Llanberis primary school kids storm Snowdon

Dydi plantos Llanberis ddim yn segur pan yn cerdded y bryniau - neu wrth ganu ar y copa. Disgrifia Lily Cousins,y gohebwraig ieuengaf ei hanes, yn dringo'r Wyddfa. The kids of Llanberis are no slouches when it comes to hill walking - or singing. Lily Cousins, the BMC's youngest journalist, describes her primary school's ascent of Snowdon. (A bilingual article translated by Guto Selwyn Williams of year 6 -scroll down for the English).

Dydy hyn ddim yn newydd i neb ond dwi wedi bod yn rhan o dim dringo cyntaf y mynydd yma gan yr ysgol gynradd leol. Aeth pedwar deg pedwar o blant ac oedolion o Ysgol Dolbadarn, nol ym mis Gorffennaf, ar daith fyny'r Wyddfa gan ddechrau ar drac y Mwynwyr, Pen y Pas a thrac Pen y Gwryd, gan fentro am y copa ac yn ôl i Lanberis. Tra roedd plant yn cael gwersi yn eu dosbarthiadau roeddan ni'n cael hwyl ymysg yr Wyddfa a'i chriw!

Mae pob agwedd o ddringo'r mynydd yn arbennig oherwydd mae ein hysgol ni mor agos i'r llwybrau ac mae digon o weithgareddau yn digwydd yn aml yma.

Mae ffrindiau gen i yn ffermio yn y dyffrynoedd, ac mae pedwar ffrind gen i yn rhedeg caffis a gwestai o hanner ffordd i lawr i'r stryd fawr.

Mae fy athro yn fab i dywysydd mynydd ac mae fy nheulu yn wyrion i dywysyddion mynydd.

Mae aelodau eraill o'r teulu yn gweithio ym Mhlas y Brenin a Rheilffordd yr Wyddfa ac yn rhan o dîm achub.

Cyrhaeddodd y bws am wyth y bore i fynd ag athrawon, gwirfoddolwyr a thri deg pedwar o blant am Ben y Pass.

Er fod rhai wedi arfer roedd yn her fawr i bawb ac meddai ein Prifathrawes.y buasai yn gorfod hyfforddi am flwyddyn cyn bod yn aelod o'r tîm dringo!

Mae'r daith yn eitha hawdd ar y dechrau o'r trac y mwynwyr, ond wedyn yn serthu am y llynnoedd a Llyn Glaslyn. Yma ceir ein hatgoffa o chwedl Arthur a bwystfil Llyn Yr Afanc.

Yn dilyn hyn ceir llwybrau igam ogam go iawn a llawer o blant yn chwerthin a cholli gwynt! Fel ydych yn agosau at y copa mae'n braf cael golygfa o'r mynyddoedd ar cyffiniau. Clywir y tren ac mae cyrraedd y copa yn wefreiddiol - sef man uchaf Cymru a Lloegr.

I orffen cafodd pawb wledd wrth glywed y plant yn canu Calon Lan, sef hen-emyn draddodiadol, cyn dychwelyd adra.

Manylion y trip-

Amser cerdded-5 awr. Gadael am 8.30 a dod yn ol am 3.30 a hanner awr o orffwys.

Pellter-12 cilomedr

Uchdwr-730 medr

Tymheredd-17 celsiws yn y dyffryn ond yn y cysgod ar gwynt teimlai fwy fel5 celsiws a gwelsom lot o hetiau a menig yn dod allan.

Cyfartaledd oed-10 a thri chwartar achos yr oedolion!

(Cyfieithiad gan Guto Selwyn Williams, bl.6/Translation by Guto Selwyn Williams yr 6)

There can’t be many firsts left on Snowdon but I’ve just been part of the first ascent of the mountain by the local primary school.

Forty-four kids and adults made up ‘Team Dolbadarn’ earlier in July when we went from Pen y Pass up the Miner’s and Pyg Tracks, over the summit and back to school down the Llanberis Path. While our classmates were sat in lessons in the village, years 5 and 6 were having an adventure on Yr Wyddfa.

Every ascent of this mountain is special but our connections to Snowdon are extra special. Our school is only hundreds of metres from the Llanberis Path and our families work and play all over this mountain.

Two of my friends’ families farm practically everything in sight on the Snowdon side of the valley. Four more of my friends help their parents and aunts in the cafes and hotels from Halfway House down to the High Street.

My teacher is the son of a mountain guide and five of us are also the children or grandchildren of mountain guides. Other family members include workers on the Snowdon railway, instructors at nearby Plas y Brenin, staff at Mountain Training or members of Llanberis Mountain Rescue team.

At 8:00am the school bus arrived for thirty four nine to eleven year olds, plus teachers, helpers and parents. Five minutes later,Team Dolbadarn were dropped off at Pen y Pass.

Though some had been up Snowdon as toddlers, for many of the group this was going to be a very big and uncertain adventure - it didn’t help any nerves when our headmistress said she would have to train for a year before she could remotely think about joining the ascent.

For those thinking of attempting the mountain, the Miner’s Track is an excellent route, beginning rather smoothly with a wide track that is fairly level as it winds around a group of lakes. Then it begins to steepen as you make your way to Llyn Glaslyn.

Here you are surrounded with Welsh folk tales and mystery, including the legendary King Arthur’s tale and the water monster known as the Afanc.

From Glaslyn, the challenge really begins (though worth the effort) with steep, rocky, zig-zagging path and lots of gasping adults and smiling children. The two things that never leave you during or after this experience are the sheer joy and the beauty of Snowdon and its surroundings.

As the summit was always in view, it really helps to see how close you are to the top. When the ridge finally came into reach, we could hear and see the train and suddenly we were standing looking down in to Llanberis.

The final part of the ascent takes place besides the train track and as you take the last few steps, the view is phenomenal.

Touching the highest point of Wales and England is something every one should try – there’s just a little walk to get there.

To finish our ascent off in the café on the summit, Ysgol Dolbadarn showed to everyone that we were truly Welsh by singing ‘Calon Lan’, the Welsh national anthem. We got lovely applause before setting off for home.

Trip Details

Time: Five and a half hours walking, left at 8.30 am down by 3.30 pm with an hour and a half of rests

Distance: Twelve kilometres

Ascent: 730 metres

Temperatures: 17 degrees in the valley but with the effect of the wind it felt more like five degrees out of the sun on the way up, lots of hats and gloves appeared.

Average Age: 10 ¾ (because of all the adults!)

Lily’s top tips

The BMC's roving reporter

If you feel hungry, eat: an empty stomach helps no one.
If your feet feel at all odd, tell an adult: you could be getting pains or blisters.
The things to bring in your rucksack are: spare socks, waterproofs, a wooly hat, a sun hat (a baseball cap will do), sunscreen, spare jumper (it’s amazing how much the weather changes on a mountain), plenty of good food and water.
If someone else is struggling and complaining, don’t listen – it will rub off on you.
Even if you’re going up with two people, you are a team so try to look after yourself AND others.
Good food to bring includes: dried fruit, nuts, jam sandwiches (yep, jam is and bread are a good energy filled combination), flapjack (presumably without chocolate – see below), fruit bread, crisps, and water (water is definitely the best drink). Chocolate isn’t so good and barely provides energy for longer than a minute.

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