Snowdon Again - The End

Having spent a fantastic weekend with friends in Llanberis it was a steady but reasonable drive home, mostly along the A5. The campervan behaved well while I was away, with only a couple of issues to deal with.

I need to be careful to ensure the curtain on the exit door doesn't get stuck outside in the rain. I'll be washing the curtains at the end of the season anyway but I recon another press stud may be needed. While I'm on I'll add press studs to the bottom corners of the front curtain just to close the gaps at the ends and a wire across the bottom of the back curtains.

I discovered after I got back that my work mobile had slipped down between the back seat and the side of the 'van. I ended up unscrewing the top of the seat locker to gain access to retrieve it. I'm planning to remove the seat temporarily to give access when I sort the electrics so I'll figure out either putting a tray in there or at least filling the gaps with foam.

On a positive note I had the compressor coolbox running most of the time from Wednesday evening through to Monday morning. I'd set the battery saver to its lowest setting but after 4 1/2 days with only a short drive to recharge the battery it still hadn't cut out. That bodes well for festivals, etc.

Snowdon Again - Day 3

Firstly something I forgot to mention on Day 1 of the Blog. I believe I spotted my previous campervan, Little Dai, on my way here. I can't explain why but out of the corner of my eye I spotted a silver small van parked in a driveway. I immediately thought, "That's a Daihatsu!" It was a few moments later I realised I was in the area where I know the purchasers live so put two and two together.

Today, after a larger than normal breakfast (think I over-bought in the farm shop) I left site for the short drive to Sygun (pronounced Sugin, the opposite of what non-Welsh speakers would expect) Copper Mine. I've been down coal mines, a slate mine and a lead mine so copper was a new one for me. It's different in that you're not guided round but make your own way. They do give you a hard hat (it's needed) and warn you that there are 186 steps to climb, mostly open metal ones. Strangely I don't find the height too much of a problem when underground.

The commentary at each point (you press a button to start it) was reasonably well done. The story isn't that much different to other mines, what I miss without a live guide are those extra off-script snippets that you tend to get, the recorded commentary is just a bit dry. I finished with a reasonable coffee in their tearoom before driving round the mountain (cue song) to Llanberis and the hotel. I was in two minds about going for a walk but got distracted by the bar being open!

That's about it from a campervan point of view for this trip. Tomorrow a group of TOGs will attempt to climb (or take the train up) Snowdon, but a few drinks may be consumed in the meantime. I'm stopping until Monday so will report again when I'm home.

Snowdon Again - Day 2

Back to normal today, playing trains! The main reason for coming to Snowdonia early was to ride the Welsh Highland Railway. I simply couldn't fit it in last year!

The WHR is part of the Ffestiniog Railway (and mustn't be confused with the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway which also runs out of Porth Madog). Fortunately I left the campsite a bit earlier than I needed to for the walk to the station as just after I arrived the heavens opened. There'd been heavy rain on-and-off overnight anyway but it had largely stopped for a while. The train was busy but I managed to find a single seat. The only problem with narrow gauge carriages is they tend to have narrow gauge seats and I have a broad gauge b*m but I coped.

It was only really as we were approaching Caernarfon that the weather cleared so I moved to the semi-open coach instead. I stuck with that for the rest of the day although I did have to put my anorak back on and shift sides at one point.

The scenery is absolutely stunning for much of the journey, with (on a rare clear day) views of Snowdon. It's about the only railway I know with three distinct weather zones though. You have the mountain weather, cold but dry winds, maritime weather, cold, damp breezes and in between a brief temperate zone where the wind is noticeably warmer.

Putting my anorak on, Porth Madog must be unique in having two different heritage railways in the station running different articulated loco styles. As I mentioned yesterday the WHR runs mainly with Beyer-Garrets (the one hauling us today was built in Manchester in 1958 for South Africa). They have a single firebox and boiler with articulated wheelsets at each end, the front carries the water tank and the rear the bunker. The Ffestiniog have the Fairlie Patent locos, these have two separate fireboxes and boilers, again with articulated wheelsets.

