Yr Wyddfa - Snowdon

If you plan to visit Snowdon in Wales this summer, here is some interesting information about the mountain that you might like to know.
Snowdon, in Welsh, is Yr Wyddfa, which means tomb or monument. Legend has it that it is the tomb of Rhita Gawr, an ogre who would kill kings and make cloaks out of their beards. He supposedly met his end when King Arthur climbed to the top of Mount Snowdon and killed him.

Walking Routes up Snowdon


The route to the top from the Llanberis Pass is easy, that from Crib Goch, 3,023 feet (921m) is, however, a serious climb.
· PYG Path - The favourite route, well made path, contours around the cwm, 3.25 miles, starts from the car park by the Pen-y- Pass Youth Hostel.
· Watkin Path - The hardest and longest climb, 3.5 miles, commences from the Car Park beyond Llyn Gwnant.
· Snowdon Ranger Path - An easy path with superb views, 3.75 miles, commences from the car park at Llyn Cwellyn.
· Rhyd Ddu Path - East to follow but steeper near the top, 3.75 miles, commences from car park at Rhyd Ddu.
· Miners Track - Follows the old miners track to lake then rises more steeply to adjoin the Pen-y-Gwryd route to the summit, 3.75 miles, commences from car park near Pen-y-Pass Youth Hostel.
Lanberis Path - Stays close to the railway, easy but long, 5 miles, commences Llanberis.

No one knows who first conquered Snowdon, but ascents of the mountain became popular when Thomas Pennant published 'Tours' in 1781 and included his visit to the summit.
Snowdon, as indeed the surrounding area, has been mined since the Bronze Age, and evidence of copper mining can be seen all over the mountain, from old mine buildings, to old tramways. Care should be taken around these old buildings.

Facts and Figures of Snowdon

Snowdon stands 1,085 metres (3,560 feet) high. Each year 350,000 people reach the summit, some on foot and some by train. The summit has 200 inches(508 cm) of rain per year, and can reach temperatures of 30 centigrade in high summer, and plummet to - 20 centigrade in the winter. Add to this winds of up to 150 mph and the temperature can feel more like - 50. The summit buildings at the top can by covered by ice and snow between November and April.
Snowdon Mountain Railway
Before the railway, ponies used to take tourists to the summit of Snowdon. Sir Richard Moon and Mr George Assheton Smith were responsible for the idea of the Snowdon Railway - Sir Moon as a way of boosting tourists using his standard gauge lines, and Mr Smith as he realised that tourist cash may compensate him from the loss of income from his declining mines.

They imported a fully working 800mm gauge mountain railway from Switzerland. The railway remains the only rack and pinion railway in the UK. It has tooted racks in the centre of the track that engage with cogs under the carriages.
The only accident on the railway occurred on the day it opened to the public in 1896. Engine #1, Ladas, derailed and plummeted down a slope. The crew jumped from the engine and survived, and the guard applied the hand brake to the carriages and brought them to a halt. Unfortunately, one of the passengers panicked and jumped from the carriage, falling onto the tracks and under the wheels. He later died from his injuries. The saga wasn't quite over, as just as the carriages stopped, the engine following behind (Enid - still operating today) hit them from behind!
The railway was closed. Since it reopened the following year there have been no further accidents! And since that date there has never been another Engine #1 on the Snowdon Railway!