Snowdon's new summit building is close to practical completion, aside from the snagging - the list of items still requiring attention or any work that didn't meet the specification at the end of a building process. The focus is now on landscaping the grounds around it and adding the final touches to the train platform. All the scaffolding has been taken down and the fencing around the site removed, allowing an unobscured view of Hafod Eryri.


The southern end of the building where train passengers will exit if they wish to
go up to the summit.

There has even been some respite from the weather with the belated arrival of summer conditions. At least, this should make the final tasks easier and the workmen will be able to take away fresh memories, unsullied by rain and gales, of the incredible setting of this once-in-a-lifetime construction project.


Hafod Eryri in early morning light from just below the summit.


Landscaping and tidying up are one of the remaining tasks.

During the morning a shepherd paused at the summit, on his traditional gather to bring the sheep down-off the mountain to sort out the lambs. Cwm Llan below the southern end of the building, was filled with the sound of shepherds whistle-calls and barking dogs. Not entirely the pastoral idyll it sounds, since at times the shepherds had to compete to be heard above the noise of a military training helicopter buzzing around the cwm.


Shepherd from Hafod y Llan Farm gathering sheep.

More photos can be found in the September '08 photos folder on the left.

Shortly after five in the afternoon the pyramidal peak of Yr Wyddfa cleared of cloud. Not something that has happened a great deal this August. The Airborne Solutions helicopter that had been ferrying stone up the mountain for footpath repair work, from just above Llanberis to Allt Moses below Clogwyn Station, kindly gave the blog a fly-by of the nearly completed summit building. Below are three shots giving a raven's eye view of Hafod Eryri.








 

Now the lattice-work of scaffolding covering the building is being taken down, it is much easier to get a clearer idea of how Hafod Eryri will look when it is totally finished. The aluminium panels that made up the walls are now totally covered by stone. The gable end wall at the entrance is particularly impressive.


Hafod Eryri's impressive stone frontage.

Despite the continuing summer wash-out since the last post, the granite walls have gone up quickly and are close to completion. With only three courses (out of 65) granite blocks left to be fixed on the roof, this is likely to be finished by the middle of next week. For Gary Fury, from the company Stone Central, who has spent months working on the roof fixing the blocks and attachment rails, his days of commuting to work up Snowdon are nearly over. He said: "This job has been a hell of an experience. The weather has thrown everything at us, even the sun is a bit too strong when it has appeared. Without a doubt the best thing has been the incredible views."


Gary Fury with not many blocks to go before the roof is finished.

Peter Trumper, Snowdonia National Park Head of Property, on a site visit believes: "Hafod Eryri is likely to be physically finished before the winter but will not open this year." The portacabins are being dismantled and inside the building there is only some snagging and cleaning left to do. A hand rail to safeguard the way around the east side of the site needs adding and the railway platforms and tracks require repairing.


The counter and kitchen in the cafe. The thin poles are temporary scaffolding.
Compare this with the shot below of the same area from June 6th.



The redevelopment of Snowdon's summit building has coincided with some of the worst summer weather Wales has experienced. According to the Met Office, the total mean rainfall for Wales during May-July 2007 of 502mm was twice the average and the highest since records began in 1914. And the figures for June/July this year are also well above normal with a rainfall figure of 141mm for Wales during July. Imagine what it's like working in twice the normal amount of rain at the top of Snowdon where the topography means you can expect around 4000mm a year anyway!


The parapet wall (right) above the service wing is nearly finished.

The national media experienced first-hand some of the foul weather that workers at the summit have endured since the redevelopment began in September 2006. At a rain sodden press gathering, the National Park issued a statement, saying: "At present it is impossible to confirm a completion date or to name a day when a formal opening can take place." The BBC News reported that it is unlikely the visitor centre will be open to the public this year. News of this set-back was broadcast on the national news and a BBC report 'Weather delays Snowdon cafe' can be seen here.


The media filming the media's arrival at Hafod Eryri.

When work commenced it was hoped Hafod Eryri would be open by May 10th. However, the weather has been a continual thorn in the side of the project with last summer's wash-out and the late snow at the end of March dramatically slowing down progress. The Park stated: "No one involved in the project to build Hafod Eryri ever thought it would be an easy job but Snowdon has continued to show why she must be respected by everyone who ventures onto her slopes."


BBC correspondent, Colette Hume, interviewing a worker at the site.

Carillion's Regional Director, Meirion Evans, described the problems and conditions the project has had to deal with "as unique as the location itself." He continued: "I am aware that people will be disappointed at the delays which mean that plans cannot be laid with certainty for opening Hafod Eryri to the public but we could never expect the mountain to give us free rein. We ask everyone to be patient while we work with the conditions and I know that we will deliver a building of which everyone can be proud."


