What To Do When It Rains In: Llanberis

© Tom Hutton

Rainy days may be inevitable in the UK hills, but sometimes it's just too foul for summits. If bad weather is getting you down then do something less miserable instead. From gear shops to sightseeing, every mountain centre has wet weather options. This week we're in Llanberis, a small town with a great location at the foot of Snowdon ...and rainfall to match.

Low level walks

Rain, high wind and low cloud may be forcing you off the mountain tops, but that doesn't mean you have to hang up hard shell. There are several brilliant lower level walks in striking distance of Llanberis.

Llanberis waterfall at dusk.  © Brian Wills
Llanberis waterfall at dusk.
© Brian Wills, Jan 2009

Ceunant Mawr Waterfall

Otherwise known as the Llanberis Waterfall, this impressive cascade is one of Snowdonia's finest, a hundred-foot, two-stage drop into a wooded gorge just behind the town. From the bottom station of the Snowdon Mountain Railway follow a side road uphill, then take a footpath path signposted for Ceunant Mawr. You'll need to cross the train tracks to reach the best viewpoint. To make a loop of it try descending via the woods of Coed Victoria.

Padarn Country Park

The 800 acre Padarn Country Park has a number of waymarked trails, and great views of Snowdon (when you can see it for cloud). It's possible to make a lap around Llyn Padarn on a mix of woodland paths and lake shore.

Sunset down the Llanberis Pass   © Dan Bailey
Sunset down the Llanberis Pass
© Dan Bailey

Llanberis Pass

Cutting a deep slice between Snowdon and the Glyderau, the Pass is one of the most dramatic mountain valleys in Britain, and home to several crags of national status. Even in foul weather it's worth exploring from top to bottom, and on foot is the best way to see it all. This does mean some walking along the road, though traffic is not normally an issue. Make a one-way trip on the Snowdon Sherpa bus up to Pen y Pass (there's a flat fare of £1.50 this far), then do a linear walk back down the Pass to Llanberis. Timetables here

Cloggy in sureal light  © Sean Kelly
Cloggy in sureal light
© Sean Kelly, Jun 2006

Llyn Du'r Arddu

A fairly long route this, and lacking shelter in bad weather; but if you've come all the way to North Wales and you're desperate for mountains then settings do not get more imposing than this little tarn hidden away beneath the cliffs of No match for crag id:"Clogwyn Du'r Arddu", or Cloggy, on the side of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa). This huge mountain crag might be a hostile place to climb in the wet, but as a rainy day spectacle it's full of moody drama. Follow Snowdon's Llanberis Path past the Halfway House. Where the main trail zigzags uphill take a less-trodden path on the right, and then just follow your nose.

Explore the slate quarries

A network of cavernous holes carved and blasted out of the lower slopes of Elidir Fawr, the Dinorwic slate quarry was in its heyday the second largest in the world (after nearby Penryhn). Covering nearly 3 square kilometres, the site is a monument to industrial heritage on a truly massive scale, a maze of giant craters, tunnels, spoil heaps and ruins all slowly returning to nature. Climbers of a certian bent love the slate, but few others venture here. Yet on a moody day when the acres of slate seem even darker than usual there is no more atmospheric place to poke around on foot. Many levels can be accessed by the brave, but some of the more precarious areas carry a serious health warning. The safest plan - and certainly if you've young kids in tow - would be to stick to the footpath from Dinorwig village down through the quarries to Nant Peris for a pub lunch.

Serengeti area of Dinorwic Slate Quarries.   © MarcusWootton
Serengeti area of Dinorwic Slate Quarries.
© MarcusWootton

National Slate Museum

After your DIY wander through the quarries you may be interested to find out how it was all achieved, with a visit to the National Slate Museum in the Padarn Country Park. Housed in old workshops that have been set out to look as if the Victorian quarrymen have just downed tools for the day, this free museum is well worth a visit. See the website here.

