Pen-y-Pass
Pen-y-Pass is a mountain pass in Snowdonia, north Wales. It is a popular location from which to walk up Snowdon, as three of the popular routes (the Miners Track, Pyg Track and the ascent via Crib Goch) can be started here. Glyder Fawr is also accessible from here.
Situated at the high point of the Llanberis Pass at an altitude of 360 metres, the road here was built in the 1830s to allow ore from the mines on Snowdon to be transported to Llanberis. It would be taken down the Miners' Track to a store-house at Pen-y-Pass first. Previously, the miners had had to move the ore over the Snowdon summit and down to Beddgelert.
The Llanberis pass road extends beyond Pen-y-Pass to join the Beddgelert to Capel Curig road at the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel. The notable climbing hotel was used as a base by George Mallory whilst training for his expeditions to Mount Everest and autographs and equipment from the expedition are still on view.
The former Gorphwysfa Hotel at Pen-y-Pass is now a youth hostel and opposite is an information centre and café and a Snowdonia National Park-run car park (£4 per day - usually full by 9am on good weather days). There is also a car park at the foot of the Llanberis Pass at Nant Peris as well as others in Llanberis village and there is a park and ride bus service to Pen-y-pass car park, which is the hub of the year round Sherpa bus service. This frequent service links Pen-y-Pass to Llanberis, Capel Curig, Tryfan, Bethesda, Betws-y-Coed, Beddgelert, Porthmadog, Rhyd Ddu and Waunfawr.
References
- The mountains of England and Wales, Volume 1 Wales John and Ann Nuttal
- Youth Hostels Association Guidebook, 2005-06