Blogs from Snowdonia, Gwynedd, Wales, United Kingdom, Europe

Snowdonia national park is home to some beautiful scenery, rolling green hills and the tallest mountain in Wales. Driving the winding roads through valleys and mountains led us to Bala a small town situated on the edge of the park. Here we found our campsite for the weekend. A lush green empty field soon became our base camp. Putting up the tents is always fun especially when the wind is blowing! After pitching three tents and a gazebo it was time for a cup of warming tea. The weather wasn't freezing cold but it certainly wasn't the warmest, that evening we headed to the bar for food and drink... Maybe a bit too much drink! For an activity while being away we were all in hope that the wind would drop and Zip World would be ... read more

It's doubtful that a full Welsh Breakfast is the ideal preparation for a trek up a mountain. None-the-less with this inside us we set off out of Llanberis into the heart of Snowdonia National Park. The landscape looked hugely awe-inspiring. Boulders that had been deposited by the slow moving glaciers more than 12,000 years ago loomed above us, it felt as if we had entered another world, an inhospitable world lacking any life aside sheep. The road meandered around and shortly led us to Pen-y-pass, the starting point for a variety of routes to the Snowdon Summit. It seemed colder, windier and less inviting than previous days. Perhaps the novelty of it all had worn off. We set off up the broad and gently climbing track passing the Gwynant Valley on our left hand side. The ... read more

We made our way out from Edinburgh down over the border to leave Scotland - but hopefully not forever. Our destination was the walled city in Northern Yorkshire, York. York & the Vikings Since an earlier visit to York a few years before, the Viking Centre had been number one on Jo's list. Alas, the first time around it was too late to visit the museum so Jo had to make do playing with the replica swords and helmets in the gift shop. Not a complete loss! This time round though she wasn't missing out and had Brett ready and waiting along with the hoards of school children at the entrance in the morning. The Jorvik Centre is built over the remains of 1000 year old houses unearthed in excavations between 1976-81 and showcases the artifacts ... read more

He turned left and rode towards the side of the valley where, above the low gentle green fields, the first dark slope of Cader Idris climbed like a wall roofed by the sky.” -The Grey King There is a legend that if you spend the night on top of Cader Idris, one of the highest mountains in Wales, you’ll wake up either a poet or mad. It’s also known for intense climbs, dramatic landscapes and spectacular 360 degree views. And if you’ve read the aforementioned book, you’ll know that it’s the stronghold of a powerful force of evil and darkness, called the Brenin Llwyd, or the Grey King. Though if you’re familiar with celtic mythology, from which the “Dark is Rising” books pulled a lot of their material, you might have heard of him as ... read more

Snowdonia & Tiggy Winkles 24th/25th April & 1st-3rd May, 2010 Rupesh loves organising surprises especially when they are a work of art on his part! He made the most amazing birthday cake I had ever seen - a hedgehog cake! And it was chocolate! That weekend we also paid a visit to Tiggy Winkles Wildlife Hospital near Oxford. We saw a couple of resident hedgehogs who had injuries or illnesses that meant they would not survive back in the wild. We also saw a baby fox and lots of bird life. Tiggy Winkles even has a museum dedicated to hedgehog paraphernalia. The following weekend was a bank holiday long weekend. We drove up to Snowdonia National Park on Saturday afternoon. The weather was terrible and the thought of camping was no longer very appealing. We managed ... read more