The journey from Bournemouth took just over five hours, and as a top co-pilot I only slept for about 20 minutes of the journey. Annoyingly this was just as we entered the rolling hills of the Welsh valleys, but I definitely made up for it by requesting a few little pit stops to stop and take pics.
Leaving first thing in the morning meant a couple of stop offs for coffee were inevitable, but it meant we would have some time to explore Llanberis a little that afternoon.
Once our bags were down and our bellies full of tea and cake (more on this later) we set off to explore a few of the local landmarks.
Never before have I been so far north in Wales and was albeit slightly naïve but fascinated to understand that the majority of the locals actually spoke Welsh!
We ventured out to find the most breath taking waterfall and also an awesome castle (or what was left of it). The scenery itself was enough to keep you occupied, made even better by the slight appearance of Autumn. It was on this walk I had the first glimpse into wondering if the impending climb was a good idea as it was on the decent from the castle that I went ass over tit!!! Blaming my new walking boots, as it couldn't possibly be my renowned clumsiness we hiked on in search of what more Llanberis had to offer.
Cue the part of continuing to chat about more about the cake. This section is something I could dedicate a whole blog post to as the hospitably we experienced from Elaine and Andy was like no other. The second we arrived at Glyn Afon Guest House we were greeted with a steaming pot of tea and the most delicious selection of cakes to help ourselves to. Both Elaine and Andy were so so welcoming and it instantly felt like a home from home. So much so that I realised I had already taken my boots off whilst we were chatting to them in the reception area.
It felt like we were on some kind of baking and goodies retreat as at every given opportunity there was rocky road, lemon cake and any other cake you can imagine on offer. Even our rooms were stocked with little chocolate treats and also all the toiletry essentials you could possibly need for a weekend stay.
If you have read my post about the actual climb you will know that I prevented a hangry midmountain meltdown by stocking my bag with lots of snacks. Now whilst I don't recommend going up without any kind of supplies but with an Elaine breakfast, let's just say you will be fuelled for hours. Fresh fruit and yoghurt, pancakes and then a full English meant our bellies were well and truly stocked up for the impending adventure. I mean 3 course breakfasts need to be become a thing right? Not to mention, you guessed it a little cake care package was on offer.
The only one complaint we had was that Elaine couldn't up ship and head to Scotland so we could stay there when we do the next challenge up to Ben Nevis.
Both evening meals we headed to two local pubs. The first, The Heights, was a proper "walkers" pub and whilst I was a little saddened not to be greeted with a big roaring fire the staff were lovely and friendly, and the food was super hearty and perfect the night before climbing Snowdon. The second The Gwynedd Inn was definitely the kind of pub you want to head to after conquering a mountain. My one piece of advise is to go hungry as the portions were HUGE!
Sadly the Slate Mine Museum and little Hospital Museum were closed so we couldn't venture around them, but the location made for such a beautiful and relaxing break.
We stayed for two night which I think gave the perfect amount of time to explore Llanberis. Next time I would love to head back to try the zipwire which was sadly closed whilst we were there.
This was such a perfect little staycation and I am definitely going to be creating a list of more places in the UK to head to.... So send all your recommendations my way.
Have you explored North Wales or Llanberis before?
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