Mount Snowdon, Wales. Interesting Information
For Visitors
Author: Pat Ransom

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.

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!

The cost of the train trip is not cheap (apart from being a
good walk in itself, another reason for trying to make the
summit on foot!), but is a great way for those who cannot make
the climb to travel to the top. However, good weather cannot be
guaranteed, and you may start the trip on a clear day, only to
find yourself in cloud as you reach the top.

If you choose to take the train up Mount Snowdon, you can walk
back down via the Llanberis Path. You can get some wonderful
views of the trains puffing their way up and down from the
path. Not all trains are steam - there are also diesel engines.


If you plan to take the train up to the top of Snowdon beware
that the trains get very crowded in the summer, and it is best
to arrive early or even more advisable to book in advance by
ringing 0870 458 0033 at least the day before. If you don't you
may have a long wait. A board by the ticket office will tell you
which is the next train with available seats. You can buy a
return, or a single to the top. Single tickets for the journey
down are sold on standby basis only.

Weather permitting the trains run from mid May to the end of
October right to the summit, but from mid March, and a little
way into November, stop at Clogwyn. Trains start running at 9am
and continue until late afternoon.

Buildings on Snowdon Summit

In 1820 the first stone shelter was built at the summit by a
guide named Lloyd. A copper miner, William Morris, had the idea
of selling refreshments from the shelter - an idea which
continues to the present day. Having walked up the mountain it
is probably as welcome today, as it was to the earlier tourist,
to be able to have something to eat and drink before tackling
the descent.

Two hotels were opened on the summit, one called Roberts Hotel,
the other the Cold Club. Both were in fierce competition with
each other. There were often more visitors then beds though,
and conditions were not the best. By 1898 the Snowdon Mountain
Railway and Hotels Company had taken over the hotels, and
started to rebuild them - the fierce conditions on the top of
Mount Snowdon means that any building had a limited live. By
the 1930s it was decided to replace the summit buildings with a
multipurpose hotel, cafe and station. With little regard to
conservation, the builders simply pushed the derelict old huts
over the side of the mountain to make way for the new build
(imagine the uproar today!). Sir Clough William-Ellis, the
architect and designer of nearby Portmerion, designed the new
building, complete with huge picture windows so visitors could
best enjoy the panoramic views. Unfortunately the windows
lasted only six months before they were blown in and had to be
replaced with much smaller ones.

During the war years the summit buildings were used by the
Ministry of Supply for experimental radio work, and
subsequently by Air Ministry, Admiralty and Armed forces, and
the mountain top was closed to tourists. The hotel did not
reopen to tourists after the war.

In 2004 it was agreed that the summit buildings would undergo a
total refurbishment. Demolition is due to start in the autumn of
2006, with the new centre being ready in 2007. There has been
much debate about the form of the new buildings, but one thing
is certain - whatever the new buildings look like, they will
always be a welcome sight to walkers who have struggled their
way to the top of the mountain!


About The Author: If you are going on holiday in North Wales
you may well wish to ascend to the summit of Snowdon, either on
foot or by the Snowdon Mountain Railway. This article gives you
interesting information about the mountain, railway and the
buildings on the summit. http://www.mountainwalk.co.uk