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How can one person describe their ascent up to the top of a mountain such as Snowdon? Well, the mountain itself is noble, as it appears to taunt anyone who dares to tackle it. Stretching up towards the plain white clouds, the mountain cunningly greets hikers of all abilities before it swallows them into its natural beauty. This is exactly what I and my friends discover as we begin our climb up Mount Snowdon.
Starting at the point located in Plas Gwynant village, I and my friends ascend some stone steps and embark through the picturesque woodland. Consumed by this peacefulness, we eventually emerge from the trees and then look out towards the small vale. We stop to admire this for a few minutes and then continue our voyage up the mountain. Heading through a small gate, we stroll upwards on a trail supported by black railings to the right.
The stone path continues for a good kilometre until we approach another clearing. Looking behind us, we observe the green view; discretely hiding the road on which we journeyed along to get to the starting point of our adventure. We then carry on towards the two short hills edging closer to us. A waterfall emerges between these two hills, providing a majestic effect that adds to the upward view.
Eventually, we turn off our stone path and head across a minute stream to be consumed by these two hills. Minutes later, we begin sauntering along another stone pathway along the Afon Cwm Llan stream, passing the ruins of what once seemed to be a tiny abode to the right. We wonder who could have lived here, and even when this would have been. It could have been centuries ago, but we can’t be sure.
We cross the stream over a minor bridge and head upward towards the valley. Our progress is occasionally reflected as we take a glimpse or two back downwards towards our commencement point in Plas Gwynant village. This is continuous up until the point where the view is obscured by a short rocky knoll, and the only way we can look is upwards. Upwards towards the mountain masked by the thick white mist disguising its true height.
After strolling past Gladstone Rock, recognizable due to its plaque, our ascent begins to become steeper, and we then approach another set of ruins on our left, lying in front of a massive grey sea of slate tiles. They act as a checkpoint that marks the completion of the easiest part of the trek up Snowdon. After a 15-minute intermission, where we top ourselves up with liquids, we proceed with the ambitious climb up the mountain.
This next leg of the adventure begins with an ascent of stone steps, which represent the stairway to heaven. There is then a stone path that ascends a slightly steeper gradient, with the stone narrowing in width and becoming bathed by the grass from both sides. The view behind us reveals the densely overcast sky that continues to disguise the topmost tips of the mountains. This view makes us more eager to emerge from beneath the whiteness of the clouds.
We continue up the gradient for a good ten minutes until this gradient levels out flatly for a brief period. Tiny bridges crossing over streams crop up continuously on this leg. The gradient then rises again and the terrain becomes rockier with every step. Our legs are put to the test as we focus our minds on achieving victory by getting to the top of the mountain. We also come to realize that the higher we climb, the lower the temperature gets. A chill slowly fills the air, passing on a sign that we are close to becoming consumed by the clouds above.
There is a free car park just before you reach Caffi Gwynant, in the village of Plas Gwynant. A pay and display are also available just a minute up the A498 should this car park be filled up. j p done of the three highest peaks of the UK. We head right and follow the Rhyd Ddu path, and after a short while and a clamber up on the final short hill, we make it. Make it to the top of Mount Snowdon, a mountain that has pitted our hiking skills to the test. This is one of the many dramatic visualizations that make me realize the higher we climb, the more beautiful.
The stone path continues alongside a slightly steep drop on the left. The view is mostly obscured due to a very thick cloud, and as there wasn’t as much to oversee, we decided to keep ourselves going. The hikers that pass us increase frequently the higher we climb; they all have the same eagerness to reach the peak of Snowdon. The temperature continues to decrease as we climb even higher to the peak. We proceed up several stone steps which aren’t as steep as the ones previously ascended.
Shortly afterward, a sign engraved in a stone states we are on the Watkin path; the path which will take us to where we need to be. Once again the gradient of the trail increases to a steeper level and our legs are put to the test. We somehow know that we are nearing the end of the massive climb that we have endured for the last two hours. We struggle up what is the steepest segment of our climb up Snowdon, only stopping for a brief second to decide where best to step as we even use our hands to push us up this segment of the mountain.
After a brief struggle, we finally make it to the top of this segment. We now have the sense that we are finally nearing the very peak of Snowdon, and the glory of knowing we tackled one of the three highest peaks of the UK. We head right and follow the Rhyd Ddu path, and after a short while and a clamber up on the final short hill, we make it. Make it to the top of Mount Snowdon, a mountain that has pitted our hiking skills to the test.
I and my friends proceed to join the queue for the marker which marked the endpoint for the hike. We then take pictures around this marker, to celebrate our victory for achieving such a stupendous climb. And by golly does it feel good.
General Information to keep in mind
There is a free car park just before you reach Caffi Gwynant, in the village of Plas Gwynant. A pay and display are also available just a minute up the A498 should this car park be filled up.
The average hiking time to reach the peak of Mount Snowdon is 2 hours 15 minutes and has a good amount of steep terrains, so some experience of hiking would be beneficial for this route.
After a good hard day's worth of hiking, you can relax with either a tea, coffee, or other beverage at the Caffe Gwynant, the website of which can be found here - https://www.cafesnowdon.co.uk/.