Welcome to the beautiful Snowdonia National Park!
The beginning of the journey
We've begun our journey from the Pen-Y-Pass car park. You can choose to pay a fee and keep your vehicle there but make sure you book your slot a day before! Otherwise, you can do what we have done - parked our cars a few miles down from the Pen-Y-Pass car park and catch the bus to get to the bottom of Snowdon. We were so happy to be there! Surrounded by stunning landscapes and all the wildlife around us we could not wait to start our walk!
Two possible ways to get to the top.
Walk and Climb
Pen-y-pass is the most popular starting point for a walk up Snowdon with five main routes ascending to the summit from here all depends on which route you take but should take somewhere between 5-7 hours to reach the summit and walk back down
By the train
Trains depart from the station in Llanberis town and it stops right at the top of Snowdon on 1085m. the journey through the breathtaking views takes about an hour. Mountain Railway was used by 12 million people since 1896.
Excited about the trip we've decided to follow The Miners' Track - one of a few routes you can choose from to get to the peak. The Miners' Track was created to serve the Britannia Copper Mine on Snowdon. If you are not planning to get all the way to the top this route will take you around beautiful landscapes, ruins, lakes and you will be able to spot a few different kinds of wildlife living across Snowdonia National Park. The easy path ends by one of the lakes you can relax by on your way up. While taking many photographs from our walk we've made sure to stop and enjoy the moment!
History hidden in old ruins
If you choose to follow The Miners' Track you will spot a couple of ruined buildings once used by miners. The first one we've seen was the old miners' barrack near the shore of Llyn Teyrn - one of a few lakes adding a magical touch to beautiful landscapes.
The second one in a better condition is the Britannia Copper Mine crushing mill. The first time mentioned back in the 1800's it was used by many mining companies for over 100 years. The best-known was Britannia Copper Mine Ltd. After many years of hard work by both humans and animals, the mine was closed in 1916.
Llyn Teyrn
We've mentioned this lake in a previous paragraph. It's the first lake you can spot while following the Miners' Track. Situated 377.5 meters above sea level Llyn Teyrn it's a teasing taster of what is to come! This is where you can spot ruins of the old miners' barrack. We were so impressed by this lake and our walk yet we to discover what is around the corner!
Llyn Llydaw
The biggest out of three lakes on Snowdon's eastern flank. This stunning lake is situated 431,6 meters above sea level. Almost halfway to the top! Every summer wild swimming enthusiasts are visiting Llyn Llydaw to enjoy the peaceful scenery and clear waters! If you decided to dip in be careful as the lake is almost 58 meters deep! There is even a piece of history behind that lake. Llyn Llydaw is believed to be one of three locations in Snowdonia National Park claiming to contain King Arthur's magical sword - Excalibur!
Glaslyn
Glaslyn is the source of the Afon Glaslyn - the river which runs east to Llyn Llydaw and reaches the sea at Porthmadog. Glaslyn is known as a fairy lake - In Welsh folklore Kings, Arthur's body was placed in the boat to be carried to Afallon after he had Bedivare throw Excalibur into Llyn Llydaw. What an amazing place! Full of history, breathtaking scenery, and magical feel to it! If you decide to carry on with your journey up the mountain you will be gifted to enjoy the view of Glaslyn in its full beauty!
Llyn Llydaw it's not only a beautiful natural lake - it's actually very useful as well. While walking past Llyn Teyrn we've spotted a pipeline that seems to be connecting Llyn Llydaw with the valley in the distance. Being an overflow from Glaslyn (the last lake on the way up) turned out that water from the lake powers the Cwm Dyli hydro-electric power station - 320 meters below! Following the Miners' Track, we've had to stop on the bridge crossing through the lake. Stunning mountains, beautiful landscapes stretched for miles gave us the motivation to keep going. We wanted to see and explore more!
We were feeling brave that day! Nothing could stop us. Thoughts about reaching the top were pushing us to continue our journey! This is where it's getting harder. From climbing big rocks, passing waterfalls to making sure we stay on track! But don't worry - the Miners' Track has got a path you can follow with places you can catch your breath, and enjoy the view. Step by step landscapes very getting more and more impressive. There were so many things to see! Driven by our passion for photography and videography we were stopping every minute to capture the incredible beauty around us!
WILDLIFE / ANIMALS
Snowdonia National Park got it all! Picturesque walks, stunning landscapes, beautiful mountains, natural lakes, and one more thing. Its own wildlife and animals feeding on what the eastern flank of Snowdon got to offer. Cattle of cows greeted us not long after the beginning of our journey. Enjoying fresh grass and bathing in the rays of the sun they looked like a good addition to fields located at the bottom of the summit.
Following the Miners' Track, it was not hard to notice a few different species of birds flying above our heads. A couple of seagulls like always looking for a treat, choughs, buzzards! We were even lucky enough to spot a peregrine falcon! While we were climbing up rocks and trying to stay on the path we've spotted a few sheep marching towards the peak with ease! Definitely brave!
Once we were quite close to the top of Snowdon we've spotted a majestic raven. He looked like he was waiting for us up there! The weather wasn't perfect - when clouds came over it was hard to see what is more than a few meters from us. Our flying friend just took off and disappear into the thick clouds. A few minutes after we were blessed with the sun beaming on us giving us a chance to enjoy beautiful landscapes stretched for miles on end!
It took us around 7 hours to get all the way to the peak and back to Pen-Y-Pass where we've started our adventure. It was worth it! Another part of wonderful Wales ticked off our bucket list!
View from the top