The reason for these designs is basically to get a large loco onto a tight radius track. Most were narrow gauge (only one standard gauge Garret survives, in non-running order at Bressingham although the 3' 6" gauge one I saw in Queensland is a much larger loco). A standard tank engine simply wouldn't have the power, or tractive effort, to haul heavy trains in the same way. Even with the design when pulling out of a couple of stations this morning with a full train on very wet rails they got some wheel slip, the climb out of Beddgelert is steep, the line doubles back on itself twice as it leaves the station to gain height.

Once back off the train I decided to treat myself to an ice cream. I may have found a new favourite flavour! Banana and Choc Chip was delicious if subtle. I've followed that up with a pint while I make use of the pub WiFi.

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.

An Overnight Trip

This is just a quick post to keep the blog complete. I had a weekend away with friends at a watersports centre in Essex. The campervan was really only used as transport and for overnight sleeping.

The one thing that proved its worth again was the compressor coolbox. I could leave it running all day on the leisure battery without worrying, keeping my sandwiches, cans of coke and a few beers (for the evening) cold. In the end the beer went unused as we went to a pub for dinner, it won't go to waste!

The next trip away is to Snowdonia, only a couple of nights camping before I head for a hotel.

Moorish Trip - The End

As I've been stopping in a hotel since Thursday I haven't updated the blog but there were some highlights.

Thursday morning I decided to get an early start from Minehead so was off site by about 7am. If I do leave early I try and be as quiet as I can be of course! Having parked in Okehampton the first job was breakfast, I'd just walked to the high street when I spotted the Wetherspoons! Unusually there were a couple of very minor problems, I chased up my breakfast when a group I knew had ordered after me got theirs' first, then the sausage was missing. No real problem, easily sorted, I might have got a free coffee out of it but I'd gone for the free refills anyway!

I had a wander round the town, including looking round the small museum, but as it was wet and miserable I skipped the castle for another year and went to the hotel for lunch. The Manor House Hotel is a Sport, Craft and Spa hotel. Their activity weekends are great value and there's lots to do. We had a group of about 50 there and had a great time.

To fit with my usual activities I signed up for the Dartmoor walk, which had the advantage of a ride on the Dartmoor Railway. This is one of the shorter heritage lines (at least from Okehampton to Melden Viaduct which we did) and is run with diesel railcars. There wasn't much of a view as it was raining! The walk leader was very good and took us round some industrial heritage before we got back to the railway and, more critically, the buffet coach! The coffee and cake were very welcome. The Dartmoor is another very friendly volunteer run railway so is thoroughly recommended.

Other activities I took part in were Adventure Golf (we stopped counting strokes), Archery (I'll do that again) and I started a sign for the house. The run back from Devon is really just a slog. Even cutting across the Cotswolds doesn't alleviate the tedium that much but there's little alternative. I will be going on the weekend next year but I doubt I'll combine it with a holiday next time.

Little Trains - Moorish Trip Day 5

After travelling on the longest heritage railway in the country I visited one of the shortest. The Lynton and Barnstaple is a narrow gauge line currently just about a mile long, but with big plans for expansion. It's in a very picturesque setting on the moors with views of the coast.

The L&B features in the model railway press quite a bit these days as it's being used as the prototype for a number of ready-to-run models. One of the reasons I chose not to model narrow gauge was the absence of such stock, I don't regret the decision but it opens up more opportunities for modellers.

The other small railway of the day was the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway. This is a water balanced funicular between the two towns. These are always good fun if a little bit nerve wracking for anyone with a fear of heights. Lynmouth especially if a total tourist trap with a long line of cafes and gift shops, the Flood Memorial building is worth a visit though. I did also walk around Lynton, it's very hilly!

The roads around there have some very steep gradients, 25% (1 in 4 in old money) is quite common. The 'van managed ok but one thing I have to remember is that the petrol engine likes its revs. I ended up going up Porlock Hill in first gear having had to slow at the bottom. It's all part of the learning curve.

As Porlock is another pretty little village I decided to have a wander round. It was there that the gadding of the week finally caught up with me and I literally ran out of energy. It wasn't a problem but it cut the day a bit shorter than it might have been.

Back on site I settled down to a drink of Sheep Stagger Scrumpy (please read that carefully) and a snooze before dinner. That's the last night of the camping part of the trip so I decided to prepare for a reasonably early start to spend some time in Okehampton before going to the hotel, more on that later.