Title: Assault on the North Face of Snowdon
Description: Full version of the magazine article
Description: Full version of the magazine article
Tom Molloy - December 22, 2006 09:27 PM (GMT)
Assault on the north face of Snowdon
Sandwiches? Check.
Flask of tea? Check
Camera, batteries, compact flash cards? Check.
Synchronise watches, 04.55……….check.
04.55 did you say? Yes its 04.55 on a balmy Friday morning in June, with the birds singing merrily in Stratford upon Avon and we are about to commence our long planned assault on the north face of Mount Snowdon in North Wales. The roads are quiet, the sun is shinning and the M6 is relatively clear of roadwork’s, for a change.
Our trip northwards via Chester and the A55 past Llandudno is uneventful and we make surprisingly good time to reach our destination of Llanberis, the start point of the main assault on the summit. We promptly establish base camp in the car park of the Electric Mountain visitor centre, where the local authority grants blue badge holders free parking for the whole day.
From here it is about 200 yards, over level terrain, to the Snowdon Mountain Railway Station. Built by the Victorians and completed in February 1896 the railway rises from Llanberris to 67 feet below the summit of Snowdon at 3560 feet and takes about one hour for the journey up and similar for the return. The cost of the round trip, on the first departure of the day at 09.00 if you book at least one day in advance is £10.50 for all adults. Other departures cost £18 for a disabled adult with no discount for advanced booking.
We boarded the carriage at 08.50 and commenced our accent at 09.00 promptly. A loud rattle emits from the rack and pinion drive system under the engine, which is necessary because of the steep gradient of the railway line. Leaving the environs of the station we immediately begin our accent and are soon above rooftop level and being treated to spectacular views of Llanberis, the nearby lakes and the mountain pass to the southeast.
There are several short stops at what are called stations but in reality are isolated huts attached to the mountainside. The penultimate one, Clogwyn at 2556 feet high, is the terminus on days when adverse weather prevents the train from reaching the summit. These short halts serve to allow trains to pass one another on the single-track system.
Going up.
After being treated to some of the most stunning views that you can see from a train anywhere, all explained by the guide on board, we reached our goal of the summit station at 09.55 and disembarked to spend some time looking at the unrivalled views from the summit cafe and its viewing areas and more importantly, to take some photographs!
The air is a lot cooler up here, some 10 degree’s difference to base camp. Clouds shroud some of the lower summits around us and in places sharp teeth of black rock protruded menacingly above the wispy cloud layers as if in warning to the unwary. On clear days you can see the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland, or so the natives tell us.
Down a bit for the seagull John.
Panoramic view from the summit.
A quick exploration of the souvenir shop and some welcome hot refreshments from the café and it is soon time to board the train for the decent back to Llanberis, swapping places to see what was missed on the opposite side of the carriage during the accent and different photo opportunities.
Arriving back at base camp at 11.30 we took on board some liquid refreshment from the flask of tea and then went to arrange our second odyssey of the day, Electric Mountain.
Electric Mountain is the Dinorwig pumped storage power station, which is built inside of the mountain of Elidir.
Tours of the underground tunnels and the power station are available every day, but outside of June, July and August you need to book in advance. The visitor centre, from where the tours commence, is open 7 days a week from April to October and Weds to Sun the rest of the year. The cost of the tour is £7 per adult, carer’s go along for free! The tour is by bus, one of which has a lift for chairs, although you leave the bus at various stages for a closer look at things. For obvious security reasons mobile phones and cameras are not permitted on the tours.
Once again a guide, who explains everything, accompanies us on our journey into the underworld. The figure’s she quotes are mind boggling to say the least and the scale of the subterranean industrial operation is awe-inspiring. A short distance from the visitor centre we enter the mouth of a tunnel that is the entrance to the underground labyrinth and the generating monster that lies within. This tunnel is part of a ten mile long network and the steep decent begins as soon as we enter it.
After a few minutes decent, nearly 180 feet into the depths of the mountain we arrive at what our guide tells us are the six inlet valves from the reservoir, which is as high as the Empire State Building, somewhere above us. These valves are huge metal pipes about 12 feet in diameter with ball valves to control the flow of water through them. The water drives the turbines to generate electricity at times of high demand, and when demand is low the price of electricity drops, they then use that cheap electricity to pump the water back up again ready for the next surge in demand. They can go from zero output to enough power for several cities in 12 seconds. That’s quick!
As if pre arranged one pair of the huge, yellow, 36 ton, counterweights begins to swing up and opens the valve nearest to us, number one. The water can be heard rushing loudly through the enormous pipe, the equivalent of a one and a half million cups of tea or 20 cubic meters of water per second we are told.
We get off the bus here for a closer look at the valves and then we go through into the turbine gallery where a huge vertical shaft is now spinning at 500 rpm and driving the massive number one generator above it. The noise made by the water, turbines and generator is extremely loud, what it must be like when all six turbines are spinning I can only imagine.
