Pen-Y-Gwryd Hotel, Caernarfon

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Having just conquered Snowdon, I was keen to take on some liquid refreshment and could think of nowhere more appropriate than this celebrated climber's pub and hotel. The Grade II listed building dates back to 1810 when it was built as a remote mountain farmhouse, but by the 1840's it had converted to use as an inn - a function it still performs to this day. The pub is most famous for hosting Edmund Hillary and co as they trained on Snowdon prior to their successful expedition to climb Everest in 1953 and as you would hope, there is plenty on show honouring that great achievement. Just about every famous mountaineer seems to have stayed here down the years, including George Mallory, Noel Odell (who was the last man to see Mallory and Irving alive) and the author Eric Newby who detailed his stay here in his book 'A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush'.
The pub retains a very old fashioned air in keeping with its history and location and remains resolutely unfashionable in the face of hordes of modern day tourists. You enter into a quarry stone floored corridor with rooms off to either side and a serving hatch further down to the left. The hatch alone is a journey back in time, with its handwritten price list, old fashioned beer fonts and smart glass pane surround. Behind is a private 'residents only' room with fine wood panelled walls, smart comfy furniture, stone fireplace and wealth of mountaineering photographs and memorabilia. The front left corner of the pub is home to the Everest Room, opened in the 1950's by John Hunt, the leader of Hillary's successful Everest ascent. Easily the highlight for any visitor, the room is set up to look like an alpine lodge and has long benches serving a couple of tables, making it tricky to bag a seat, but be sure to pop in to check out the ceiling which has been signed by all of Hillary's team, plus Mallory and many other explorers and famous visitors. Two rooms to the right of the corridor are served by the same centrally positioned fireplace which has been dated 1810. These are bright spaces with limited hard bench and chair seating and walls decorated with various pictures of the Everest expedition, a plaque commemorating the anniversary of the climb, various picks and ropes from Hillary's team and some old boots hung from the ceiling. Beyond there are a couple more rooms reserved for the use of residents only and I got the impression that a stay here would be very rewarding for anyone interested in the history of mountaineering, given all the items on display.
There were two ales on the bar, both from the local Purple Moose Brewery - Glaslyn Ale and Madog's Ale. I opted for a pint of the former which was £3.60 and in pretty good shape. The pub was unsurprisingly packed on a Bank Holiday weekend, with parking at a premium on the road outside, but service moved along quickly enough, perhaps aided by the closure of the kitchen at 14:00.
This unassuming pub is the sort of place you could easily drive past without giving it a second thought, but to do so would mean missing out on a place that has played a crucial role in the history of human exploration. If you have even the remotest interest in mountaineering or exploration, a visit to this pub will be highly rewarding, but it's old fashioned charm (meals are still announced with a gong) should win over casual visitors and some decent local ale certainly helps on that front as well. A fine place and one I'm very pleased I found time to stop off for.

On 31^st May 2017 - rating: 7
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