Gear shopping

Outdoor retailers probably have a lot to thank the British climate for. Trawling gear shops has been a default rainy day activity for generations of walkers and climbers. And why not? It's a good way to feel outdoorsy without having to actually be outdoors; besides which, you wouldn't want to waste a sunny morning buying socks and gas or trying on jackets. Llanberis is an excellent gear shopping / browsing destination with two quality shops on the High Street, V12 and Joe Browns.

Electric Mountain

Elidir Fawr is famously a hollow hill, its innards scooped out to house the largest pumped storage hydro electric power station in Europe. With tours to the turbines hidden 750m below ground in Europe's biggest man-made cavern, bus rides down some of the 16km of tunnels, and a visitor centre with the obligatory cafe and gift shop, Electric Mountain is a popular tourist attraction. Who cares if it's raining when you're underground?

Padarn Lake rainbow  © john1963
Padarn Lake rainbow
© john1963, May 2015

Climbing wall

If you're rained off the crags but still need to scratch that climbing itch then head for the Beacon Climbing Centre near Caernarfon, the biggest and best wall in the area with plenty for people of all levels. See Beacon CC.

Go on a train ride

North Wales is home to several narrow gague railways, legacies of industry now seeing service as visitor attractions. If the weather's not so hot we've a hunch you might not fancy the Snowdon Mountain Railway. Luckily for steam fans and families at a loose end, there is a low level alternative: the Llanberis Lake Railway. Hauled by vintage steam trains recycled from the nearby quarries, it's a five-mile return journey along the pretty shore of Llyn Padarn from Llanberis to Penllyn, with views over the lake to Snowdon.

Llanberis Castle Ruins/ Mordor  © TimC123
Llanberis Castle Ruins/ Mordor
© TimC123, Feb 2015

Visit a castle

No trip to North Wales would be complete without a good castle, the best of which are among the most impressive medieval strongholds in the world. Dolbadarn Castle at Llanberis is less imposing than most. Built by Prince Llewellyn in the 13th Century it is now largely ruined, but this is made up for by its scenic setting on a rocky hillock overlooking Llyn Peris at the mouth of the Llanberis Pass. A short drive to the coast takes you to Caernarfon, and a different type of beast entirely. Part of a strategic ring of castles thrown up by the English to subdue the conquered Welsh, Caernarfon Castle is a raw display of military power and building ingenuity. Kids will love it.

Have a cuppa in Pete's Eats

Serving mountainous portions of grub and huge mugs of tea since the late 70s, Pete's Eats on Llanberis High Street is a venerable climbers' and hillwalkers' institution. On wet days join the steaming throng of fellow outdoor types tucking into good honest casseroles, curries and chip butties. Mountain photos, a map library, a bunkhouse... you could end up staying all afternoon.

photo
MTB in the slate quarries
© Tom Hutton

Mountain biking

Embrace the wet and the mud!

'There are a few mountain bike options in the immediate area' says local MTB guide Tom Hutton.

'The obvious one, Snowdon, is not at its best on a foul day. And if the weather is going to be bad anywhere, it'll be on the summit. If you do decide to brave it out, remember the voluntary agreement that means no cycling on the mountain between 10am and 5pm from May 1 to Sep 30. '

'A better alternative is an up and down of Telegraph Valley (parallel and west of the Snowdon path) – all weather surfaces and low enough and sheltered enough to work in most conditions. Or you can hop over Bwlch y Groes – a tough climb to the west of Llanberis – and then work your way south on the A4085 to the Snowdon Ranger hostel. From here a tough climb to Bwlch Maesgwm rewards you with a full descent of the valley – this time in a loop.'

'An easier option is to link the track that circumvents Moel-y-Ci (above Mynydd Llandegai) with the traffic-free road up to the Marchlyn Dam, then descend through the slate quarries – perhaps dropping all the way to Nant Peris for some refreshment at the end.'

For a local bike guide see Tom's company MTBGuiding.co.uk

  • For more things to do and places to stay around Llanberis see Visitwales





Loading Notifications...
Facebook Twitter Copy Email