Sport

Wednesday, 2 September, 2015 - 16:42

Conquering Snowdon

by RosemaryM

Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, located in Snowdonia National Park. It stands at one thousand and eighty-five metres above sea level, and from the top you can get stunning views of the surrounding area. On a clear day, you can see as far as Ireland!

I've climbed Snowdon three times. The first time was with my family, when I was around twelve years old. The second time was with my sister and cousin last summer and this summer I climbed it with my boyfriend. There are several different paths which lead to the summit; so far, I've been up the Pyg track, the Miner's track and the Llanberis path (which is also referred to as 'the tourist path' and 'the motorway', due to the high volumes of tourists!). Each path offers different views of the national park which surrounds the mountain. One path, called Crib Goch, is particularly dangerous and should only be attempted by experienced climbers and mountaineers. It's a knife-edge ridge with a very steep drop; many people have died attempting this path as they weren't adequately prepared for it.

For people who don't want to walk, there's a train which goes to the top. It costs around £30 for a return ticket, which is quite expensive but much faster than walking! I've never taken the train as I prefer to go up the mountain on foot, which gives me lots of time to take photographs. There's also a small café and shop at the top.

Snowdon is located near to the small Welsh town of Llanberis. Llanberis used to be a mining town and tourists can now visit Dinorwig, a large slate mine close to the town. There are lots of little cafés and shops too, as well as a lake that you can rent boats on.

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Have you ever climbed a mountain? If not, would you like to? 

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