When the snow won't come to you...

you go in search of the snow! 

The lack of snow this year has been killing us both! You know the last time we saw snow was back in 2009! Last year, when the UK got some of the best snow days ever we were sunning it up in Turks and Caicos! As exotic as it sounds spending Christmas Day on the beach, for me it just wasn't the same.  I seriously missed the snow.  Just before Christmas we both bought brand new sledges in anticipation and waited for the snow...but there was nothing! 

So this past weekend the mountains got their first proper snowfall of the year! and we were not about to let the moment pass us by to check it out. Plus, blue skies + sunshine = MEGA RARE in North Wales so when you wake up and see those two things occurring at the same time you don't want to waste it! 

One of our new years resolutions we made at the start of January was to have regular 'date nights' on Fridays.  The only problem is there's really not much to do in North Wales on a Friday night! so needless to say our date nights have been non existent because staying in and watching a movie accompanied by some home baked treats is pretty much how we spend every evening in the Braithwaite household so for us it doesn't really qualify as a 'date'.  So I decided this could be a date day instead, and if the weather co operates with us (e.g the non stop rain and wind stay away) maybe we can have many more of these! 

We climbed up Carneddau, the highest range of mountains within Snowdon National Park.  I can't tell you which one exactly we climbed up, but it was a high one let me tell you that! We were shedding our layers one by one as we ascended because we were getting so flipping hot with all the hard work! This was a pic we took very near to the top!

After this point the snow started getting thigh deep! It was pretty exciting! 

I decided I just had to make a snow angel...

The snow was just so white you can't actually make it out that well! 

When we got right to the top, we found this pretty cwm (pronounced koom).  I learnt a new word too! It's basically a semi circular basin/valley that is found in high mountains that have been glaciers.  

This lake had frozen right over in the sub zero temperatures!  It was quite picturesque and was a nice reward for the beastly climb! 

You know you've been working hard when your face turns bright red! I was rather disheartened after enquiring half way up if I'd burnt off all the brownies we consumed last night, only to be told that I probably hadn't even worked off the KitKat I had eaten before we started! Great! 

We were beginning to give up hope of ever finding a good sledging spot, there were quite alot of rocks around but By persisted and found this lovely snowy hill that was just calling out to be played on.

It was definitely worth the effort of carrying that sledge the whole way up because who knows when we'll get enough snow in our village to get some proper sledging in! We discovered towards the end that the sledge went much faster when we both went in it together :) unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of that, or of our spectacular crashes! 

Half way down we stopped for a spot of rocky road hot chocolate (which had been kept nice and warm by the good old thermos).  I thought rocky road flavour was especially fitting considering the rocky mountains we had been climbing! 

Snow + sledging + hot chocolate + the one you love = a perfect 'date day'.

Wales, I may just come to like you after all if you keep this up!