Safe Return Doubtful

After some pondering I realised that I first visited Snowdonia in 1984, as a teacher, though not leader, of a school course when I was working in the Wirral in my first teaching job. For the next twenty years I must have led about eight courses each year there, probably more. The school from the Wirral had a base near Llandegla, but when we went to Snowdonia we generally stayed in Capel Curig, at pretty much all of the campsites and bunkhouses there were over the years.

More recently, when I led trips for Latymer and Lytham, we stayed at the bunkhouse of Plas Y Brenin, the National Mountain Centre for England and Wales. I left Lytham in 2004, but when I was working as a consultant in outdoor education I ran six annual conferences at Plas Y Brenin also, finishing in 2019.

I had always planned to visit Capel Curig on this course, and with the weather set fair as I drove up through Dolgellau and Blaenau Ffestiniog last week I thought it would be an ideal time. 

I’ve just left this (Tuesday) morning after a week of weather that the national park rarely gets in March, no rain, very little wind, and plenty of sun; though overnight a storm has blown in and with it follows a cold front. Indeed, snow is forecast in the mountains for tomorrow. 

I used the Bryn Tyrch Farm campsite, and was the only person there all week. They charge £10 a night for use of their field and bathroom. The bunkhouse that the father of the current owners ran, where I stays with school groups many times, which also houses the campsite bathroom, is being converted into luxury self-catering accommodation. That will threaten the site, and they are currently in negotiation with the landowner. 

Capel Curig seems to be much quieter than it was, particularly in the first five years I was here. In those days the place really had a buzz to it. All three pubs were packed out at weekends and in holidays, as were all the campsites and bunkhouses.

These days only one pub remains, the Tyn Y Coed, but there is talk, I was told, of the Cobdens back bar (that is built into the rock face), reopening. Though the weekend had great weather, there were not many overnight visitors. It seems that many stop at Betwys. 

Anglesey is a good bet when the weather turns wild, though there are very few opportunities for the sort of wildcamp stopover I favour.

The campsites are expensive and offer a lot of facilities I do not want, and anyway, are generally closed until Easter. I have found a good option though on the southwest coast, just north of Beaumaris, at Penmon Point. This is private land, and the road to the lighthouse is a mile long toll road organised by the landowner. It’s £3.50 for a car, £7.50 for a van like me, and £12.50 for a motorhome. There’s a sign saying no overnight camping, but this is at the discretion of the guy running the toll house, and at this time of year it is no problem. There is a superb view, and it is usually more sheltered than one would expect, with today’s wind from the southwest, and overnight changing to the northwest.