1 Day Trip to Snowdonia, Wales
Yr Wyddfa (or Snowden) is a mountain in Northern Wales in the Eryri National Park (Snowdonia). It is about a 2 hour and 15 minute drive from Manchester (in England) and is a popular hiking destination. The drive is mostly highway, but closer to the mountain, you’ll be taken through the hills and it is a lovely drive. The ascent to the 1085m above sea level peak will vary in time depending on the route you take as there are multiple routes.
Day 1
Snowdonia
I was hiking Yr Wyddfa with a friend and was picked up early at 6am. We then drove just over 2 hours to Pen-y-Pass, the starting point of the hike. There is a small parking lot at Pen-y-Pass and the per car cost is 10GBP for the day. We were hiking the Yr Wyddfa (Snowden) via Miners’ Track and Pyg Circular. It is a ~12km loop with an elevation gain of about 800m and it takes about 5 hours to complete. The ascent is steady, but there are certain sections that can be steep. On the way down, there is a bit of backtracking on the route, which is rocky and steep, but then there is a split in the trail which leads to Miners’ Track and the path eventually levels out at the lake and is relatively flat all the way back to the parking lot. The routes are well maintained. The Miners’ Track was originally built for the Britannia Copper Mine and there are still remnants of old buildings on this path. It is best to go on a clear day as you’ll enter the clouds during the ascension to Yr Wyddfa. A clear day means it is likelier that there will be a view at the peak. It was unfortunately a cloudy day on the day of our hike, so although it was clear at the base, we eventually found ourselves hiking through the clouds and had no view at the peak. The views on the way up were still pretty, and I was excited to see sheep (closer to the end of the hike).
After the hike, we were starving, so we drove to the nearby village, Betws-y-Coed, for lunch. The restaurant we went to was called Y Stablau. It was a Sunday, so what better way to celebrate a successful hike than a Sunday Roast (roasted meat (this case pork), roasted potatoes, pigs in a blanket, vegetables, crisps, and gravy) and a shandy (beer mixed with lemonade!).
Full and happy, we strolled around the village for a bit after lunch. It was mid-December, so the village had holiday decorations up, which was nice. Then, we headed back to Manchester. Annoyingly though, we got a flat tyre on the drive back, so that did extend our drive home. Still an amazing day however!
Complete Day 1 Itinerary
*Travel times may vary. Check Google Maps for most accurate travel details.
6:00am: Drive to Pen-y-Pass for the Yr Wyddfa via Miners’ Track and Pyg Circular (2 hour 15 minute drive from Manchester).
9:00am: Hike Snowden (5 hour hike)!
3:00pm: Late lunch/early dinner at Y Stablau at Betws-y-Coed (18 minute drive from Pen-y-Pass).
4:00pm: Drive back to Manchester (2 hour 15 minute drive from Betws-y-Coed).
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Travels with Carolyne 