Snowdon Again - Day 1

I'm writing this Wednesday evening but not sure when it will get published as there's no mobile signal! I'm spending a cutie of nights in the campervan before moving on to a hotel in Llanberis to join friends for another attempt at Snowdon (we were beaten by the weather last year). I will be cheating this year though, my plan is to go up by train and walk down.

I'm stopping first at the Beddgelert Forest site. It's over 45 years since I first camped here and around 35 since I was last here. Sadly this may be the last opportunity. The site is now run by Forest Holidays, a joint venture between the Forestry Commission and a VC company. They have plans to reduce the number of pitches by around 70% and build a number of lodge houses plus a bar, etc.

The drive down was fine with a quick stop at a farm shop just off the AT for fresh supplies (and a coffee and piece of carrot cake). The site is very unstructured beyond the hard standing pitches being in certain places so I'm parked in the middle of some trees. Initially I had a caravan adjacent one side and a tent the other, at a discount that would probably make the Caravan and Motorhome Club wince! For some strange reason the tent removed their add on canopy and kit to a different tent at the other side of the pitch area then took the original tent down.

Over the course of the evening I also saw a fully inflated airbed being taken for a walk and, week after it was dark, a couple picked up their tent and moved it to a spot right adjacent to a pathway. From past experience here I suspect this all relates to waterlogged ground.

I decided to walk down into the village itself, ostensibly 2 5km away, I think these are Welsh Long Kilometres! I did get a reasonable pint and dinner though before walking back again. I'll be going again tomorrow probably to catch the train on the Welsh Highland although I could always use the request stop at the top of the site. I didn't have time for this railway last year and it's particular attraction for me is that they use two Garrett articulated locos reimported from South Africa.