It's about time we climbed this one isn't it? INSTA - / the.tim.traveller TWIT - / thetimtraveller FACE - / thetimtraveller MORE INFO ON THE RAILWAY snowdonrailway.co.uk/
I found his climb of the highest* peak of the province of Flevoland more impressive. *highest natural peak that is, the actual highest peak is a hill of 32 meters.
Got to correct you, Tim. There is still one more mountain in the British Isles that you haven't climbed (at least on video), and it too has a railway on it: Snaefell, on the Isle of Man, climbed by the Snaefell Mountain Railway. And as a lovely bonus, it means you get to go to the Isle of Man, which is lovely and chalk full of Tim Traveller material.
@@LadyAnuB You never know. Besides, there's still the Manx Electric Railway, the Groudle Glen Railway, Lady Isabella aka the Great Laxey Wheel, the Isle of Man Steam Railway, that weird castle thing in Douglas Harbour, Castle Rushen, the Nautical Museum and the sailing yacht Peggy (assuming they were able to pull her from the museum's basement before record high tides crushed her), Peel Castle, Fairy Bridge... I once joked that the Isle of Man was Britain's Living Time Capsule. After visiting there, I'm not joking anymore. It really is Britain's Living Time Capsule, preserving aspects of every era of British history alongside their own rich and proud heritage.
I love this channel. It either opens with a famous tourist attraction that we aren't going to see or we are there to see the attraction, but cannot due to adverse local weather conditions.
Fun fact, if the little musical ditty didn’t tip you off, the Snowden Railway was the direct inspiration for the Culdee Fell Railway, which appeared in the Railway Series aka Thomas and Friends! A lot of the story of the book is actually Snowden History, everything from the names of the engines to the opening day accident where #1 fell off the cliff!
I believe the locomotive names are fictional (yet accurate Sudrian) parallels, not actual copies. But yes, the history is pretty much the same, including the opening day disaster. Though I don't think Snowdon is particularly haunted, as the TTTE fandom would have you believe Culdee Fell is.
Wow, I must have been incredibly lucky when I hiked up Snowdon via a more challenging route on one of the 16 clear days a year! Didn't realise the odds were that bad... But hey, at least you got up there and saved £ 38 each!
Yes, I was equally lucky the day that I climbed, slid, and scrambled round the full Snowdon Horseshoe. Excellent views all the way, though the ridge walk from Crib Goch might have been a bit less scary if we hadn't been able to see the steep drops either side.
@@davidwelch6796 That's how you can tell it's a Tim Traveler video. If it were easy, ANYONE could do it. That's not for Tim. I mean, this is the man who has conquered peaks in the Netherlands, Belgium, and beyond. He prefers difficulties that would make lesser men turn back.
The electric Snaefell line is actually a year older than the steam-worked Snowdon line. It also has a third rail (albeit just used for braking). Plus, there's the opportunity to completely ignore one of the island's most iconic tourist sights as you ascend... 😉
Fun fact - The Culdee Fell Railway (in the Railway Series) was inspired by the Snowdon Mountain Railway. Especially one of its stories, "Bad Look out," in which an engine fell down the mountains, which mirrored the very first days of Snowdon Mountain Railway's operations
Let's not exaggerate. When I visited Wales for a fortnight - admittedly, South Wales, around Methyr Tydfil - many years ago, there was a day where it didn't rain. Or at least, not all of the time.
Hi Tim, Yr Wyddfa is not the only highest mountain in the countries of the British Isles with a railway to the summit. You are forgetting Snaefell on the Isle of Man. There’s another adventure for you.
Went up to the top of Snowdon about 20 or so years ago... by train!. When we arrived at the summit it was a gorgeously clear day with fantastic views. About 20 minutes later we had the same view as you Tim. Stood at the top and watched the cloud approaching.
My grandfather is a retired GP. Several decades ago he and his family went up the mountain in visibility conditions like those in the video. A few days after they got home a patient asked him if he'd enjoyed being at the top of Snowdon!!
Love your piano arrangement of “Search for the Hero” as you and Frances were reaching the summit. The musical easter eggs in your videos are such a treat, even more-so because it’s you who is playing. Cheers from Ottawa, Ontario, 🇨🇦.
Next time you come to Northern Germany, you can climb the Brocken. It also has a steam-powered narrow-gauge train going up for the "lazy" or "impaired". The border between east and west-germany ran close to the summit. And although the borders were opened on November 9th 1988, not at the Brocken. It took another month until a peacefull treck of west-german hikers ascended the mountain. And if you are not there for the summit or the train, travel there fore funny villagenames like "Sorge" (sorrow) and "Elend" (misery)
I remember in 1988 wanting to take a train ride to the top but we as a family of four were priced out of the journey because of high ticket prices. Seems like 35 years later nothing has changed!
