Woke up feeling like a walking dead. Thankfully, the staff in Machynlleth station came early and unlocked the toilet. Refreshed myself and boarded the first train to Porthmadog. I wished I was the only passenger so that I could enjoy the scenic view of the coastline with peace. Unfortunately, there was another passenger in the same coach who refused to stop talking and just refuse to take hostile body language as "No, I don't want to talk to you!". The train weaved past beautiful seaside towns like Aberdovey, Fairbourne and Barmouth before arriving in the small quaint town of Porthmadog.
Porthmadog is a gateway to Snowdonia National Park. Other places of interests nearby are Llyn beach and Portmeirion but I had not enough time. Most
tourists use the Festiniog railway to reach the summit of Snowdonia. In Porthmadog,
the Festiniog station is located next to the harbour which is a short walk from
the main railway station. I wanted to save money and experience the climb to
the top so I took a bus to Snowdon Ranger Park. The ranger park is a good base
to start the excursion.
I boarded the earliest bus S97 to Beddgelert, a lovely town with vast array of colourful flowers and changed to bus S4 to Snowdon Ranger Park. The red Rover day ticket cost £5.40 (www.traveline-cymru.info). The Youth Hostel near the ranger park has a lot of information on which trails to hike up to the summit of Snowdonia. This Snowdon ranger park trail is one of the easier path with scenic view of the many lakes. Snowdonia (1085 m) is the highest mountain in Wales and is very popular. Due to excellent weather, there were a lot of hikers and I just followed them....no map is needed!. The initial part is easy as the path is well marked and mostly flat ground. The view of Lynn Cwellyn near the ranger park is amazing. As much as I enjoyed the view, the route becomes increasingly steep and rocky.Met a group of ladies while hiking u p and one of them gave me tips on what to do and which restaurant is good in Llandudno and I even get to eat energy boosting sugar mint cake! With just 3 hours rest the night before, I was very tired in the last hour of ascent. Mental strength started to waver as my legs protested loudly...The only way I could reach the top was by using food as a bait...telling myself i could have one piece of chocolate biscuit if I walked another 200 metre each time....I had 5 pieces before reaching the top...he he he. It took me 3 hours to reach the top. The view from the summit is worth all the effort. The exhilarated feeling was beyond words. I even got good snapshots of the historical Snowdon train chugging its way up, puffing steam along the way. There is something attractive about steam train...is just so cute to watch and I could not resist waving at the passengers! I did not rest too long before descending via Rhyd Ddu trail. Though this trail is slightly shorter than Ranger trail, it has more rocky path which I did not enjoy :( The descent took me 2 hours because my knees were hurting and I could not go any faster ( I suspect due to previous injuries I sustained from Untersberg mountain in Salzburg). At the Rhyd Ddu car park, I catched bus S4 to Caenarfon.
I boarded the earliest bus S97 to Beddgelert, a lovely town with vast array of colourful flowers and changed to bus S4 to Snowdon Ranger Park. The red Rover day ticket cost £5.40 (www.traveline-cymru.info). The Youth Hostel near the ranger park has a lot of information on which trails to hike up to the summit of Snowdonia. This Snowdon ranger park trail is one of the easier path with scenic view of the many lakes. Snowdonia (1085 m) is the highest mountain in Wales and is very popular. Due to excellent weather, there were a lot of hikers and I just followed them....no map is needed!. The initial part is easy as the path is well marked and mostly flat ground. The view of Lynn Cwellyn near the ranger park is amazing. As much as I enjoyed the view, the route becomes increasingly steep and rocky.Met a group of ladies while hiking u p and one of them gave me tips on what to do and which restaurant is good in Llandudno and I even get to eat energy boosting sugar mint cake! With just 3 hours rest the night before, I was very tired in the last hour of ascent. Mental strength started to waver as my legs protested loudly...The only way I could reach the top was by using food as a bait...telling myself i could have one piece of chocolate biscuit if I walked another 200 metre each time....I had 5 pieces before reaching the top...he he he. It took me 3 hours to reach the top. The view from the summit is worth all the effort. The exhilarated feeling was beyond words. I even got good snapshots of the historical Snowdon train chugging its way up, puffing steam along the way. There is something attractive about steam train...is just so cute to watch and I could not resist waving at the passengers! I did not rest too long before descending via Rhyd Ddu trail. Though this trail is slightly shorter than Ranger trail, it has more rocky path which I did not enjoy :( The descent took me 2 hours because my knees were hurting and I could not go any faster ( I suspect due to previous injuries I sustained from Untersberg mountain in Salzburg). At the Rhyd Ddu car park, I catched bus S4 to Caenarfon.
