Breathtaking view across North Wales

Mount Snowdon

Mount Snowdon
View/Scenery
in/near Llanberis, Gwynedd,
Wales North

Recommendation added: 11/02/2007 15:38
By: velvet202 (YSUK rating +220)

velvet202 has been thanked 6 times for this contribution

"Mount Snowdon is the highest of the Welsh mountains. It is glacially eroded with corries surrounding it which makes it especially popular among amateur and professional walkers. The tourist information counts at least 500,000 climbers per year. On a clear day, the scenery from the summit is spectacular and encompasses almost the entirety of North Wales. The experience is no less unique in cloudy conditions when the clouds swirl underfoot clearing occasionally to reveal the broad valley below.

From the surrounding villages, various routes lead to Snowdon's summit, all varying in difficulty, of which the probably most popular with tourists and amateur walkers are Llanberis Path and the Snowdon Ranger Path as these are the easiest.

For those, who prefer to enjoy the scenery without engaging in walking, the Snowdon Mountain Railway runs from Llanberis to Snowdon's summit and offers the least energetic option. The line is rack-and-pinion, the only one of its kind in the UK. It was completed in the late 19th century as a replacement for the local guides and their mountain ponies who had been accompanying Victorian tourists in their quest to watch the sunrise from the summit for decades.

Mount Snowdon is situated within the Snowdonia National Park, after which the park was actually named. The English name for the mountain comes from the Saxon term, Snow Dun, which translates as 'snow hill' or 'fortress'. Recently, the summit of Mount Snowdon has served as a training ground for the members of Sir Edmund Hillary's team prior to their successful expedition to conquer Mount Everest. Other famous visitors have included William Gladstone, who held a speech from a small rock which now famously bears his name, and poet William Wordsworth.

Snowdonia National Park also hosts a wide variety of natural delights, including dense forests, glacial valleys, waterfalls, rivers and moorlands. Local legends say that one of the lakes, Lyn Llydaw, hosts the famous sword Excalibur."