My Everest called Snowdon

It was Bank Holiday weekend in August and we left home by 5.30am on Saturday morning. In
preparation for this trip, I'd copied a lot of our songs on a pen drive for the road trip, including
some songs we hadn't heard in years, so our onward journey time passed most enjoyably. Our first stop was at Milton Keynes for breakfast at a Wetherspoon in a building that looked like a university or a manufacturing company campus. After a sumptuous breakfast that was to fuel us for most of the day, we were back on the motorway. Again we had a lot of fun with the music. I was admiring the sweet poetry in the songs while Lakshman mocked the lyrics for its literal meaning, chauvinistic outlook and overzealous lyricists borrowing concepts from fourth grade
science books.

Once we were off the motorway, we passed by gorgeous small towns including one called
Llangollen, which reminded me of my high school accounting tutor’s name. The names of the Welsh towns had more consonants than vowels and a lot of them started with “Llan…”. I'd learnt a few words of Welsh from this trip. “Araf” meant slow, “Heddlu” meant “Police” and “Llyn” meant “Lake”. The most difficult name we came across was that of a village called
“Penrhyndeudraeth”, I have no idea how pronounce that!!



We reached Llyn Idwal just after noon. It was very difficult to find a parking spot as there were a lot of tourists. We finally parked off street opposite the information centre and met a very helpful young employee there. He explained all about the walk around Lynn Idwal and also gave us useful tips for our hike the next day.

We walked up the brief ascent passing by a lovely waterfall on our way. After the initial uphill path, the route was nearly flat with stones laid out throughout making it an easy hike. There was a lovely lake with a small pebbled shoreline. After having a mini-picnic by the lake shore, tucking into the pasties we bought from the information centre cafe, we went for a walk around the lake enjoying the lovely sights and views.

We spent some time by a particularly enchanting waterfall, Lakshman's photo below clicked in long exposure mode adds magic to the view.

From the top of the hill, we had lovely views over the massive Llyn Ogwen nearby as well. On our way back when Lakshman was busy clicking more photos, I dipped my tired feet into a cold fresh water stream. It was after five when we finally left Llyn Idwal.

We had booked accommodation at Bryn Teg Barn near Barmouth, which was over 30miles
away but situated at a spectacular location. When our turn off from the main road led us to a very narrow one vehicle lane that the car was barely fitting into, we both got a little worried
about what we might do if another vehicle came opposite us or if we had to take a U-turn. But thankfully the B&B was just around the corner.

The host Bethan greeted us very warmly and showed us our accommodation. Instead of the
usual tiny room with a wall mounted tiny flat screen TV, this accommodation was massive. The large living room had a dining area, breakfast bar and a wood burner fireplace as well as a TV with sky connection (set top box) and a DVD player with a collection of DVDs. The bedroom had an en-suite and skylights on the roof. We were delighted with the interior of the accommodation but the room also boasted of sea views. It was really a spectacular B&B.

Once we had cleaned up and settled in, we had no mood to leave the B&B so we decided to
have oranges and snacks for dinner instead of going out. Their DVD collection included the movie “The Kings speech” which Lakshman had been recommending to me for years but somehow we never got around to watching it. After two hours, I had became as impressed as he was with the script and the performances. It also interested me that Dumbledore and Bellatrix from Harry Potter were in this movie but in characters that were polar opposites of their Harry Potter characters. We had the same thought in the end - the speech therapist had balls of steel challenging a King! Seriously though, I'd recommend this movie to anyone who's reading my rambling blog. Our quiet evening was a good idea because the next day held a monumental task for us.

After a lovely breakfast at the B&B, we drove for 30miles towards Snowdon. We passed by
several small villages but no major town and hardly a couple of high street chains. It made us realise that North Wales was more indigenous than we had realised. As it had rained the previous night, the streams were flowing full and we glimpsed countless smaller waterfalls on our way. One particular warning sign about flooding amused us, however in a few minutes we passed a stretch of road which had a foot of stagnant water due to several small falls from nearby hills joining the main stream across that road. Thankfully we drove past it quickly without any harm. A little before Llanberis, we came to a sudden stop because this view just pulled at our heart strings.

