Exploring Snowdonia

Hey guys, following on from the weekend spent in Portmerion (read the Portmerion blog post here) Lets explore further north and into Snowdonia together.

Before leaving the area we managed to fit in a visit to Harlech which is about 15 mins away from Portmeriron. Most famous for the castle Harlech is a cute town with one of the best castles I’ve visited in a long time. You’ll also find the steepest street in the world to climb up and the best homemade ice cream I’ve ever had.

After a busy day hiking around the castle we headed along the coast to the town of Criccieth for dinner. Right on the seafront there is a Dylan’s seafood restaurant in an art deco bar. Dylan’s seem to be really popular in this part of North Wales, having now opened their third restaurant and I can see why. The food and interiors were just perfect.

Our last morning in Portmeirion came round quickly, after we checked out we headed further North towards Snowdon. With so many places to explore on a short trip, we made sure to stop off along the journey to Snowdon. We stopped off at the famous “Ugly house” (near Betws Y Coed) which isn’t as ugly as the name implies. Inside its a really small cottage with a cafe, serving amazing cakes and lunches. From the Ugly house, there are lots of different walks to go on. We walked for about 20 mins along the river banks until we got to the Swallow falls waterfall.

Arriving at our accommodation for the next week, one word heaven! We stayed at the Ogwen Bank lodge site, ideally located just outside Bethasda and right next to the famous Zip World at Penrhyn quarry. Now I have stayed in many caravans over the years but nothing like this, our caravan was bigger than my flat with decking right on the river bed. My parents were in one of the newer lodges which was finished to a higher standard than anywhere I’ve lived before, plus yes that is a hot tub you see. I can’t recommend this site more, its so peaceful and luxurious.

With my hiking clothes at the ready we began our first full day in Snowdonia. Heading five minutes up the road from the lodge site to Llyn Owgen and Llyn Idwal lakes in the Cwm Idwal area. I was encouraged to avoided the flat footpath and follow the experienced hikers climbing the side of the first hill, which was the hardest route I’ve ever taken, but worth it. We end up following the stream up hill looking down on both lakes, I have never seen views like it. Finishing the walk along the sensible flat path towards the national trust site greeted by a hot chocolate, a perfect morning.

Next stop, Anglesey. Admittedly I didn’t know much about Anglesey, so I was surprised by how big it was, I could definitely stay on Anglesey for a whole week. It felt bigger than Jersey (Read my Jersey blog post here). Driving over the Menai bridge into Anglesey is such a beautiful drive, we immediately stopped in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, because iconic. Making a stop at the weirdest shopping experience of my life, also known as a shopping centre called “The World of shopping”.

Our short but sweet visit to Anglesey ended with a walk around the Menai bridge, and a short drive along the coast to Penmon Point lighthouse, such a beautiful place that I am keen to explore more off.

Now it was time for the main event, the day attempt to climb Snowdon. I am not fit enough and knew it was going to be awful but I was ready for the challenge. Many of you will know the logistics around climbing Snowdon are tricky, researching the routes, then the car parks which usually get full by 7am and cost a ridiculous amount the park at. My parents weren’t going to attempt the walk so they dropped us off at at the Pen-y-pass car park and we off else where for a day out. The Pen-y-Pass car park is one of the closest places to start, with two routes to choose from either the Miners or Pyg track. The miners track is flat for the most part than intensely step for the last hour, we opted for the Pyg track which was steadily steep for the whole journey, its a beautiful route with amazing views but a little too rocky and off the beaten track at points for me.

We made it to the top, the views along the way and the sense of achievement were all worth it! The Pyg track took us over 4 hours to get to the top and after taking in the views from the top (we had perfect weather with a clear sky, which is so rare) we headed back down via the Llanberis route, this is the flattest, easiest route but is a lot longer. Due to it being so flat and easy to walk down we got back to safe ground in about two hours. For anyone who struggles hiking the Llanberis route is ideal, there is even a halfway hut selling refreshments. Once we arrived into Llanberis town itself we headed straight to the nearest beer garden to collapse with a cider. Once I got my breath back we headed to Betws-y-coed for an explore and dinner. Highly recommend visiting Betws-Y-Coed its a cute town with a river running through the parade of shops, and I think its the centre of North Wales’ foodie scene. I wish I’d know at the start of the week to book every restaurant in Betws-Y-Coed. We managed to get in at the ever popular Y Stablau famous for their amazing burgers, the perfect meal after climbing Snowdon. Oh and of course we jumped straight into the hot tub when we got back to the lodge site to recover. The perfect day.

I hope you enjoyed this chaotic tour of North Wales, I did not expect to fall in love with North Wales as much as I did and am desperate to go back and explore even more next year.