Mum and Dad had two weeks off together in January. The weather was mostly attrocious. Lots and lots of wind and lots and lots of rain. It wasn't a good time of year to go out walking and Mum felt so disappointed as she was really looking forward to trying out her new camera.
But then, on this day, the sun broke through and the wind died down, so they put on their warm walking clobber and headed for the mountains.
Before they set out for the crags of Snowdonia, Dad thought it wise to fill their bellies with comforting, hot food from Pete's Eats in Llanberis. Mum thinks Pete's Eats is a special place. It's not fancy but it's THE place to go for a cuppa when the day also involves mountains.
An extra large mug of tea for Dad and a normal mug of Earl Grey for Mum. She did enjoy it very much sitting there in the sunshine.
Cooked breakfast, the perfect setup for a chilly day.
Mum took some photos of Dad and was very impressed with the portrait capability of her camera!
Goodbye Pete's Eats, Mum and Dad are sure to be back *wave*
After their breakfast, Mum and Dad wandered down to the shore of Llyn Padarn.
Llanberis is a seasonal town which is understandable because it is sooooo cold by the lake!
A view along Llyn Padarn, past Dolbadarn Castle to the snowcapped mountains.
After a quick drive in the car, Mum and Dad decided to pay Dolbadarn castle a visit as Dad had never been there before.
Dolbadarn Castle, perched on a high mound under an unseasonally blue sky.
The castle looks more like a round tower used for keeping an eye on both sides of the valley but the information pictures showed a decadent double bed and a cosy fire on the upper floor!
Mum loved this very old graffiti.
Looking from the castle towards Pen-y-Pass, the next place Mum and Dad planned to visit.
They made their way to a lay-by along Pen-y-Pass. It was very bleak and cold and gloomy. The sun wouldn't make it to the floor of the pass at this time of year and so nothing had time to warm up at all. Dad forgot his hat and got a very cold head because of the cutting breeze which blew down into Llanberis.
"It's amazing how much difference the sun makes to the colours of a place," thought Mum.
Nobody in their right mind would dip their toes in the water today. Brrrr, Mum and Dad thought it was best that they moved on.
They jumped back into the car and made their way to the Snowdon Viewpoint. Despite the temperature, the past days of attrocious weather and the middle-of-the-week working day, there were plenty of other people there to admire the view. Mum and Dad had a nice chat with a knowledgable man about a Canadian who bought a mountain and farmed sheep there.
Snowdon and Crib Goch. Beautiful!
Zoomed out. The mountains look so close from the Viewpoint!
Looking down towards Llyn Gwynant.
Mum's new camera has a flippy screen, so she tried to take a selfie with Dad. Not bad for a first try!
Time to move on although it was nowhere near as cold here that it was in the pass. The next place on the hitlist was the Llynnau Mymbyr near Capel Curig. Fond memories were made here last year when The Boy had tonnes of fun on the shore of the frozen lake.
No sign of ice here. Mum and Dad slowly and carefully made their way down to the shore for the right shot. Normally it would be boggy and probably impassable without getting very wet and soggy, but the ground was frozen solid.
They watched the hot air balloon make its way over Snowdon and then moved on to the southern shore once Mum had scrambled up a steep bank to take this photo of an interesting animal shed.
Who lives in a house like this?
To Mum and Dad's delight, they found that the southern lake was frozen over, apart from one little bit that allowed Mum to play around with reflections.
They stopped and had a quick chat with a friendly chap who was also out with his camera. His dog was gorgeous and she was called Tink. Then Mum and Dad made their way over the bridge...
The bridge was covered in frost which twinkled in the weak sunlight. Mum called it The Bridge of Stars. Dad called it Frostbridge. Mum likes her name better.
Naturally Dad had to muck about with the ice. It's what Dads do.
Mum and Dad then made their way to Betws-y-Coed, where Dad browsed the range of interesting spices and herbs and potions and concoctions there. He looked like he was in his element.
It's a Dad thing.
Outside the parade of shops, many sparrows were bickering over a feeder that was placed right in the middle of the outdoor seating area. Mum got closer, and closer until all but one of the birds got spooked and flew away. Mum decided this little bird was either very brave or very hungry!
One little sparrow.
And so ended Mum and Dad's wonderful day in the mountains. Dad was happy to have been in such a great place and so was Mum, especially with her new camera. What nice pictures she has taken! The jumped back into the car, cranked the heater up and made their way home with heads full of memories.
