Snowdon walk

The day started cloudy. It felt as if rain might follow but the clouds were high and got higher, so we set out for Llanberis via Dyffryn Nantlle to show Mark and Saralee something of the slate industry landscape.

We stopped at the Trigonos centre to show them Plas Baladeulyn, where we stayed with Rachel last month, before ascending to Rhydd Du and thence to Llanberis.  We stopped for the second time this week in the vicinity of Caernarfon, where a 4G phone signal could be acquired. My work Blackberry showed its merit in supplying a transient wi-fi hotspot which the others could use to catch up on life back home in the USA, while I took a work phone call. It's quite rare to have to use this facility, given how frequently wi-fi is now available in public places, but such a blessing in time of need.

Mark and Saralee walked up to the half-way mark on the path to Snowdon summit. Clare and I were less ambitious this time, walking only a quarter of the way up before returning to Penceunant Isaf tea room for respite and a chat with Steffan our host while we waited for the others to rejoin us for tea.

Then we paid a brief visit to the National Slate Museum during its last half hour of opening for them to have a look around, before travelling back to Nefyn. It was a long journey but worth the effort, and once again the weather was kind to us all day, with only the briefest of showers on the mountainside.

Snowdon half way

We had no trouble finding our holiday let - a slate quarry worker's two bedroom terraced house up the top end of Ffestiniog village. It was nicely renovated and equipped for visitors, with comfy beds, and a starter pack of essentials to welcome us.  After supper we went for a stroll down the village and had a drink in the Pengwern Arms, the village pub by the church entrance.

After a good night's sleep, we made an expedition to Mount Snowdon, driving via Blaenau Ffestiniog up to Capel Curig, then down the pass to Llanberis to park and start our walk along the route which follows the line of the mountain railway up to the summit.

The weather wasn't perfect for such a climb, but the rain didn't arrive until we were eating our picnic lunch at the Half Way House cafe. By that time, we were reaching the limits of fitness levels, and were glad of an excuse to head back down the mountain.

We then headed across the valley to the National Museum's superb slate industry museum. Clare took Owain around. I stayed in the car to rest my aching limbs and promptly fell asleep for an hour. Much refreshed, we drove home by way of Caernarfon to show Owain the town, castle and the waterfront. The sandbar in the Arfon estuary provided supper for many seabirds, including this flock of oystercatchers.