Wales - Llandudno & Llanberis

Trekking up Mount Snowdon

Great Orme mini golf

From Holyhead I took a train to Llandudno, which in a basic sense was a resort town for the aged. Great weather - I got sunburned again though, which made me realize that I should've taken the sunscreen from OBS when I had the chance. I visited the Great Orme in Llandudno, though I'm still not entirely clear on what it was, but it was a nice walk down back to town. I took the tram up mostly because I didn't know where the trail was. There was actually a mini-golf course at the top, which was the first sign as to how touristy this location was. This made me appreciate the fact that there is not yet a "Moher Mini Golf" at the Cliffs of Moher. After the Great Orme I walked along the pier, which was a bit sad. The word that kept going through my mind was derelict. Definitly long past it's prime, which could perhaps be the reason there were so so many old people - they obviously came to Llandudno as kids when it was in it's peak and are now returning for their retirement... Perhaps? I walked to the Little Orme at the other end of the "boardwalk," but I didn't climb it and am not sure if you can. The beaches at Llandudno have very little sand. There are mostly rocks that look like what I imagine dinosaur eggs to look like and yet, people were sunbathing on them. It just looked very uncomfortable to me.

Llandudno tourists

From Llandudno I went to Llanberis, which is in Snowdonia National Park. I actually liked Llanberis a lot, just the atmosphere of the area, but since it's Wales it usually rains a lot so I'm glad I lucked out with the weather. Because the place I had chosen to stay was closed for check-in until 5PM I decided to hike up Mount Snowdon via the Llanberis Path. I made it to the top and everything, but it was exhausting. First off I had my suitcase on my back. Secondly I was wearing my Sperrys. Don't get me wrong, great shoes, good for traveling, but not my first choice when hiking up steep and slippery trails to get to the peak of a 3,560 ft mountain. Spectacular views, though it was a bit hazy and the sun was brutal. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers though. I asked a person if they had any sunscreen and they did, though it was SPF 5, but (and I now understand this phrase in a whole new sense) beggars can't be choosers. That SPF 5 probably saved my skin from the fate of a French girl in my dorm at the hostel I was staying at. It was overall a good day, aside from my chosen accommodation in part because it was like hiking another mini Mount Snowdon to get to their inconvenient location and by that point my legs were shot. Also, and this is just a little thing, they didn't have wifi! No big deal, but for comparison there was in fact wifi on the top of Mount Snowdon. Just saying... It took me around 2 hours, 59 minutes, and 48 seconds to reach the peak, and about 2.5 hours to go back down, not that I timed myself or anything...

To conclude my trip I took a bus from Llanberis to Bangor. Two kind old ladies told me when to get off the bus so I wouldn't have to walk from the bus station to the train station, thankfully. One thing about traveling that I have learned is that when you are going somewhere it usually won't take longer than you expect it to, so there is no need to buy the 1 PM train ticket when you think you are going to arrive at 10 AM. Just buy the 11 AM train ticket and save yourself from waiting 3 hours. But I made it back to Cardiff in one piece! If anything, I feel as though this trip has prepared me for the public transportation aspect of the Amazing Race. Next stops: London, Paris, and finally Montpellier!

My "hiking" shoes