is free, healthy, and enjoyable. Even my Mum made it up Snowdon with us via the Llanberis path.

Mk2_heaven

take a spirited drive over the high road into blanau festiniog some cracking views from the top and its a good road

ozzy

I took the train up the Cairngorms with my Dad and little sister. Cost us £20 each too Then they shaft you for the food and drink at the top.

Scrappy2

Just been this weekend - Walked the Rhyd-du route, really nice, not too busy but VERY busy and dissapointing at the top with all the tourists. If you want a quieter mountain to climb you could try Cadiar Idris. Couple of hundred metres short of Snowdon, but a good walk all the same. Stayed about 45mins south, near Tywn. Stayed at Barmouth before, bit tat really. If you want a nice beach, head down to Aberdyfi. Nice long clean beach, great for power-kiting (if you're into that sort of thing!). While your near snowdon, get on some of the roads around Betsw-y-coed. I was driving the Mrs' Rover and still had a blast!

sparkykev

As others have said take some warm clothing, and perhaps a water proof, when i was up there 3 weeks ago it was 20c in Llanberis and sleeting at the summit.

unclebuck

I've done Cader Idris. Stayed overnight on the summit (Dimbleby said there was some legend connected to staying overnight. Can't remember what it was now).

Cracking views down to the coast and Barmouth harbour.

Iain Young

Agreed. I know the area well, and always do my best to avoid Barmouth at all costs . Nice if you like kiss me quick hats I suppose

Get there early though. It gets VERY busy when the weather is good, (often hard to find somewhere to park at all). There's some excellent large beaches along the road between Tywyn and Barmouth, and because they are away from the towns, (you get to them via a single track road), they are usually a lot quieter.

p.s. I've done the snowdon railway once, and whilst it was quite good, next time I'm definitely walking. Apart from anything else, you don't get enough time at the top to take in the view, and there are too many tourists

pslewis

Apparently you either turn into a woman or you talk gibberish rubbish ........ I just bet you're glad you're still male!!

Pete

Thanks everyone for the helpful hints!!

unclebuck

In fact the legend says that if you spend the night on Cader Idris you wake up either blind, or mad, or a poet. For those that don't know it.

ChrisB

I've overnighted on the summit on Cader Idris once. Chuffin drafty