We get back on the bus again to travel to the top of this enormous void inside the mountain, some 9 floors up. Once again we disembark to view the sheer scale of the whole operation from above the generators. This is truly a remarkable feat of engineering which is difficult to put into words but we are told the whole of St Paul’s Cathedral would fit into this man made cavern.
From here we are treated to a short film, which explains the history, building and operation of this impressive place. Then it’s back onto the bus, back up into the daylight and the visitor centre for the finale to our one hour tour of Electric Mountain.
Gluttons for punishment we have not soaked up enough just yet and decide to head over the road to The Welsh Slate Museum, entrance to which is free and is sponsored by the Welsh National Assembly.
The museum is home to the largest working waterwheel in the UK, at nearly 50 feet in diameter. Although no longer driving the machinery in the workshops below, it turns steadily if not creakily.
There are lots of displays and demonstrations in the history of mining and the art of working with slate. All of this is contained within the old workshops, foundry and forges, which have been preserved in one of the best displays of industrial heritage that I have seen anywhere. The craftsmen giving the demonstrations are obviously highly skilled in what they do and enjoy showing off those skills.
We finally admit defeat and prepare for the journey home around 5.30, but not before draining the last few drops of tea from the flask and finishing the sandwiches. A return visit is being planned somewhere in the back of my mind as we leave the village of Llanberis on the road into the mountain pass which also bears its name.
It has been a full and very enjoyable day out and most importantly we have had some very good and unique photographic opportunities also. Anybody going on the holiday to Llandudno could do worse then take a trip to Llanberis, its only 25 miles away.
Web links
Llanberis tourist info -http://snowdonia-tourist-information-llanberis.co.uk/
Snowdon Mountain Railway - http://www.snowdonrailway.co.uk
Electric Mountain - http://www.electricmountain.co.uk/
Slate Museum - http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/slate
Sandwiches? Check.
Flask of tea? Check
Camera, batteries, compact flash cards? Check.
Synchronise watches, 04.55……….check.
04.55 did you say? Yes its 04.55 on a balmy Friday morning in June, with the birds singing merrily in Stratford upon Avon and we are about to commence our long planned assault on the north face of Mount Snowdon in North Wales. The roads are quiet, the sun is shinning and the M6 is relatively clear of roadwork’s, for a change.
Our trip northwards via Chester and the A55 past Llandudno is uneventful and we make surprisingly good time to reach our destination of Llanberis, the start point of the main assault on the summit. We promptly establish base camp in the car park of the Electric Mountain visitor centre, where the local authority grants blue badge holders free parking for the whole day.
From here it is about 200 yards, over level terrain, to the Snowdon Mountain Railway Station. Built by the Victorians and completed in February 1896 the railway rises from Llanberris to 67 feet below the summit of Snowdon at 3560 feet and takes about one hour for the journey up and similar for the return. The cost of the round trip, on the first departure of the day at 09.00 if you book at least one day in advance is £10.50 for all adults. Other departures cost £18 for a disabled adult with no discount for advanced booking.
We boarded the carriage at 08.50 and commenced our accent at 09.00 promptly. A loud rattle emits from the rack and pinion drive system under the engine, which is necessary because of the steep gradient of the railway line. Leaving the environs of the station we immediately begin our accent and are soon above rooftop level and being treated to spectacular views of Llanberis, the nearby lakes and the mountain pass to the southeast.
There are several short stops at what are called stations but in reality are isolated huts attached to the mountainside. The penultimate one, Clogwyn at 2556 feet high, is the terminus on days when adverse weather prevents the train from reaching the summit. These short halts serve to allow trains to pass one another on the single-track system.
Going up.
After being treated to some of the most stunning views that you can see from a train anywhere, all explained by the guide on board, we reached our goal of the summit station at 09.55 and disembarked to spend some time looking at the unrivalled views from the summit cafe and its viewing areas and more importantly, to take some photographs!
The air is a lot cooler up here, some 10 degree’s difference to base camp. Clouds shroud some of the lower summits around us and in places sharp teeth of black rock protruded menacingly above the wispy cloud layers as if in warning to the unwary. On clear days you can see the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland, or so the natives tell us.
Down a bit for the seagull John.
Panoramic view from the summit.
A quick exploration of the souvenir shop and some welcome hot refreshments from the café and it is soon time to board the train for the decent back to Llanberis, swapping places to see what was missed on the opposite side of the carriage during the accent and different photo opportunities.
Arriving back at base camp at 11.30 we took on board some liquid refreshment from the flask of tea and then went to arrange our second odyssey of the day, Electric Mountain.
Electric Mountain is the Dinorwig pumped storage power station, which is built inside of the mountain of Elidir.
Tours of the underground tunnels and the power station are available every day, but outside of June, July and August you need to book in advance. The visitor centre, from where the tours commence, is open 7 days a week from April to October and Weds to Sun the rest of the year. The cost of the tour is £7 per adult, carer’s go along for free! The tour is by bus, one of which has a lift for chairs, although you leave the bus at various stages for a closer look at things. For obvious security reasons mobile phones and cameras are not permitted on the tours.