Well. I was at jungfrau josh in 1993.. we where 4.. ticket cost about 60 euros. To state how expensive that was back then, it would be cheaper to rent a private helicopter.
@@IIVQ actually there was. There was no cash euro, just the euro value. But swizetland never adopted euro... Wirh euro in this case ne numerical value of euro for that time.
@@matsv201I remember when I did the trip to Jungfraujoch in 1984, the fare from Interlaken and back was 134 francs - back then you got a little over 3 francs for £1, rather than just over 1 franc that you do now! Fortunately I worked for British Rail at the time, and I could get a letter addressed to the Berner Oberland Bahnen that got me a 75% discount!
I remember climbing Snowdon in snowy, icy conditions one New Year's Day. Reached the top to find it in such deep fog that you could see about 3 metres. Such great views!
I climbed it in snow the first time I went up, as part of a large group celebrating a birthday. Someone took a sledge and tried it out on the railway line down. The clouds finally cleared about halfway down and it was spectacular. The second time I went up, it was sunny and I got a decent photo from the summit.
We did this path with my blind daughter a number of years ago and she wasn't best pleased with the experience, but to her immense credit she did it, all without a view for a reward (the cloud cleared as we got to the top).
We went up there on a cloud-free day. It helps if you're camping across the Conwy Valley, with Yr Wyddfa in the distance. Wait until you can see the mountain, and then go for it. The views are stunning, with IOM, Scotland, Ireland and Wales all visible from one spot.
I've been up twice... on the train. The first when I was a kid and we got the same cloudy view. So the second time when I was older I made sure to check the weather for the week I was there and got lucky with a glorious clear view (especially lucky for early October!). I also got the early bird ticket (9am) which is cheaper than the rest of the day.
I went up there once with my school - we went camping in Betws-Y-Coed - we went up a path that looked down onto a lake on our left ascending, right descending - staff would not let us have anything to eat or drink until we got to the summit - never felt so thirsty in my entire life - it’s a miracle I lived to tell the tale!
Than you Tim. I really enjoy all your videos. I’ve climbed Ben Nevis and Skarfel Pyke, but never Snowden. Now I know why. Thank you for all your wonderful journeys I now have so much of Europe to visit. :-)
Just below where you got blown out on your 1st trip, is 'Cwm Hetiau' or Hat Valley. Local kids would scramble up from below to gather up the Victorian ladies bonnets which had blown off on the exposed ridge above, then take them into town to sell.
My dad frequently laments that he has climbed Yr Wyddfa three times but never seen the view from the summit. I've never been but would like to go. I climbed Pen Y Fan in Bannau Brycheiniog in in 1998 when I was 7 years old, which was fun. I don't really remember the view from up there, though. I remember it took mere minutes to get back down even though it had taken the better part of the day to climb up. And there were sheep. Because of course there were. I didn't really know how to appreciate such experiences properly back then. I'd love to go back.
Superb vistas! 🤣 It reminds me of a summer day decades ago when we had a visitor from North Dakota and we drove up to The City to show her around before dropping her at her hotel. You know what happened: we got to the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge and couldn't see the span and we drove down the Great Highway and couldn't see the beach. You've ramped up the nostalgia quotient for us Bay Area natives by a lot.
@@LadyAnuB Another cousin and I visited our cousin in Daly City last week. It was sunny in Berkeley and Mountain View and frigid there. Just normal, yes?
Great video Tim thanks for sharing and greetings from Australia. Have seen a few shows now on Snowdonia on the railway but never on the trek up so this was a great treat.
Climbing a mountain and expecting good weather is like booking a holiday in the Shetlands and hoping no rain falls. You don't do so as such, you do so taking it in your stride and if it is sunny, then it's a bonus :)
Timing is everything as they say, I've had the pleasure of climbing the Mountain three times over the years, all three had changeable weather going up but it cleared when I was at the summit, and what a view. Snowdon Ranger path is a great one too, you can get to the start from Caernarfon or Porthmadog on the Welsh Highland Railway as a Station is right at the start, near the YHA (if it still exists). Tha nks for another great video Tim!.
The train was £11 return when I climbed Snowdon. I nearly died when I discovered that Half way House thinking I’d finished. Those shear drops and constant changing of the Mist were quite frightening. So much so we waited until the last Train had left and walked down the Railway track. Having said that a throughly enjoyable experience. I can say after standing on top of that Trig point I was the highest person in England and Wales and I’ve had a pint in the highest pub as well. Nice video, brings back the memory of all that Mist.
That must have been 40-50 years ago. I remember going there with my parents in 1971 and I think the fare was around £8 which was a lot of money in those days. It's now £50 return by steam train but the diesel is only £35 - both plus an online booking fee. Still, I remember the Jungfrau railway in Switzerland being over £50 return in 1995!
