Snowdon Mountain Railway: The Easy Way to the Top of the World

Mount Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, at 1,085 metres above sea level. I climbed the mountain once. I was 19 and on a university field course (environmental biology). At the time I was really proud of my achievement … but I’ve always wanted to take the train to the top too!

So, when we were in Snowdonia recently, I bought return tickets for me and the children on the Snowdon Mountain Railway. In honesty my fitness level and dodgy knees would have been a problem had we walked, so this was never an option on this visit.

When I walked it

I think it was around 19901-1991 that we took the minibus from London to Bangor for a week of fascinating ecology. This was no easy week, though, as we were walked miles and miles – mostly directly uphill! This wasn’t helped by having a lecturer who was like a mountain goat – he just sprung from boulder to boulder effortlessly! On the day we scaled Snowdon we luckily stopped many times along the way to look at plants, and how they’ve adapted to be able to thrive in the habitat.

The first half-hour of the walk from Llanberis was really harsh … I didn’t think I’d ever make it. But then you ‘get into the groove’ and you power along the paths. The ever-changing view was our only indication that we were making progress.

I remember stopping for a packed lunch. We were lucky – the weather was glorious – and although there were other hikers out, for a while it felt that we had the whole mountain to ourselves. It was incredible. But I found it a hard, hard day. The following day, once the adrenaline had gone away, my legs just didn’t want to bend anymore!

History of the train

Ever-present during our epic Snowdon walk was a little puffing train that passed us at regular interviews. During the walk you get very close to the line, and I lost track of the number of friends who suggested we run up behind the train and hang off the back! Oh, how I envied those inside the carriages!

Between 1894 and 1896 it took 150 men 14 months to lay the 8 km of track from Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon. Five steam locomotives were purchased in Switzerland – three of these are still in operation! Three more steam engines were added in the 1920s, followed by two diesel trains in the late 1980s.

The initial summit building was designed by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, he of Portmeirion fame (where ‘The Prisoner’ TV programme was filmed). However, this was no longer fit for purpose, so between 2006 and 2009 the Snowdonia National Park Authority authorised the building of Hafod Eryri. It was designed by Ray Hole Architects, who won a competition to design it.

The railway celebrated its 120^th birthday in 2016 – and it’s as popular as ever!

Taking the train

I booked tickets long in advance of our visit as I know how quickly the trains book up. We turned up early, and had enough time to watch an earlier train leave, and grab a quick coffee at the café!

When it was time to board, our tickets stated what carriage we’d be in. The carriages were quite basic with just wooden bench seats – I’d say each carriage held around 30 people. What was good though was the amount of glass … very panoramic!

It takes a good hour to reach the summit (as opposed to 3-4 hours to walk it). The track criss-crosses the main walking path, so all the way up you can see the hikers.

You journey through varying terrains … from relatively flat, rolling open land, to funicular-like steep inclines. The weather fluctuated nearly as much as the views!

Views

There is only one word to describe the view: Beautiful!

Summit

The summit was under cloud when we reached it. And when we stepped out the carriage we were hit by the icy cold air.

Visitor Centre at the summit

Having used the facilities in the visitor centre, we braved the cold weather to scale the last few steps to the actual summit. It was only a short uphill walk, but by the top my heart was beating out of my chest!

Toby at the Summit

Understandably it was busy at the summit, and cold, and under cloud, so we didn’t stay long – just enough time for some quick photos.

Return journey

Because of the inclement weather, the visitor centre was packed full of both train passengers and hikers. There was nowhere to sit, or even stand, so we decided to jump on the next train back to Llanberis.

Thoughts once back in Llanberis

It was a lovely trip. Amazing scenery – and an adventure. But I couldn’t get away from the feeling that we were cheating. That it would be so much more of an achievement to actually walk to the top. Whether I could or not didn’t really come into it. From the train window I looked at all the hikers with a growing level of envy. However, at the summit I was pleased to be climbing back into a carriage without the worry of having to walk all the way down again!

The railway is an impressive fete of engineering. It’s comfortable. It’s warm. And it’s dry. Our carriage was full of an eclectic mix of people – young families, retired couples, visitors from overseas wrongly dressed for the occasion (flip flops and sandals)! I couldn’t help thinking how different it would have been back in Victorian times.

Oh, I should point out – the train isn’t dog friendly … hence Huw stayed in Llanberis with Izzy and Jack, exploring the National Slate Museum. They’d have loved the walk to the top and back though.

Would I take the train again? Depends who I’m with (elderly relatives, yes of course). Would I prefer to walk if with like-minded friends? Totally. You cannot really compare the two experiences, even though they both follow a similar route to the same destination.

I’m really pleased I finally got the chance to take the train to the summit of Snowdon 😊