Snowdonia National Park is the heart of North Wales, covering over 800 sq miles of British land. Mt. Snowdon, named Eryri in Welsh, is the highest mountain in England and Wales standing tall at 3,560 ft. above sea level.
We started early from Birmingham in our rented Renault, and soon after leaving the M6, the busy traffic disappeared. We drove down the M54, passing Telford and Shrewsbury, and entered Wales crossing a high bridge over the meandering river Ceiriog amidst a lush green valley.
We continued through winding roads, verdant grasslands and a good many small towns and settlements. We crossed the blue rippling river Conwy and reached the little town of Betws-y-Coed (which is a great place for many activities; for more information visit https://www.visitbetwsycoed.co.uk).
Swallow Falls is very close to Betws-y-Coed.
Free parking spaces are available outside of the Swallow Falls gate where you should be able to park unless it is too crowded.
It is weird that in many places in UK you need to pay to see a natural waterfall. Swallow Falls, however, has a nominal charge of only £2 per person.
A stunning view awaited us at Llynnau Mymbyr (beside Capel Curig), a short distance ahead of the Swallow falls. The weather was overcast with black clouds and soon a light drizzle started.
This is one of the most mesmerizing regions of Snowdonia and driving ahead 15 more minutes will bring you to Pen-Y-Pass (1178 ft). This is a starting point of one of the trails to the Snowdon summit. A series of hikers faded into the clouds that shrouded the surrounding mountains. We took a break and got some food and warmth at the Caffi Gorphwysfa beside the car park.
Pen-Y-Pass car park charges you £10, whether you park for 15 mins or for the entire day.
From Pen-Y-Pass, the road went steeply down through an enchanting valley. Climbers practiced on the rugged black rock faces of the Cromlech Boulders. We parked along the road and walked upto a small stream nearby to spend some time in the lap of nature before moving further to Llanberis.
It is not always about taking a break or getting a nice picture. Sometimes you just need to forget about everything and be with nature, to be yourself, to know the person within, whom you might not have met in a long long time.
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