The Snowdon Mountain Railway (Rheilffordd yr Wyddfa in Welsh) carries passengers from Llanberis in North-West Wales to the summit of Snowdon, the highest mountain in England and Wales. I took this rail journey in September 2019.
Llanberis
Llanberis is a pleasant village in Gwynedd with a population of approximately 1,900 people.
My parents and I stayed in the historic Royal Victoria Hotel. The hotel is set in 30 acres of woodlands and gardens, between Llyn Padarn and Llyn Peris. Within the grounds of the hotel lies Dolbadarn Castle. Built in the 1220s–1230s by Llywelyn the Great, the castle provides great views of Llanberis and the surrounding lakes.
In the third picture my Father is wearing a t-shirt that I bought him during my trip on the Flåmsbana. You can read about this spectacular rail journey elsewhere on this blog.
Snowdon Mountain Railway
On our second morning in Llanberis we made our way to the station, ready to board the Snowdon Mountain Railway. The railway was constructed between 1894 and 1896. It is the only public rack-and-pinion railway in the United Kingdom. Following a fatal train derailment on its opening day in 1896, the line was fitted with gripper rails to improve safety. Today, the return journey takes two and a half hours, which includes a 30-minute stop at the summit.
The excitement was palpable as people gathered around the platform, waiting to board. The train was sold out and many disappointed tourists had to be turned away. Our train was ‘Peris’, a Diesel locomotive named after Llanberis’ upper lake (Llyn Peris).
Our excitement quickly turned to disquiet, however, when we were informed that due to excess winds, Peris would be stopping its journey around the halfway point for an assessment of the wind speed, with the possibility that we would be unable to continue our journey to the summit. With fingers crossed that we would reach the top, we boarded the train and were given strict instructions to remain seated at all times – an instruction which my excited Father soon forgot as he jumped up to take pictures from both sides of the train. A fellow passenger who did comply with the rules proved much more annoying, repeatedly passing his camera across to me so that I could take pictures for him out my side of the train window.
Shortly after departing Llanberis station, the train crossed the Afon Hwch river before passing the Ceunant Mawr waterfall. The view for this first part of the journey consisted largely of treeless countryside and countless sheep on both sides of the track. Peris travelled at a speed of 5 miles per hour, rolling past hundreds of hikers who had chosen to make the trip to the summit by foot. Virtually everybody stopped and waved excitedly to the passing train.
After stopping for the wind speed assessment, Peris was given the all clear and we were able to continue on our journey to the summit! It was a magnificently clear day and we enjoyed spectacular views all around. We must have been incredibly lucky, with a lady in our carriage informing us that she had taken the trip to the summit on six previous occasions, the scenery hidden behind fog or clouds each and every time. As Peris continued towards the summit of Mount Snowdon, we passed through Rocky Valley – a rock-littered landscape which provided dramatic views of the valleys below.
Snowdon Summit
We were greeted by intense winds upon alighting at Snowdon Summit. I enjoyed the short walk up to the cairn, but the strong winds prevented my parents from reaching this point. From the cairn, the views stretched as far as Ireland. We only had 30 minutes at the summit which was far too rushed. By the time I had reached the cairn, enjoyed the views, and watched the next train arrive at the Summit, there was very little time remaining to do some souvenir shopping and enjoy a hot drink at Hafod Eryri – the Summit Visitor Centre.
Upon hearing the conductor sound Peris’ horn, we made our way back to the train, ready to enjoy the spectacular return journey. Quite a few people who had joined us for the ascent decided they would hike down the mountain. Tired hikers who had reached the summit by foot quickly snapped up the newly available tickets. Upon arriving back in Llanberis, we enjoyed stocking up on some more gifts and souvenirs at the Station Shop.
