The day started warm and steamy after a fairly humid night. After a breakfast of sausages and scrambled eggs, we packed our bags and set off on a leisurely one mile walk from the Tyn Yr Onnen Farm camp site to the railway station in Waunfawr. We had booked tickets the day before online at the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway website where you can book tickets and read a lot about the history of the railway.
(TLDR: The narrow gauge railway was built in 1832 and was originally used to transport slate from the quarries under gravity, for horses to drag carriages back up. Later a licence to carry people was granted. Read it. The full story is fascinating.)
We only booked a short journey from Waunfawr to Beddgelert, but the ride was really comfortable, and everybody enjoyed the steam train experience. It might be a narrow gauge track, but the engines are not toys by any means. The journey took us on a winding run through the valley with breathtaking scenery all the way.
Beddgelert itself is a small town famous for the grave of Gelert, the faithful hound of Prince Llewelyn the Great. (Again, the full story is here and well worth reading.)
The town is charming, but be prepared for a short but steep set of steps down to the main street. There is good pizza and ice cream at Glaslyn Artisan Ice Cream & Pizza, along with coffee shop, tea rooms and a number of hotels. Along the road from the ice cream shop is the path to the grave and monument, which is a good excuse to stretch the legs and loosen the back from a night sleeping in a tent.
There’s a 90 minute stop in the town, which is not enough to take on anything but the basic walk, but there are some more extensive walks which take you up the smaller hills and between towns. More details can be found here. The train journey back is the exact reverse of the outgoing journey, but you get to watch the scenery coming and going from the opposite direction, which makes it fresh.
We walked back from the station, most of the way with Dwayne on my shoulders, poor thing, and settled down to make a chicken curry for dinner. The weather held off for us once again, giving us another day of great memories. Perhaps next time we can visit Beddgelert to take on one of the longer walks. I’m sure the kids will be up to it. (I wonder if I will?)
Related Links
- 7 best walks around Beddgelert: https://walesguidebook.com/things-to-do/snowdonia/beddgelert/walks/
- The legend of Gelert: https://www.beddgelerttourism.com/gelert/
- Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways: https://www.festrail.co.uk/
- Tyn Yr Onnen Farm and Campsite: https://www.tyn-yr-onnen.co.uk/
