Hiking in Wales - Snowdonia short break

You arrive in Betws-y-Coed, often described as the gateway to Snowdonia National Park. If you arrive early, you can take a short warm-up walk on one of the trails around the village, or venture into the beautiful Gwydir Forest, a woodland area as magical as its name suggests. Another option is to follow the path along the river up to the mighty Swallow Falls. Betws-y-Coed is a well-known center for outdoor activities, so there are plenty of hiking gear shops here if anything is missing. In the evening, there are several restaurants that work with local ingredients.

After breakfast, you take the Sherpa Snowdon bus to Pen-y-Pass, a journey of about thirty minutes. From here, you hike downward at a leisurely pace through the green Gwynant Valley. The trail passes the lakes Llyn Gwynant and Llyn Dinas, which lie beautifully nestled among forested slopes south of Mount Snowdon. The hike ends in the small mountain village of Beddgelert, where you can treat yourself to ice cream from a local ice cream maker before evening.

Today's hike begins with an ascent through the forest above the village of Beddgelert toward Rhyd Ddu. Here you can often see the steam trains on the Welsh Highland Railway struggling up the steep track through the curves in the landscape. After Rhyd Ddu, the landscape opens up and the trail follows Snowdon's western side. The ascent is gradual and leads up to Bwlch Maesgwn, the pass that separates Snowdon from Mount Eilio. At 467 meters elevation, this is the hike's highest point. Then a pleasant downhill hike awaits all the way to Llanberis, which lies at the foot of Snowdon.

Today you can choose between two different hikes. One option is a relatively easy circular walk around Lake Llyn Padarn at the foot of Snowdon. The trail partly follows the shoreline with fine views over the mountains and then continues through the historic slate quarries back to Llanberis. The hike ends at the National Slate Museum, which has free admission and provides a fascinating insight into the area's mining history and life in the old workers' housing.

The second option is to climb Mount Snowdon itself. The day begins with a short bus ride of about ten minutes to Pen-y-Pass. From here you follow the classic Pyg Track which rises steadily past glacial lakes toward the summit. After about three hours of uphill hiking, you reach the top and stand on the highest point in both Wales and England. The descent is via the more gently sloping Llanberis Path. When you're back in the village, you can celebrate with something good to drink at one of the pubs.

If you want to avoid walking down, you can take the characteristic cog railway that has connected Llanberis station with Summit Station just below the summit of Mount Snowdon since 1896. Tickets are purchased only in advance on Snowdon Mountain Railway's website.

After breakfast, you continue traveling on your own, unless you want to take some extra nights to explore the area further, or perhaps head down to the coast.