Llyn Padarn and Dolbadarn Castle  / Castell Dolbadarn

Hello again people and pooches. Joe the Cocker here after a circuit of Llyn Padarn from Llanberis. It was a nice cold February morning when we headed to Eryri (Snowdonia) with the weather forecast for 6⁰C, a slight breeze, and a partly cloudy sky. Perfect for a gentle saunter around a lake.

We parked in the street by the Y Glyn parking area. This is a convenient spot at the start of the Lôn Las Peris multi-use path. After I had watered the grass, we headed North West along the path. It was a bit nippy, so we set off at a good pace. I was on-lead because there were a few cyclists and other pooch walkers sharing the path. One minute, my human was complaining that I wasn’t keeping up, and the next he was telling me to ‘stop pulling’. I wish that he would make his mind up. It was a new area for me, which meant that there was a lot of sniffing and marking my territory.

To our right, we gained good views across the lake through gaps in the trees. It was easy going on the flat, tarmacked surface.

The path around the lake is waymarked. We were following the white markers. When we reached the tunnel under the road, the markers pointed up a flight of steps on the right. We nipped to the top and discovered the route went along the pavement at the side of the road. My navigator checked the map and found that if we ventured through the tunnel, we would meet up with the path further on. Ok, it was a detour, but passing through a tunnel is irresistible for the big feller.

Soft Lad got to make his usual yodelling noises as we passed through the dark and cold tunnel. He is a child in an old fogeys body!

Cofiwch Dryweryn is painted on the wall, the symbol of the struggle to stop the building of the dam and the flooding of Capel Celyn.

After our little detour, we crossed the main road, headed back for a short distance, and regained the path at Craig yr Undeb. This rocky outcrop was used 150 years ago for meetings of slate quarrymen where their trade union was formed. It was named Craig yr Undeb (Union Rock) shortly after. A plaque is in place commemorating the 100th anniversary in 1974.

My human took this photograph of me staring at the rock. He asked me if I was paying my respect to the trade union members. I thought to myself, ‘Is he mad?’ I was watching a squirrel running up the crag and wondering if it was worth chasing. He can be so dumb sometimes.

We moved on, not without my human stopping to look back along Llyn Padarn towards the moody skies above Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon).

We turned right at the road junction where an old stone arched road bridge crosses the Afon Rhythallt as it leaves Llyn Padarn.

At its outflow from Llyn Padarn, the Afon Rhythallt is one of the most important spawning sites for salmon and sea-trout in the area.

As we crossed the bridge, we turned right along the road in the small village of Brynrefail.

After a short walk, we came to the entrance to Rheillfordd Llyn Padarn, the Llanberis Lake Railway. We walked through the open gate along the rough pathway until we reached the entrance to Penllyn Halt. We have seen videos of people continuing along the railway line, but we decided not to as trains were running on the day of our visit.

The alternative was to follow the waymarked route up the steep road section. My human puffed and panted as we headed uphill. We had to pull into the side of the road a few times as vehicles passed us on this narrow stretch. People were very respectful and slowed down for us.

We reached the top of the hill at a small hamlet called Fachwen, where views over Llyn Padarn and Eryri appeared in the brightening sky.

This pretty little village commands amazing views over Llyn Padarn, Llanberis, and Eryri.

I was having to stop to wait for my human to catch up. He is no mountain goat. He is more like a giant tortoise with his shell (rucksack) on his back. I am definitely the hare in this partnership. I wondered who would be back at the car first in a race. I wonder!

The walk was so much easier as the road levelled off, and my human was getting his breath back.

Soon, we were on a rough track as the route took us off the tarmac. Dotted along the route are the remains of the slate quarrying industry. The Ladas Quarry ruins have been reclaimed by nature, but the bridge in the photograph remains a reminder of the route taken to the lakeside.

An area below the track and above the lake, a small off-grid community, has grown with some keeping livestock such as this handsome fella. I had a staring competition with him but I lost interest after a while and we moved on.

After dropping downhill slightly, we came across a slate bridge crossing the Afon Fachwen. I asked my human if he wanted to rest his weary bones on the stone bench, but he said that there was a viewpoint coming up shortly where we could stop for lunch.

I thought that this would be a good spot because the bridge crossed the river at a beautiful waterfall. My human likes waterfalls, but on this occasion, he insisted that we move on. He can be so contrary.

We carried on along a forest path that was slippery and muddy in spots. Tree roots crossed the path, making the big feller take his time. He didn’t fancy taking a tumble like he did on our recent Scottish hike. We thought that we had found the viewpoint when we came across a few rocks that his wide beam could reat on with a fairly good view of the lake. But, another couple of hikers with their pooch were already in situ, enjoying a brew. We had a short chat and continued along the path.

