Bouldering opposite the Pen y Gwryd Hotel, Snowdonia
Victorian climbing party outside the Pen y Gwyrd, maybe out for a day's bouldering?
The Pen y Gwryd Hotel is one of the UK’s traditional Mountaineering/Climbing Hotels and pubs, with a history stretching back to the early exploration of the area in the Victorian era (pictured), with notable activity such as training centre for the first ascents of Everest (highest mountain) and Kanchenjunga (third highest).
The victorian pioneers were noted for a (for that time) radical interest in the sport of Bouldering, so it’s quite possible that Victorian nailed boots were the first to scratch on the boulders covering the hillside opposite the hotel at the bottom of the Llanberis Pass in North Wales.
Noodle admiring the view up to the Pen y Gwryd, with Snowdon on the horizon
In the North Wales Bouldering Guide (bowldro gogledd cymru), the Pen y Gwryd Boulders on the hillside opposite the Hotel are described as
‘….a brief workout in a wonderful location. The best block lies over to the right. It has half a dozen problems up to V3 on good rock.’
Well worth a wander up if you’re parked below for a walk up Snowdon, or a quick hit before a beer in the Gwryd.
PS on a slab problem on the right hand PyG block