Pen-y-Pass facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pen-y-Pass |
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The youth hostel and cafe complex viewed from across the car park
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| Elevation | 359 metres (1,180 ft) |
| Location | Snowdonia, Gwynedd, north-west Wales |
| Coordinates | 53°04′50″N 4°01′17″W / 53.08043°N 4.02135°W |
Pen-y-Pass is a famous mountain pass in Snowdonia, a beautiful national park in north-west Wales. It's a very popular spot for people who want to hike up Snowdon, which is the highest mountain in Wales.
Many popular paths to Snowdon start right here. These include the Miners Track, the Pyg Track, and the exciting route that goes via Crib Goch. You can also reach Glyder Fawr, another big mountain to the north, from Pen-y-Pass.
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History of Pen-y-Pass
Pen-y-Pass is located at the highest point of the Llanberis Pass. It sits at an elevation of about 359 meters (1,178 feet). This is roughly one-third of the height of Snowdon itself.
The road through Pen-y-Pass was built a long time ago, in the 1830s. Its main purpose was to help transport ore. This ore came from the mines on Snowdon and needed to be moved to Llanberis. Miners would bring the ore down the Miners Track to a storage building at Pen-y-Pass first. Before this road, miners had to carry the ore all the way over the top of Snowdon and down to Beddgelert.
Nearby Attractions
The road from Llanberis Pass goes past Pen-y-Pass and connects to another road. This road leads to the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel, which is famous among climbers.
Everest Training Base
The Pen-y-Gwryd hotel was used as a training base by Sir John Hunt, Baron Hunt and his team. They were preparing for their successful trip to Mount Everest in 1953. You can still see equipment and autographs from that expedition in the hotel's Everest Room. It's a cool piece of history!
Facilities and Transport
The old Gorphwysfa Hotel at Pen-y-Pass is now a youth hostel. It is run by the YHA. This is a great place for hikers to stay.
Visitor Services
Across from the youth hostel, you'll find an information center and a cafe. There is also a car park managed by the Snowdonia National Park. Another car park is located at the bottom of the Llanberis Pass in Nant Peris.
Sherpa Bus Network
Because the car park at Pen-y-Pass can get very busy, there's a special park and ride bus service. This service takes people to the Pen-y-Pass car park. It's part of the Sherpa bus network, which runs all year round. This bus service connects Pen-y-Pass to many other places. These include Llanberis, Capel Curig, Betws-y-Coed, Beddgelert, Porthmadog, Rhyd Ddu, and Waunfawr.