We found the viewpoint a few yards along the path. It was perfect. There was a boulder that my dad could rest on. The views over the lake were stunning both south and north.

Llanberis could be seen across the lake, and the Yr Wyddfa massif loomed above the northern end of the lake. We could see snow on the tops, but Yr Wyddfa was shrouded in the cloud.

While my human sorted his lunch, I had a mooch around. I got told off for going to near to the edge of a steep drop. I’m careful. He needs to be more trusting.

I had to watch while he filled his face with chilli and rice from his food flask. All I got was a dog chew and some dried banana chips.

We plodded on after our lunch break, and after a few short ascents and descents, we dropped down to the lakeside. Coed Dinorwig is home to a number of feral goats. The first one that we saw was heading in the same direction that we were hiking, albeit a bit higher up the hillside. I didn’t like the look of those horns. They look like they are capable of some damage. So, I stayed well clear of him.

As we reached the old Quarrymen’s Hospital, we found more of the herd. We had to walk quite closely to one of them, who was showing off by walking along the top of a wall.

The hospital is a tourist attraction nowadays and is free to enter.

The view across the lake provides an overview of the whole of Llanberis.

Looking over the walls of the hospital grounds, we could see where we had walked. The railway line hugs the shoreline as it passes under the grounds.

Looking in the opposite direction, we could see the snowcapped mountains of Eryri and the Slate Museum buildings where we were headed towards.

As we approached the Slate Museum, the steam train loaded with sightseers was just leaving the station.

We walked past the National Slate Museum, which was closed on our visit as it is going through a major refurbishment.

My human was disappointed as we reached Vivian Quarry as it was closed also. Apparently, there has been a significant rock fall. It was a shame because he loves the spectacle of the steep rock walls and crystal clear water of the pool that has formed. Ah, well. There is a castle still to be seen on our little outing.

As we passed the museum, we could see into the yard with the old quarrymen houses. They are part of the museum and are furnished and decorated as they would have been early last century.

I dragged my human across a field and through the car park to Castell Dolbadarn. We crossed the road and entered the castle grounds by way of a footbridge over Afon Arddu. The river below had the clearest of water. I needed a drink, so my human let me have a slurp from it.

Suitably refreshed, we climbed the small hill to the castle. The castle was built in the 1220s and was used by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd,  Prince of Gwynedd, to imprison his brother Owain Goch for 22 years.

The tower commands a view down the length of Llyn Padarn to the south and north along Llyn Peris.

I had a good mooch around while the big feller climbed inside to the top of the tower. He said that the top spiral stone staircase was too awkward for a pooch to climb. The cheek of him! Maybe he was right, so I waited for him.

Ok. Maybe a bit awkward for pooches!

I made it as far as the first floor window where my human took this photograph looking along Llyn Padarn.

From another window, he could see the massive Dinorwig Slate Quarry. The quarry, now closed, was the second largest in the world and produced slate from 1797 to 1969.

Llyn Peris is another lake that we plan to visit soon, along with the iconic Dinorwig Barracks.

We left the castle and headed towards the village of Llanberis. We didn’t visit the village on this occasion but followed the path alongside the lake.

Looking back towards the castle, we had some lovely views of the Eryri massif, which was still shrouded in cloud on the summit.

The Glyderau increasingly came into view as we walked. Snow covered the tops on this range, too.

Further along the lakeside path, we came to the 20-foot sword in the stone sculpture.

The sword stands in recognition of the Welsh Princes. Llafn y Cewri (Blade of the Giants) stands prominently on the shoreline as a reminder of the importance of the contribution made by the original Princes of Gwynedd.

We could see Castell Dolbadarn at the head of the lake as we looked back.

We were almost back at the car, but my human insisted on stopping every few hundred yards to take more photos. It was a shame that he didn’t take more photos of me rather than of the scenery.

Ha! He took one of me.

The only thing left to do before going to the car was to take a short walk to the shore. A photograph of The Lonely Tree had to be taken. If you have never heard of it, it stands stubbornly a few yards from the shoreline in a sheltered bay. It is one of the most photographed sites in Eryri. This tiny birch tree has withstood a battering from the ever increasing violent storms that have ravaged the area. The tree is around 15 years old and is only expected to survive another 10. It is such an icon of perseverance and survival.

My human wanted to capture it from a different angle, so he took this photograph. Ok, it isn’t silhouetted against the backdrop of Eryri, but it is there to see with Elidir Fawr standing proud above it.

OK. One more! Till next time!