Snowdonia National Park stretches over 50 miles from Conwy in the north, to Aberdyfi in the south — that’s almost half the “height” of Wales. East to west, the park is less extensive, and indeed can be more or less crossed in a couple of days at the popular northern end, which is exactly what I did this past weekend.
Three months ago today, I was enjoying a weekend in Northern Snowdonia. Specifically, at Rowen Youth Hostel, which revels in a fantastically scenic location, perched on the steep western slopes of the Conwy Valley. The Carneddau range, comprising by far the largest contiguous area of high ground over 3000 feet south of Scotland, is on the doorstep.
Having had what felt like endless weeks of unseasonably warm, excessively wet, and irritatingly windy weather here in the UK, I wasn’t expecting much from the last weekend of November in North Wales. With this corner of the UK not known for its propensity to deliver suitable holidaying weather, I was well up for (and would have been quite satisfied with) a couple of days sat in front of a roaring open fair, quaffing ale, and talking nonsense with my mates.