Mount Snowdon

We drove into Wales through the mountains, via Bethesda, and found them more impressive than we had expected.  After all, we have *real* mountains in NZ.  The road wound between steep slopes covered in rocks of all sizes which have fallen and rolled from the peaks above.  Today we decided to try for Mount Snowdon, the highest in England and Wales (but not Scotland), so drove up to Llanberis and bought tickets for the little mountain train.  No, we were not planning to walk up, although hundreds do.  It takes about three hours on foot, and one on the little one-carriage train.

It's a cog railway, so there is a toothed rail running all the way, and the engine has a big cog underneath which it drives to push the train up the mountain at 8 kilometers per hour.  It poured with rain, but we got some great views down to the valley a couple of thousand feet below, until we disappeared into the cloud.

The toothed rail which gives the engine its grip.

Sometimes the walking track ran beside the track.

At the top it was freezing cold, windy and wet, but they have built a large modern bunker there to keep everyone warm and supply them with tea and pies.  It was full of wet, cold and slightly hypothermia walkers, resting and steaming while they mentally prepared for the walk back down.

The shelter at the top looks like a bomb-proof bunker

Sue ready for a nice cup of tea!

It did clear slightly on the way down, and we got glimpses of the view you would enjoy on one of those rare clear days.

Looking down the track to one of the stations.