Caernafon is a lively town with good spirited locals and visitors busy fishing for crabs at the marina. The Caernafon castle dominates the center of the town. It is the most important Wales castle where investitures of Prince of Wales is held. I had less than an hour before the next bus to Llanberis so I gave the castle miss ( I am no castle fan) and shopped for summer hat and umbrella instead :p
The bus 88 to Llanberis was punctual. Llanberis took me by surprise. Snapped some really gorgeous photos here. The Vivian quarry and the Padarn lake near the bus stop are worth exploring. The Highland railway station is just next to the bus stop. While waiting for a bus to Betws-y-coed, I watched the steam engine separating from the coach. It was very entertaining.
I strained my neck to see the famous Penny-y-pass as the bus S2 trudging by. Did not manage to get best shot though. Penn-y pass is a starting point for another trail to the Snowdonia summit .Reached the charming village of Betws-y-coed. I had more than an hour here. So I paid a visit to Motor museum behind the railway station and walked along the suspension bridge crossing the Conwy river. The 14th century St Michael church is also nearby. There was still a lot of time left so I was contemplating taking a bus to Swallow falls nearby but brushed the idea off because I could not afford to miss the bus to Llandudno. Instead, I window shopped at all those dainty shops near the station. I particularly like one candle shop there. The candles are all handmade.
The bus to Llandudno weaved through Llanwrst with its photogenic stone bridge and Conwy with its looming castle. Llandudno, to my surprise is a delightful town. Dotted with colourful painted buildings, it has two beaches (North shore and West shore), the longest pier in Wales and the largest prehistoric mine in the world. Despite the cold weather, I went out to explore the promenade along the North Shore beach facing the Llandudno Bay and Prince Edward Square after checking into the hostel. Managed to stumble into Home Cooking, a restaurant that was recommended by a fellow hiker earlier on. I had beef steak and ale pie with chips and green peas, a traditional Welsh food for dinner. It was 10pm by the time I left the restaurant. The Llandudno hostel is very cozy and clean. Due to fatigue, I dozed off within minutes.
The bus 88 to Llanberis was punctual. Llanberis took me by surprise. Snapped some really gorgeous photos here. The Vivian quarry and the Padarn lake near the bus stop are worth exploring. The Highland railway station is just next to the bus stop. While waiting for a bus to Betws-y-coed, I watched the steam engine separating from the coach. It was very entertaining.
I strained my neck to see the famous Penny-y-pass as the bus S2 trudging by. Did not manage to get best shot though. Penn-y pass is a starting point for another trail to the Snowdonia summit .Reached the charming village of Betws-y-coed. I had more than an hour here. So I paid a visit to Motor museum behind the railway station and walked along the suspension bridge crossing the Conwy river. The 14th century St Michael church is also nearby. There was still a lot of time left so I was contemplating taking a bus to Swallow falls nearby but brushed the idea off because I could not afford to miss the bus to Llandudno. Instead, I window shopped at all those dainty shops near the station. I particularly like one candle shop there. The candles are all handmade.
The bus to Llandudno weaved through Llanwrst with its photogenic stone bridge and Conwy with its looming castle. Llandudno, to my surprise is a delightful town. Dotted with colourful painted buildings, it has two beaches (North shore and West shore), the longest pier in Wales and the largest prehistoric mine in the world. Despite the cold weather, I went out to explore the promenade along the North Shore beach facing the Llandudno Bay and Prince Edward Square after checking into the hostel. Managed to stumble into Home Cooking, a restaurant that was recommended by a fellow hiker earlier on. I had beef steak and ale pie with chips and green peas, a traditional Welsh food for dinner. It was 10pm by the time I left the restaurant. The Llandudno hostel is very cozy and clean. Due to fatigue, I dozed off within minutes.
Porthmadog
On the way to Snowdon summit
View from summit
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