Not many walkers were visiting the summit in the unpleasant weather.

At the summit, Snowdonia National Park Chief Executive, Aneurin Phillips, clearly appreciated the difficult conditions workers have been facing, saying: "I never cease to marvel at the efforts of the contractor's workforce whenever I see the conditions they are working in. The granite walls need to be completed, the building will need to be commissioned and crucially the railway track at the summit needs to be relaid, all of which will take time.


Colette Hume from the BBC asking workers about what's it like to work at
Snowdon's summit.

While the poor excuse for a summer over the last three weeks has hindered work on the outside of Hafod Eryri, the internal works are now close to completition. The floor tiling and toilet areas are finished while most of the oak slats on the interior walls have been fitted.


Most of the oak slats have now been fitted inside the cafe area.

On Tuesday it is planned to start adding the fabric drape ceiling. Around the same time the diesel generators should be commissioned so that the building will have power; with the warming benefit of underfloor heating for the workmen, as opposed to relying on a cramped portacabin to provide some relief from being exposed to the elements at the top of a 1085m mountain all day long.


Hafod Eryri with three-quarters of the roof now finished.

Edwyn Roberts, Assistant Site Manager, described the weather last week as particularly atrocious with a bitter biting wind and yesterday, even hail. Today was the first decent day in a long while. On the busiest day last week two trains took 82 workmen to the summit.


Edwyn Roberts with perhaps the most relevant 'interpretation' flooring tile for
the workmen on Snowdon's summit.

At the end of this week an official statement on the progress of Hafod Eryri's construction is expected. When Carillion last addressed the media, on April 21st, they said there was twelve weeks worth of work left to do.


Building up the exterior granite cladding with an improvised wind-break.

At 7a.m. just under eighty workmen boarded the train for Snowdon's summit, with a 12-hour day ahead of them. The kitchen area of the cafe has its units in place and the shopfitters, Arthur Hapgood Ltd from Kinmel Bay, have started fixing Welsh oak hand-machined slats to the birch plywood panels. The slats or strips are of various sizes to mirror the stone-work on the outside of Hafod Eryri and the differing depth is intended to create an interesting shadow effect.


Hafod Eryri from the new summit steps leading down to the rear of the building.


Oak slats are being fitted to the birch ply lining the cafe's interior walls.

Up on the roof, Stone Central, are managing to add around seventy-five granite blocks to it each day; weather allowing of course. When the roof is completed it will be made up of nearly 4000 pieces of stone. The official opening of Snowdon's new summit building will not be before September. And if the weather in July and August turns inclement then it will be pushed back further.


The roof is made up of nearly 4000 carefully fitted granite blocks.

This Saturday, on the longest day of the year, lead singer of The Alarm, Mike Peters, is planning to repeat his successful 2007 fund raising (Love Hope Strength Foundation UK) ascent of Snowdon (here) by leading a group of nurses, doctors, fans and supporters to the summit and performing an acoustic concert.


The southern end of Hafod Eryri.

Continuing good weather has enabled steady progress to be made at the Hafod Eryri construction site. Since work re-started on the granite roof just over two weeks ago, it is now two courses away from being half-finished, while within the month the interior is looking like being close to completion.


Stonemason, Robin Hughes, will be featuring in Sunday's S4C documentary
Yr Wyddfa...a'i Chriw (Snowdon and its Crew).

The inside of the cafe area is being fitted out with moisture and fire resistant birch ply panelling which will be overlaid with strips of Welsh oak. A lattice of scaffolding, erected by the contractors Netwell (Graham Maxwell), covers the whole exterior of the building and periodically the scaffold platforms will need to be raised to lift the stonemasons up, as the height of the blockwork increases. The train platform on the western side has been renovated with new slabs and once again now looks like a platform.


The cafe area of Hafod Eryri lined with birch panelling.

There has been surprisingly little coverage in the wider media of the construction of Snowdon's new summit building. But that seems likely to change as it approaches completion. This Sunday (8th June) a half-hour documentary following the construction of the new cafe and visitor information centre will be shown on S4C at 8.30pm: Yr Wyddfa...a'i Chriw (Snowdon and its Crew).


Granite blocks piled up on the roof waiting to be fixed into place.

The programme follows the challenge of building Hafod Eryri through the eyes of six people who have made an important contribution to its success. Made by Antenna for S4C, producer Iestyn Garlick, said: "We see the project from a personal point of view, and realise how important every individual's hard work is to the success of the project."


Hafod Eryri from the northern end with the renovated platform clearly visible.

