- Pen-y-Pass
Pen-y-Pass is a
mountain pass inSnowdonia ,Gwynedd , north-westWales . It is a popular location from which to walk upSnowdon , as three of the popular routes (the Miners Track, the Pyg Track and the ascent viaCrib 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 the1830 s 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 toBeddgelert .The
Llanberis pass road extends beyond Pen-y-Pass to join the Beddgelert toCapel Curig road at thePen-y-Gwryd hotel. That notable climbing hotel was used as a base by SirJohn Hunt and his team whilst training for the successful 1953 expedition toMount Everest and equipment and autographs from that and other expeditions may be seen in the Everest Room.The former Gorphwysfa Hotel at Pen-y-Pass is now a
youth hostel and opposite is an information centre and café and aSnowdonia 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 roundSherpa bus service . This frequent service links Pen-y-Pass toLlanberis ,Capel Curig ,Tryfan ,Bethesda ,Betws-y-Coed ,Beddgelert ,Porthmadog ,Rhyd Ddu andWaunfawr .References
# "The mountains of England and Wales, Volume 1 Wales" John and Ann Nuttal
# "Youth Hostels Association Guidebook, 2005-06"External links
*gbmapping|SH647556
* [http://www.walkeryri.org.uk/Routes/starts/pen_y_pass.html Walks From Pen-y-Pass and general info]
* [http://www.greatorme.org.uk/nantperis.html A Walk down the Llanberis Pass]
* [http://www.greatorme.org.uk/penypass.html Around Pen-y-Pass]
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