U.K. National Parks: Lake District and Snowdonia

UEA Mountaineering

I am an avid hiker back home. I love the desert landscape and getting out in the sun, but it was time for a change of scenery. Before classes began, UEA hosted a sports club fair, which I attended. Being active and participating in sports is an important part of student life here, so I wanted to get involved. I decided to join the mountaineering club and the archery club along with a few friends. The mountaineering club initially seemed daunting because they had an ice axe on the table for show, but my friend Violet and I decided to give it a try. We signed up to go on two trips on two weekends: Lake District and Snowdonia. Both are national parks in the United Kingdom. 

Lake District

Lake District National Park was the first trip and is located in Cumbria in northwest England, nearly 6 hours away from Norwich. We were advised to bring waterproof layers because it was guaranteed to rain while we were there. We were also told we would be sleeping in a “hut” and to bring thermal layers if we got cold easily. Violet and I made a trip to town to buy some things at Mountain Warehouse before setting off. 

We left on the evening of Friday, September 27, and took a van and a minibus across the country. The group was a mix of people of all different experience levels, about 28 people total. We arrived later in the evening and went to bed shortly after we arrived. The hut had a small kitchen, a living room with old books and long tables, two bathrooms with toilets, a separate shower room with sinks, and three rooms with beds and bunks. It was a lot nicer than what I pictured when they said we would be staying in a hut.

High House Living Room

I ended up getting a cold overnight due to the low temperature in the hut, but it has been over a week later and I am better now. We woke up at 6 a.m. before the sun was up to get ready for the day. Breakfast is always porridge and bananas on mountaineering trips. During breakfast, we discussed the planned route for the day. They typically take three groups to complete three hikes each day. I chose to do Scafell Pike, the tallest mountain in England. 

Stepping out of the hut in the morning was magical. We could not see any of the scenery last night because it was so dark, but the morning light lit up the mountains unlike anything I had ever seen before. We got started on our hike right outside of the hut, passing several sheep along the way. Short stone walls littered the land and a stream cut through the middle. We crossed a few bridges within the first mile. 

Sheep

About two miles in we approached a small lake. It was so strange to see lakes so small in a mountain range. The mix of orange and green grasses made it especially pretty. 

Lake

The sun got blocked by clouds and the higher up we went the colder it got. I brought a puffer jacket because it would get to be under 50 degrees. We passed by small waterfalls and climbed up rocks, also known as scrambling. It began to rain around noon.

Scrambling in the rain

When we were less than half a mile away from the summit, the path changed into a steep descent through small, loose rocks. Someone on the trip pointed out it looked a lot like cereal, I agreed and said it looked like Flintstones’ Coco Pebbles though now I am not sure the U.K. even carries that cereal. 

We trudged up through the Cocoa Pebbles mixed with scrambling over large boulders while it was raining. The wind also began to pick up as we ascended over the ridgeline. We could not see anything because of fog and clouds. 

Ascent to ridgeline

This was disappointing because for me I hike for the views. I had brought along my five-pound camera too, so I would have liked it to be more worth it than it was. I was told it was rare to have a clear view of the Lake District and Snowdonia. We reached the summit around 1 p.m. and took a picture in front of a chiseled stone at the peak. 

Top of Scafell Pike

We quickly began our descent and stopped for a lunch break soon after. We had all packed sandwiches at the hut before we left. Mine had bread, hummus, spinach, cheese, and cucumber; an interesting combination. It was still raining so I tried my best to keep my sandwich from getting too soggy. My hands were freezing and my pants were soaked from the rain. Not moving makes you cold quicker than you think. 

We hiked on, eventually escaping the rain. The fog cleared out as we got to the base of the mountain and we saw even more lakes in the distance, a town too. We came across even more sheep along the way. When we were at nearly level ground, we approached a waterfall with a neat tree jutting out from rocks. We finished around 5 p.m. and hiked a little over 9 miles. 

Tree and waterfall

For dinner that night group leaders prepared a bean curry with rice and garlic bread. I did not have high expectations but it was delicious. A fantastic hot meal to end the day. 

The next day Violet and I and a few others opted to explore a neighboring town rather than hike again. My legs were so fatigued I was gripping the handrails for dear life going downstairs. We went into Keswick for the day, and I was finally able to get my proper English breakfast with beans and toast at the local Wetherspoon Hotel. I also tried a bite of someone’s black pudding and enjoyed it despite the process of making it. If I have learned anything from being over here, it is that the English love their Wetherspoons. It is cheap, consistent, and has an abundance of choices. 

