Day 5

Betwys y Coed was cold start, with lots of mist and low cloud. Destination Llanberis for th Snowdon Mountain Railway trip to the top of Snowdon.
Got there way too early so lots of standing around in the cold. None of the mountains visible due to low, low cloud.
Lots of steam and shunting in the rail yard, engines and carriages going back and forth.
A grandpa turns up with “the obnoxious” hyperactive kid who plagued us all the way up. Everything he was told not to do he did.
Finally announcement to board. We’re off in a clatter of diesel engine. No steam for us. First grade is quite steep, the rack rail system makes quite a din.
There’s a running commentary from the speakers, all time to be relevant to what we can see from the train. Problem, we can see nothing, bugger all, zip, zero, nil. There is cloud down below our knees.
Out to the side we get tantalising glimpses of things to be lost in the mist. We see walkers climbing up the track to the top that parallels the train line.
Suddenly, right near the top, the train emerges into bright sunlight, and we stop at the top. A very modern station greets us, all built in local slate and tastefully built into the mountain. From there a short climb to the summit, with wondrous views of clouds as far as the eye can see. In fact it was rather good, with occasional lesser leaks appearing and disappearing through the cloud.
From the summit, what we could see was very steep in every direction, and the rain appears to take a very sharp spur to reach the summit.
Obnoxious boy gets to the top and then is too frightened to climb the stairs back down. He is rescued by grandpa.
20 mins on the summit then time to depart. Thankfully obnoxious bow is not on the train..
The descent is similar to the ascent, nothing to see until we are almost at Llanberis.
It’s almost lunch yet we have to move on, we have castle to visit. Conwy Castle one of Edward I circle of defence. Supposedly the best preserved castle of its type. It’s all a castle should be with turrets and walks and keeps and dungeons. It was part of the walked city of Conwys and from the top of the turret you can see the complete town fortification. Very impressive. Could they build in those days? Of course it was before cannon changed things. The castle was only taken once and that was an inside job.
Another walled city Chester, for a late lunch. There I found my first Wi-Fi connection, so that’s why you got all the diaries all at once.
With no real objective I thought a visit to the Peak District may be nice so headed for Chapel-en-le-frith. Why? Because it sounded good and was near the Peak District.
Unfortunately, Billy who had been very good up to now led us through Stockport, a forgettable city, wth narrow street and very slow traffic, and it was school getting out time too.
We hoped to get accommodation there, however information centre closed, though the local library was open and a very helpful man there found a YHA called Hardington Hall at Hardington. Hardington was 40 minutes away on the typical narrow English back roads that are narrow. Hardington Hall however is one great old manor house. It is the first YHA in Britain and simply wonderful. Grand is a word I would use. The down side is 80 10-12 year olds in the main house. Thankfully we are not with them as they are wild, noisy, intrusive in a very polite English way, of course. We are in the Barn, a converted barn, with views over the fields of Hardington.
I go to get some towels, we don’t have any. That’ll be 4 pounds, however for that you get to keep them. They are thin and somewhat worn. WE have no option. More on that later.
The YHA has its own restaurant so we dine there. Not too bad. A fine cheese platter to finish with a variety of local cheeses, none of which I have seen or tasted previously. All a bit bland really, none with any pizzazz.