This hill turned out to be another side of the Snowdon peak close to the rather more difficult Miner's track path up Snowdon. We drove on further to one of the Llanberis path parking lots. The Llanberis path was “supposedly” the easiest path up to Snowdon. After packing a variety of snacks in our
backpacks, we bravely made our way towards the path.

Though the internet research had somewhat scared me, the hike up the Snowdon summit still interested us. Having done a couple of hikes this year in Lake District and Peak district, we thought perhaps the time had come to push our limits. Snowdon peak stood at a height of 1,015m and the hike was 9 miles long (14.5 km). There was an option to take a train part of the way but we chose to walk all the way. To give a perspective, Yercaud hill station in India is 1,500m and the Snowdon hike was ⅔rd of that! So compared to our previous hikes, this was a marathon.

The very beginning of the hike was through a tar road that climbed up very steeply for much
longer than I liked. It also started raining at this point and we lost visibility of the limited views we had to start with. The tar road did not seem to end and got on my nerves and I suggested to Lakshman at least thrice that we should rethink our hiking plans. He took me to a café and then calmed me down with promises of mountain views like we have never seen before and a dose of caffeine. Soon we were back on that dreaded tar road but thankfully only for a short way more. We turned left into the hilly trail that was closer to my expectation.

And so it began; a loop of uphill walking then some climbing, getting worn out, taking a couple of minutes to rest, washing face in a freshwater stream and then start climbing again. This loop repeated about fifty times or more while being surrounded by mist.

 

The terrain changed from muddy to stony to covered in gravel. Few of the stretches had jagged rocks and steep steps that were tough to climb but still not as bad as that annoying tar road. When the climb got particularly steep, I took more breaks than usual but the overall pattern did not vary.

It felt more like an endurance test than a vacation, but we did not consider turning back. It was a very misty day and though we kept climbing, we were not rewarded with the promised views. The mist was like a white sheet around us. We grumbled a little about the visibility but considering how we were sweating on what was a cold misty day, if the day had been clear and sunny, we might have fainted from dehydration. As they say, God works in mysterious ways. So the mist cover turned out to be a blessing in disguise after all to cool us down.

We passed by the rail track, a railway bridge and then reached a café called Halfway house.

We had not expected any food to be available on the hike and were planning to survive the day on snacks and fruits. Delighted about fresh food, we shared a platter of potato and leek soup, grated cheese sandwich and a slice of Victoria sponge cake. The meal was light enough so we could keep hiking but also satisfactory enough so we could keep up the effort.

We had also noticed three heavily pregnant women on the hike and a few parents carrying their infants and resumed our hike with our physical and mental energies replenished. No excuses!

Our conversations moved from the incredible acting of Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister in
Game of thrones to how well behaved the children of all ages were on the hike, almost as a rule! This was the sort of family holiday that mattered, educating children on the importance of both physical activity and enjoying nature responsibly. We saw one young boy being accompanied by his grandfather on the hike and I reminisced about going on walks to buy milk from a button operated milk booth in Bangalore with my late grandfather when I was less than five. Lakshman narrated stories of taking his grandfather to far off villages on a bicycle to
perform religious ceremonies.

The path got seriously difficult after the halfway house, progressing uphill at an escalated pace. But for a moment the mist cleared and we got a brief respite in the form of the views of Clogwyn Du’r Arddu.

We then pass by Clogwyn railway station and bridge. This was the highest point the train reached as there were repair works being done on the tracks beyond that station. The next stretch of climb was called Killer Convex due to the steep fall and accidents that had occurred in previous winters. Another reason why the mist might have been a good thing, the steep treacherous slopes could not scare us off.

After some more difficult climbing, we ran into friends of ours and the conversations in local language motivated us a little to keep going further. We then reached Bwlch Glas Standing
Stone.

Stopping for a few pictures by the stones, we went on to finish the final climb to the summit. There was a small stone to commemorate the accomplishment.