The six people followed are - engineer Geraint Bowen with the international engineering and design consultancy ARUP at Wrexham; train driver Gwyrfai Williams from Llanberis; buildings manager with Snowdonia National Park Tecwyn Hughes; labourer Eifion Yates originally from the Bala area; stonemason Robin Hughes from Groeslon and the former National Poet of Wales, Professor Gwyn Thomas. Prof Thomas, originally from Blaenau Ffestiniog and now living in Bangor, retired last month from his post as the National Poet of Wales. He has been commissioned by Snowdonia National Park to compose several couplets of three or four lines long, in both Welsh and English, which will be inscribed onto the windows of the new building and in stone.

If you live outside Wales and have access to Sky, you can watch it on channel 134 (for English subtitles press 888). S4C digital can be viewed in Wales on Sky 104, Sky (without subscribing) 134, Virgin TV 194 and Freeview 4.


Workers gathering at the end of the day to catch the train back to Llanberis.

Fixing with adhesive the waterproof rubber fabric at the northern end of the
service wing.

Two trains, each with a carriage, have become necessary to get the growing number of contractors to the top of Snowdon in the morning. At the summit, waterproofing Hafod Eryri using the Prelasti System is nearly complete. This is a fabricated rubber roofing membrane originally developed by Pirelli 30 years ago.


Getting going in the morning.

A platform lift has been installed to meet special access requirements and an anodised aluminium door frame is being fitted at the main entrance. Work on the stone facing of the service wing has started and at the southern end of the building a further inscription can be seen on the blocks. The shiny aluminium shell will eventually be hidden by granite making the building much less conspicuous from a distance than it has been of late. Lots of people have commented on its beacon-like appearance in the afternoon sun.


In case you were in any doubt which mountain you were on.


Fitting the door frame of the main entrance.

The scene today facing contractors trying to finish Hafod Eryri, compared with that of two weeks ago, is a remarkable transformation. It took two days after the last blog posting for the digger to clear a passage through the snow so the train could reach Snowdon's summit. The train is essential for getting the men to work and ferrying supplies up the mountain. But now with the winter conditions dramatically replaced by sultry spring weather, work at the summit is steadily gathering momentum.


The Hafod Eryri construction site will be a hive of activity over the coming
weeks.

Forty-five contractors filled the carriage this morning. The contractor R.G. Owen had six stone masons heading up to the top of Yr Wyddfa: all tasked with cladding the shiny Kalzip skin with granite block-work. Soon they'll be fifteen men on that job to move it along quicker. The blocks require time-consuming dressing before being secured with mortar.


Rob Owen with a wooden template to help turn a difficult corner with
the stone-work.

The scaffolding is going back-up and the Heras fencing around the site has been reinstated. Inside Hafod Eryri, a three metre deep by two-and-a-half metre wide walk-in freezer has been fitted, the granite floor in the cafe area has been virtually finished and the shop-fitters are about to start panelling the walls.  A time capsule due to be opened in fifty years time has been placed under the cafe floor.


Inscription on cafe floor where the time capsule is buried.


Gareth Griffith, Site Engineer, surveying the summit plate to check the radius
grid lines for the building plan.

Despite steadily rising temperatures snow has continued to prevent Snowdon Mountain Railway from taking workers to Snowdon's summit. However, today the train couldn't even reach the snow-line. It had to stop below Clogwyn owing to winds  gusting up to 50 m.p.h. A few workmen set off walking to look at the condition of the snow with a view to possibly 'tracking down' a machine from the summit to dig out the line.


An animated Roger Pinney from BBC Wales interviewing Carillion Regional
Director, Meirion Evans.

For camera crews and reporters on a press trip organised by the National Park, the high winds meant they had to observe the snow and cloud covered summit from a distance. Addressing the media, Carillion's Regional Director, Meirion Evans described the late snowfalls as "unbelievable" and said: "It's been very frustrating for the workmen, getting up in the early hours and heading up the mountain but being unable to reach the top. I've huge admiration for them. There are 12 weeks of work left to do."


Carillion Regional Director, Meirion Evans, scrutinising an anenometer
for the cameras.

Snowdonia National Park Chief Executive, Aneurin Phillips, had some good news from the Welsh European Funding Office. They have extended the deadline to early Autumn for completing the building and drawing down the £4.2 million grant funds.


The building as it was on Wednesday 16.4.08.

Last Friday, winds were averaging 85 m.p.h. at Clogwyn gusting to 113 m.p.h. around lunchtime. On the Beaufort scale winds in the range 73-83 m.p.h. are described as Hurricane Force. But these figures are eclipsed by the 132 m.ph. gust recorded on February 25th this year; very likely the highest wind speed recorded at Clogwyn this decade.