Right in the heart of Snowdonia, Llanberis is where you can take a train to the top of Mount Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales. Be warned though, by 10am, rides for the day on the rack and pinion railway are usually fully-booked for the rest of the day.
The narrow gauge rack and pinion railway covers over 4 miles to climb to the top station at 3,493 feet. The summit of the mountain is another 68 ft. higher, at 3,560 feet. Originally 7 stations were built, but now there is just one halfway up and the summit station, as well, of course, as the starting station in Llanberis. The first train reached the summit in 1896.
Llanberis is also famed for the Llanberis Pass. Now that's a strange place. If there's no traffic about, it's as silent as the grave!
The pass climbs to nearly 1200 feet before descending down to Llyns Peris and Padarn. Although narrow in places, there are several large lay-bys where you can pull up and properly look at the craggy cliffs.
The crags are home to the tiny, and incredibly rare Snowdon lily. It grows in quite inaccessible places, and to protect it, nobody will show you where to find it - and I don't blame them! So you will just have to put up with a photograph of it.
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