On the August Bank holiday weekend 2022 we drove 6 hours and 40 minutes (with 1 service station stop) to Llanberis ready for our hike to the Snowdon Summit.
We checked in to Dolafon Guest House which I found on booking.com and we were really impressed - it was great value for money at £198 for 2 nights B&B. The property had to be one of the best looking houses on the street with its long drive leading up to it and the manor-esque appearance. The rooms were spacious and comfortable enough (the beds were a little hard for me but we slept fine) and the B&B owners were nice and friendly and on hand for anything you needed. The breakfast was one of the best 'breakfast included' breakfasts we have had at a hotel/B&B in a while - all freshly cooked, ordered from a menu and not a buffet.
We found a pub/restaurant across the road for our first nights dinner - Y Gwynedd Inn were we got a fillet steak meal and wine. After eating we headed back to the B&B to get an early night ready for our sunrise hike.
At 2.30am my alarm went off ready for our morning hike. It was a 10 minute walk from the hotel to the start of the Llanberis Path (but it took us half an hour due to google giving me the wrong post code - Do not use LL55 4TY it should have been LL55 4TD which i found on the Llwybrau | paths app). The walk starts with a very steep incline up a tarmac path. Take it easy and don't wear yourself out too soon as the tarmac goes up quite a way. You will need a headtorch if you are starting before sunrise (allow 3hrs before sunrise to get to the summit) as it is pitch black on the route. When you get to the stone that says Llwybr Llanberis Path < this is your marker to turn left, enter through the gate and begin the mountain climb. You will need good hiking boots for the route as it is quite rocky and uneven and there are sections where the grips on your boots really come in handy. The whole walk is on an incline but there are parts in the first half where it levels off. Just take your time and power through. After you reach the Half way house (under the first railway bridge) This is when the incline begins to get much steeper and the walk starts to get harder. When you get to the rocky steps this is the part we found the biggest struggle stepping up onto each rock before reaching a slope with a lot of loose terrain where you had to watch your step. This part was challenging on the legs but once you passed this section and got underneath the next railway bridge you was on the final ascent to the summit. As the trains were not running to the top due to maintenance works we followed the train track from this point to the top which was slightly longer but the incline was less steep. This part of the walk we could turn the head torches off as it was starting to get lighter with orange filling the sky. Lee was struggling at this point to keep up with my pace so I went on and waiting for him at the top, reaching the summit in 2hrs 30 for me and 2hrs 45 for Lee - just in time to see the sunrise.
We got so lucky with the weather as the weather was warm enough but not too hot, there was no winds to battle with and at the summit we got a clear view for sunrise which was amazing to see and one of the most beautiful spots for sunrise - making the journey well worth it. The sense of accomplishment when you reach the top is a feeling like no other.
The walk down the mountain was a struggle for me. Lee found this part easy but I found it very painful on my toes and ankles. (I would recommend cutting/filing your toe nails right down so they are shorter that the ends of your toes and removing any gel polish before beginning. Also get some hiking boots with good ankle support as its very uneven to walk down on so foot placement is key. We didn't have hiking poles but felt like they would have been very helpful at this point). It took us 2 hours to get back down the mountain and the feeling of relief once we got to the bottom of the steep tarmac path was like no other! We had done it and smashed it getting there and back in 4hrs 30 for me and 4hrs 45 for Lee. What an achievement! We even managed to make it back to the hotel in time for breakfast - a much needed fry up.
We had a nap after breakfast to make up for the early start and then once we woke up decided to explore Llanberis. We walked from the hotel to Ceunant Mawr Waterfall which took around 10 minutes and stopped here for a little sit down and snacks. We then walked back, past the Snowdon Railway and had a little wander around the gift shop before heading to a pub to watch the football before our Indian dinner at the Spice of Llanberis restaurant. This wasn't the best Indian we've ever had but I still enjoyed my meal. After dinner we were pretty knackered so headed back to the B&B to go to bed.
Monday morning we woke up (with sore legs), had breakfast and then drove just under 2hrs to Lake Vyrnwy Hotel and Spa as this was en-route home and definitely needed to relax our muscles. The drive here was pretty insane - it took us the back way which involved driving up the side and around the edge of a mountain on a single track road - some of which had no barriers and a very steep drop... but we made it and the location was absolutely beautiful. Situated on a hill overlooking the lake with nothing else around made this to be a very peaceful spa day. We had 2hrs use of the spa which consisted of a hot tub, hot stone beds, sauna, steam room, ice bucket, hot and ice cold showers and an essential oils mist shower. We each had a full body massage too which was much needed before heading home. It took roughly 5 hours to get home from here (with 1 service station stop) due to the traffic.
I had a great weekend and it certainly was an experience I won't forget, a challenge to push your body to it's limits, and I am so glad we done it.
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