Once again a guide, who explains everything, accompanies us on our journey into the underworld. The figure’s she quotes are mind boggling to say the least and the scale of the subterranean industrial operation is awe-inspiring. A short distance from the visitor centre we enter the mouth of a tunnel that is the entrance to the underground labyrinth and the generating monster that lies within. This tunnel is part of a ten mile long network and the steep decent begins as soon as we enter it.
After a few minutes decent, nearly 180 feet into the depths of the mountain we arrive at what our guide tells us are the six inlet valves from the reservoir, which is as high as the Empire State Building, somewhere above us. These valves are huge metal pipes about 12 feet in diameter with ball valves to control the flow of water through them. The water drives the turbines to generate electricity at times of high demand, and when demand is low the price of electricity drops, they then use that cheap electricity to pump the water back up again ready for the next surge in demand. They can go from zero output to enough power for several cities in 12 seconds. That’s quick!
As if pre arranged one pair of the huge, yellow, 36 ton, counterweights begins to swing up and opens the valve nearest to us, number one. The water can be heard rushing loudly through the enormous pipe, the equivalent of a one and a half million cups of tea or 20 cubic meters of water per second we are told.
We get off the bus here for a closer look at the valves and then we go through into the turbine gallery where a huge vertical shaft is now spinning at 500 rpm and driving the massive number one generator above it. The noise made by the water, turbines and generator is extremely loud, what it must be like when all six turbines are spinning I can only imagine.
We get back on the bus again to travel to the top of this enormous void inside the mountain, some 9 floors up. Once again we disembark to view the sheer scale of the whole operation from above the generators. This is truly a remarkable feat of engineering which is difficult to put into words but we are told the whole of St Paul’s Cathedral would fit into this man made cavern.
From here we are treated to a short film, which explains the history, building and operation of this impressive place. Then it’s back onto the bus, back up into the daylight and the visitor centre for the finale to our one hour tour of Electric Mountain.
Gluttons for punishment we have not soaked up enough just yet and decide to head over the road to The Welsh Slate Museum, entrance to which is free and is sponsored by the Welsh National Assembly.
The museum is home to the largest working waterwheel in the UK, at nearly 50 feet in diameter. Although no longer driving the machinery in the workshops below, it turns steadily if not creakily.
There are lots of displays and demonstrations in the history of mining and the art of working with slate. All of this is contained within the old workshops, foundry and forges, which have been preserved in one of the best displays of industrial heritage that I have seen anywhere. The craftsmen giving the demonstrations are obviously highly skilled in what they do and enjoy showing off those skills.
We finally admit defeat and prepare for the journey home around 5.30, but not before draining the last few drops of tea from the flask and finishing the sandwiches. A return visit is being planned somewhere in the back of my mind as we leave the village of Llanberis on the road into the mountain pass which also bears its name.
It has been a full and very enjoyable day out and most importantly we have had some very good and unique photographic opportunities also. Anybody going on the holiday to Llandudno could do worse then take a trip to Llanberis, its only 25 miles away.
Web links
Llanberis tourist info -http://snowdonia-tourist-information-llanberis.co.uk/
Snowdon Mountain Railway - http://www.snowdonrailway.co.uk
Electric Mountain - http://www.electricmountain.co.uk/
Slate Museum - http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/slate
davewalker - February 4, 2007 11:55 PM (GMT)
You have wetted my appetite, Tom. Have added to the list of things to do.
Thanks
david
Thanks
david
Tom Molloy - February 15, 2007 01:51 PM (GMT)
There is now a blog to see the progress of the work at the summit station and cafe, which is now due to re open in the summer of 2008. The line itself is closed for the winter and reopens in March this year and you can still go to the penultimate station, Clogwyn, at 2556 feet above sea level. That is a spectacular trip in itself and worth the effort.
The blog is here summit blog
Another pic from the summit
The blog is here summit blog
Another pic from the summit
alonzo - June 12, 2007 10:18 PM (GMT)
Tom sounds as if everyone had a real super day out, the photo's are stunning, I only wish I could get there, but you never know. Really good to see that everyone enjoyed it ,and took some picc's,Great.
d hiscock - June 29, 2007 01:41 PM (GMT)
Dear Tom
I throughly enjoyed the full version of your Snowdon visit which brought back a series of memories to me.
Whilst on the second DPS Llandudno Holiday we did a visit to this area on a fine day.Pity we had not read your bit about the car park as we went ot a pay one, not too expensive though. The tour into the mountain had a perticular interest to me as I had attended some lectures given in Plymouth for Civil Engineers and was most impressed by the concept. A particular point which has alway remaind in my mind and did not get mentioned on the tour was that its use flat out during the Miners Strike was a major factor in breaking it.
The trip on the little train was a little disapointing in that it did not go around the lake, only down and back.Although we went up to the summit it was only with a Diesel !
After over forty years in the constuction world the Building Blogg was of particular interest and I hope you will be able to go back and finish the job.
Derek