Wetherspoon's English breakfast

After breakfast Violet and I broke off and explored the town on our own. We found a neat cathedral with an attached cemetery and many cute shops. We stopped to eat carrot soup and a cheese scone before hitting the road. 

Keswick

Snowdonia

A week passes and it is time to leave for Snowdonia National Park, also called Eryri in Welsh. I admit after Lake District I was discouraged because of the weather, but I had already paid and figured it was unlikely for me to ever make it back. Snowdonia is located in North Wales and can be accessed by taking a train that also goes to the top of Snowdon.

This trip started the same as the last, we left at 6 p.m. and arrived at night. This hut was a bit different than the last one thankfully it had good working heat. Rather than individual cots it was several mats placed next to each other on the floor or a platform. We were in a group of about 28 again and had the upper two bedrooms while another mountaineering group from another university had the two on the ground floor. The kitchen in this one had a lot more room and had attached showers in sinks. There were three toilets outside attached to the hut. In the morning Violet and I decided we wanted to hike up Snowdon, or Yr Wyddfa in Welsch—the tallest mountain in Wales and taller than Scafell Pike. At first, we thought we wanted to hike up Tryfan, but decided it would be tiring to do a scramble for three hours straight. The route we took was Miner and Pyg, and it was more difficult and therefore less busy.

Caseg Fraith Hut with Tryfan in the distance

We got a stunning salmon-colored sunrise in the morning and a nice view of Tryfan. We started as the sun was still rising over the mountains. We drove to our hike spot and started walking on an easy gravel path. As we curved around a mountain, a large lake became visible with bright green mountains overlooking it. I got multiple pictures of this as the trail twisted around it. 

Lake with Snowdon pictured back right covered in clouds

After a quick ascent, we hiked over the first peak. We then followed along the range’s ridge to meet the base of Snowdon. 

Lliwedd Bach

When we made it to the top, there was a cafe that had beer, coffee, and souvenirs. I bought a pin with the three big peaks on it, even though I had not hiked the one in Scotland, Ben Nevis. We went down the popular route and watched as the train went up the hill to the cafe. For a while, we were heel-to-heel with other people. On the way down, Violet and I were talking about other states we would consider living in. An English woman turned around and asked me if I had ever been to Arizona. What are the odds? She told me her husband is in the military and she is moving out there to be closer to him. She has a rude awakening coming with the Arizona heat. 

Snowdon Summit

The rest of the hike was a breeze, lots of going down big rocks. We had nice weather the whole way through and I felt satisfied with the photos I got along the way. When we made it down, we stopped at a cafe and I got hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows and chocolate cake. We hiked for almost 8 miles.

We briefly stopped by the hut and took off to a nearby village called Betws-Y-Coed (pronounced bet-see-coe-ed). Violet and I shared chips and curry sauce before we left to go back to the hut. Before bed, we took some time looking at old 60s and 70s Climber magazines in the hut. One writer described Snowdon as a boring mountain and complained it was pretty but too busy. Other people in my group had expressed a similar sentiment earlier that day. 

Old Climber magazine featuring Snowdon

The next day we set off to another town called Caernarfon to see a castle! Norwich has a castle, but it does not hold a candle to this one. Caernarfon Castle was built in the 1280s and it was preserved incredibly well. We were able to explore nearly all the chambers, some of which had museum or art exhibitions on display. We got to go to the very top of very steep stairs and look out to the sea. 

Caernarfon Castle

After the castle, we walked around town a bit more but many things were closed because it was a Sunday. The buildings boasted colorful flags and paint, I do not doubt it would be a lively scene if it were a weekday. 

Caernarfon

True to tradition we ended up at Spoons (aka the Wetherspoon) before beginning our long journey back. We arrived back in Norwich around 9 p.m., and that was the end of my two-week-long adventure with the mountaineering club. 

I feel so good about finishing two of the tallest mountains in the U.K. and feel grateful for the opportunity to do so. The mountaineering club at UEA is full of kind, accommodating people who all share the love of the outdoors. It was fun getting to participate even for the short amount of time I am here. As much as I love getting to explore different towns and cities, it was special to experience the natural beauty of the U.K. 

On top of Lliwedd Bach