Snowden to Stonehenge
Trip Start
Dec 16, 2001
1
4
15
Trip End
Ongoing
Llanberis-Bristol-Bath,
United Kingdom
Tuesday, September 9, 2003
Mt. Snowden vital stats:
- Location: Snowden National Park, Northern Wales
- 1080m: highest peak in Britain (I think Ben Nevis, Scotland is highest in UK)
- Obligatory little town at base: Llanberis-more tourists than residents!
- 500,000/yr go to summit- some take the easy route on the train from Llanberis! You all know who you are!
- 10 deaths/yr- still safer than being on the roads, so must be alright
This presents an irresitable lure to climb
another view off Snowden
. Unfortunately last year's attempt was over before it began. Horrendous storms and wind speeds that demanded respect at sea level quickly converted me from keen climber to indoor sloth, along with everyone else in town for the annual Snowden marathon. T-shirt merchandise sales were sluggish!! The pics this year tell a different story though - blue skies!!!! Ok, perhaps I cheated a little, there was a brief interlude of getting saturated but the rest was perfect! Warm up this year was a hike the day before up into the hills behind Betws-y-Coed (the camping store capital!!). Was not as spectacular as Snowden but rates a mention.
There are about 6 or 7 different ways you can hike up Snowden, with varying degrees of exertion required. I went up the PYG Trail and came down the Miners Track, both join up to Pen-y-Pass. It's a reasonably easy hike in good weather. The guide books estimate 5 hrs rtn, which is about what it took after stopping all the way up to take pictures (lots!) and kicking back on the summit. Will probably plan some more hiking up there in the future.
Now if anything makes me think tourism in England it is Stonehenge. Why, why!!! Why build it? What was it for? Hoe does the audio guide manage to make such a fascinating topic so incredibly boring!!
Avesbury Circle
! Entry to stonehenge is 5 pounds( the site is surrounded by cyclone fencing). In comparison, entry to Edinburgh castle is 8 pounds. Stonehenge has sat where it is for over 3500 years, presumably thus requiring minimal upkeep in comparison with say a large castle, that have a tendency to fall down in the space of a century without significant upkeep. Once inside, a rope barrier keeps you well away from the stones, so far in fact that you are close to the outer fence! It used to be the thing to go chip off souveniers, so this is probably a good idea. Only the local sheep can experience the mystical wonders in the middle of the circle now.
It costs 2 pounds to park nearby...pictures from the roadside are free and are just as good (small hint!!).
Avesbury is just up the road, a small town in the middle of another circle of stones. Many of these have been dug up and righted again after being pulled down by disgruntled citizens over the centuries. One unfortante appears to have been on the wrong side of a stone when it fell over, now named the 'barber stone' for the tools he was found to have been carrying. Digging is a recurring theme in the region, a large hill (man made) and earthworks around the monuments were all created over hundreds of years using deer antlers! So many generations just piling more dirt up onto a hill with no apparent purpose....anyone, any ideas???????
Bath is a neat little city/town...did not seem all that big. Visited the main attractions, Roman Baths, Royal Cresent and local cathedral. Once the baths were said to have healing properties, now numerous signs have dire warnings about even touching the water. The town does lend itself to good postcards. This is the only place I have ever seen an unobtrusive McDonalds!
Bristol is probably not high on my list of tourist destinations, but was a good night out catching up with friends from home. The city has a uni campus in the middle, actually its more like small bits of a uni campus scattered all over the place. Being studentsville the pubs and clubs are numerous, just a matter of picking one with a good band and a few mates.....
