Time Capsule

Jane and I went over to Llanberis today to recce the food situation over there and have a bit of a wander about. It turns out that the legendary Pete's Eats has reopened after a major refurbishment;  actually a complete makeover into what appears to be a rather more sophisticated eaterie than the climbers' café of fame and fable. We are going to make a foray into the place at some time to check out the menu, fare and service at some future time, and so I will post on our findings as and when, but today we just fancied simpler fare, and so went up Llanberis Pass to The Pen-Y-Gwryd Hotel, to see what was happening there. The answer was not a lot, as we were only two of three punters there at lunchtime; which is a genuine shame as the place is still an absolute gem, frozen in time, and which hasn't altered a jot in our direct personal experience in just over forty-five years. My guess it hasn't altered by that much in over a century, apart from bringing the residential facilities themselves into the twenty-first century.

The bar menu is refreshingly short: soup of the day or an open half-baguette with a choice of about four or five grilled-cheese topped 'fillings'. Jane opted for the soup and a cafetiere of coffee with hot milk. My choice of repast was a cheese and chorizo baguette and a pint of Purple Moose Glaslyn ale. The soup was tomato, red pepper and ginger and was excellent, served with a proper, decently made warm roll and butter, and the coffee was good quality. My baguette, though of a basic conception and construction, was frankly bloody lovely and exactly what I expect from bar food: tasty, unpretentious in nature, was cheap, and a manageable portion size to boot, and was complemented by a flawless pint of one of our most loved local ales. The service was excellent.

We ate and drank in the famous 'climbers' room, which I think was the original Smoke Room: and you can still perceive the lingering traces of tobacco in the wood that lines the walls of the place. On the ceiling are the signatures, principally of climbers from a bygone era; including Sir Edmund Hillary. The successful 1953 Everest expedition used the hotel as their base whilst training for the expedition, here in the mountains of Eryri [Snowdonia]. This place is an absolute peach and a genuine slice of times past: if you ever come to visit the area, I would urge you to consider going there for a pint and something to nibble. Better still, stay for a day or two - it's not expensive - and savour a taste of a simpler and gentler era, leaving behind the clatter and fuss of modern life at the door - phone signals are mercifully crap, and I didn't detect the presence of wi-fi: just food, beer and a newspaper: a perfect lunch. Bliss...