It had taken us about four hours to climb up. We sat there for a while waiting for the mist to clear so we could glimpse the views we climbed so far for but the mist remained stubborn and opaque. After a few more pictures in misty background, we began our descent.

The initial descent was tricky due to the gravelly path. I slipped on loose gravel once and fell down but thankfully my body was not injured, only my pride and of course I got wet mud on my cargo pant. After cleaning up, I climbed down more carefully. Once we reached Clogwyn station, the mist cleared completely and we were rewarded with spectacular views reminiscent of Switzerland in summer that made all our efforts worthwhile.

Since visiting Scottish Highlands last year, I'd developed an annoying and unshakable habit of comparing every new place and every wonderful view to Scotland, especially to the staggeringly beautiful Isle of Skye. Nothing else had matched the high standards of the
highlands so far but Snowdonia was putting up a fight!

The path was almost too easy to climb down after that and the only real challenge was the sheer distance to be covered and the surprising lack of toilet facilities on a six hour hike.

So despite the staggering odds and overwhelming statistics, we actually managed this feat! (correction, I actually managed it) Lakshman could probably do this twice a week. This hike was so disproportionate to my capability, I'm impressed that I didn't quit but wore on and on. I was reminded of something I'd read before. The way to transform being just married to happily married is by falling in love with the same person again and again. This marathon of a hike required that kind a committed pursuit.

We finally collected our car from the parking lot, picked up dinner from a Chinese take away
en-route and settled in for a night of well deserved rest at the B&B. 

After sleeping in the next day and chatting with Bethan like we were old friends, we left the gorgeous Bryn Teg Barn with a heavy heart.

On Bethan's recommendation, we went to a beach at a nearby village called Llandanwg. Since it was still before eleven, we had the beach pretty much to ourselves and the serene silence was interrupted only by the timeless music of the incessant waves. 

It was a epiphanic moment that no matter which part of the world we were in, some things remained the same, like the feeling of looking out at a beach.

After playing skipping stones of Takeshi’s castle fame on the rocky shore, we left the beautiful beach. Our next stop was at Harlech castle that was perched on a hill overlooking the beach. As expected, once I entered the stony walls, saw the drawbridge at the gate and read the names of the castle towers, Game of thrones nostalgia flooded my mind. I could easily imagine a beautiful damsel in distress (Sansa Stark) lighting a candle in a tower to send out SOS and a Knight in shining armour coming to her rescue (Lady Brienne of Tarth). Or perhaps it was the magic of history oozing from the ancient walls. The castle was ideally located to enjoys views the coastline and the far away mountains of Snowdonia.

Our final stop was at the more popular Traeth beach in Harlech. We passed by a golf course and a sand dune before reaching the beach. It was a sunny day and people were flying kites,
swimming, riding cycles, chasing around their dogs or else simply relaxing on the beach.
Watching leisure activities on the beach was the perfect way to wind down especially since it was about 20 degrees and the blue skies and ocean made the place look almost like Spain. It also helped that I was semi covered from the sun, reading a book and we just had an ice cream. It was the most relaxed moment in an action packed holiday.

We left North Wales with a heavy heart and promises of returning next year. After our strenuous hike on Sunday, we were still able to walk around the beaches and the castle that morning but sitting in the car for hours on our journey back was proving difficult due to muscle soreness.

Perhaps it was the absence of phenomenal sea and mountain views was a deterrent. Or perhaps it was the return to normal urban life that seemed tiresome.

Overall I'm left with one thought after the trip. Who needs Spain or Switzerland?!

Promotion of Schengen area tourism is done very effectively through advertisements and movies but UK is somehow left behind. The hills, lakes and valleys in Snowdonia were similar to Switzerland and Norway in summer. The beaches of Barmouth looked nothing less than the Spanish counterparts, especially with the temperature at 20°. However UK tourism is focused on London. 

Don't mistake me, I love London very very much. It has been an ideal city for me since I first set eyes on it in 2011 and it is the source of my livelihood that lets me see the rest of this fantastic country. But I'm amazed that the rest of UK is not promoted for all its breathtaking glory. Just as well I guess, maintaining a low profile keeps a lot of the crowds away. :-)