@@iankemp1131 The current "season 2" (summer) return fare is... you'll want to sit down for this... CHF 238.80! That's just under £215. (or for our US readers, a whopping $272) I never got beyond Kleine Scheidegg for that reason... Intriguingly there's a season ticket valid for unlimited travel from April 'til November which is "only" CHF 499 (£448 / $569). Not that they rip the tourists off, oh no.
Oh Wales, country of my heart. I was born in South Africa, moved to the UK in 2005 and discovered Wales in 2012. That's when I fell in love with Wales and made it my home in 2018. Oh how I love this glorious, glorious country. Nice on you to do a video about a mountain I live close to and drive over often. Frankly, I really do not believe a better country exists anywhere in the world. I might not be Welsh by birth. But I love this land and its people with all my heart
Thanks Tim and Frances. I used that route myself a few years ago and was lucky enough to have good visibility. I've also been up by train a few times, when accompanied by family who would not have been up for the walk.
I went up on the train and the view was like the inside of a ping pong ball. Summit was exactly the same as your video. Coming back down the fog lifted and the scenery was fabulous. Thanks for sharing the video and glad you were able to summit.
There is rarely a video of yours where your accompanying piano score doesn't raise a smile, and this is no exception. Each piano cover version adds a wonderful wry edge to the storytelling.😅
My first attempt to summit Mt.Whitney here in California around 38 years ago was cut short by both dangerous gusts and some snowdrifts,... in June. I succeeded the next month. No train to use on the descent there, but having a good hiking stick with me for a brake, I took the snow slide shortcut down to the base camp. For most a Mt Whitney summit hike is two or even a three days from the trailhead. That start point is at twice the altitude you reached on Snowdon. But our luncheon party at the summit was interrupted by arrival of two older men who had run the entire trail as training for the Pikes Peak Marathon race. Oh Well, we can't all be Edmund Hillary or Tenzing Norgay.
I hiked up this mountain during a holiday some 8 years ago. No day without rain, no view from the mountain. Possibly my best holiday ever, I love rain!
You may be disappointed to not look at the camera when taking the celebration picture, but I'm glad we now have a good picture of Tim with bombastic side-eye.
almost exactly ten years ago I was on holiday in Wales with my university friends after our first year and we went there so it was nice seeing the same route! We made it almost as far as you did last time, not because of the weather, but because we wanted to get back to our hostel before it got dark. It's nice to get to see the rest of the route, even through the cloud
An excellent video, Tim, and Francis was a great companion for your climb. My son and I were there in 2009 and couldn't take the train as it was booked out. Maybe that was a good thing, as we hadn't checked on ticket prices and may have had to get a second mortgage to buy one.
Reminds me of my trip years ago to the top of Snaefell on the Isle of Man (2034 ft, so technically just a mountain). Supposedly one can see England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We could see cloud, but at least it's an interesting train ride.
aw i went to mt snowdon in 1993 with my auntie and uncle and i loved it. the whole area looks EXACTLY the same. even the streets and shops at the foot of the climb
It ttok a second listen to put a names for it, but much kudos to Tim for getting some great Welsh rock into this film about a great Welsh rock! You Stole the Sun from my Heart, by the Manics, about half way up.
Once again, another excellent video and lovely to see Frances again! If see lots of people talking about the summit on the Isle of Man - presumably you will need to do the summits on all other British isles, (Channel Islands, Hebrides, Isles of Scilly etc etc 😜)
Nice one Tim. I had a similar experience at the top of Pilatus last month. I'm sure the views are lovely on the right day. (Not hiking up though. Sadly, my back hasnt allowed that sort of thing for a few years now)
I walked it in weather like that and paid for the train down hill as they often have folks going up by train and then walk down. One year I got half way saw the cloud, found a handy spot and watched and photographed trains before heading down the hill. At one time the first train was cheapest way up.
Pikes Peak in Colorado has a “cog-wheeled” train that will take you from 6,320’ to 14,115’ in about an hour. Shear drops that scared more than a few people but a fun ride. You can drive to the top too. The road was finally paved all the way in 2011. I drove up the dirt road in 1983 in a 1978 Alpha Romeo Spyder. Challenging drive then. Same view as in Wales at the top, but most of the way was pretty spectacular.
I've been up the mountain twice but on foot, I've still not done the railway. Snaefell on the Isle of Mann is also good fun and that one I've done by rail.
3:22 Ah the digger is still where I saw it! The pace of working advances 🙂 yep same weather as when we went up on the train 1st week july 23 claggy at the bottom, ride train into a cloud, stay in it. Get off train, look at the inside of said cloud, have a wee, get back on train. Ride down out of (now lower) cloud, get off, ice cream, leave😁
After you reached the highes point of Wales, what's your next goal? Highest point of The Isle of Man? Or is there any chance that you will try to reach the highest point of France? 🙂
"Hello and bonjour!" Quite happy to see how you two performed so majestically this awesome adventure! (I may sound sacarstic but since I would have paid 38 pounds I'm not! :D )
