Detour Pit Stop #10: Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel, Wales
Time has stood still at the Pen-y-Gwryd. Take a seat in the bar, lift your gaze to the ceiling and there are the signatures of explorers including Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay. They came to this mountain country to climb and test oxygen equipment, ahead of the first ascent of Everest, in 1953.
Each tired, lumpy bed I slept in, with springs groaning beneath me, felt as though it could have been slept in by Hilary or the countless others that have followed in his footsteps to this part of Wales. And in the rooms there are no mod cons to speak of. But the Pen-y-Gwryd is the sort of place that travellers with a true thirst for adventure will forgive anything.
I’ve stayed there several times, over the years. Countless photoshoots and group tests of new cars have gravitated to Gwynedd and the roads that skirt around Snowdon. Why? There are precious few villages, let alone towns; what little traffic there is usually consists of hikers who park up at sunrise and disappear for the day; and the scenery stays etched on your memory years after your last visit. All this makes it one of Britain’s best destinations for drivers.
When you’re done chasing pals in Porsches along valley floors or have had your fill of drifting from one cracking hairpin to another in a Caterham, it’s time to retire at the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel. Dinner is served at 7.30pm prompt, without exception, and is announced by the sounding of a gong.
After a hearty meal of three or five courses, it’s obligatory to retire to the bar and listen in to stories of the day’s adventures - be they on foot, by bicycle or car. Song and poetry is encouraged - both by the owners and the roaring fires and flowing drinks.
Rise early the next day and enjoy a drive before breakfast. From the hotel’s car park, hang a right and then bear right onto the A4086, head past the Llanberis Pass, take a left toward Waunfawr and then hook up with the A4085 and head south east back toward the Pen-y-Gwryd. It’s 30 miles and less than an hour, and short of scaling Snowdon, it’s hard to think of a better way to start the day in this part of the world.
After breakfast, you’ll probably tell yourself that one day you’ll be back to visit these roads - and the curiosity that is the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel.
Words James Mills Twitter | Instagram
Photography Hefin Owen
Roadbook
Class: Snowdonia National Park
Name: Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel
Route: A4086
Country: Wales, UK