Work at the summit has been greatly helped of late by high pressure weather giving clear skies and generally low winds. Last week, local stonemasons R.G.Owen, began laying the granite blocks at the back of Hafod Eryri that will make up the exterior of the building.


The first courses of granite stone cladding at the back of Hafod Eryri.

Each stone that originated from Cwt Y Bugail quarry near Blaenau Ffestiniog has to be skillfully dressed with a hammer and chisel before being cemented into place. If you recall the test panel built in the yard (see June 17th posting), the walls have the added complication of being designed with a twist in them. This feature is intended as a means of shedding off the exceptionally strong summit winds the building will have to withstand.


Fitting the granite bullnose.

The stone bullnose that edges the roof is close to being finished apart from the corner stones which will have to wait for a few weeks. Better fitting new corner sections are on order from Portugal.


The different textured granite used on the roof can clearly be seen.

Down in the Llanberis yard the drinking water tanks for Hafod Eryri have arrived from the company Precolor. The two 3.5m high one piece fibre-glass tanks took 6 weeks to make and will weigh six tons each when they are full of water. They were factory tested and proven before being sent out. At the end of each season the tanks will be drained down.


One of the two 3.5m tall drinking water tanks from Precolor.

Snowdonia National Park have provided some background to the recent footpath construction around the summit covered in previous postings:

“The footpaths to the summit have seriously and slowly deteriorated over the last few years, but the building of HafodEryri has now given us an opportunity to restore and repair these footpaths. Both projects work hand in hand and we have been very pleased with the work completed so far by the local stonemason, Alan Jones of Pentrefoelas. The style of the footpath construction from the rear of the building to the summit is more formal than the usual footpath repair but this reflects the needs of the different type of users to the summit.

"At least 160,000 people of all ages and all abilities travel to the summit by train every year and unfortunately, a large percentage of these people are not suitably clad for a walk over steep and very uneven ground. The work currently being undertaken on the footpaths to the cairn will also ensure that the summit of Snowdon will be more accessible to all in future.”


Hafod Eryri on a pleasant October morning.

Currently, the first Snowdon 'commuter' train in the morning is packed with workmen of all trades, as the new summit building project pushes ahead on all fronts, bolstered by the recent spell of benign weather.


Inside what will become the cafe area of Hafod Eryri with the upper windows
looking out on the summit.

Up on the roof, the first course of the roughest grade granite blocks has been started. The granite blocks used comprise of four different surface textures with the smoothest seven courses at the the edge, gradually getting rougher as you work inwards. The centre of the roof will effectively appear as an oval of the roughest granite.


The uppermost course of granite blocks is the first one of twenty-three courses
that will use the roughest grade featuring on the roof.

It is a time consuming process as all the blocks have to be measured and drilled, with pins and glue inserted, before they are slotted into position. This work undertaken by the Merseyside firm, Stone Central, featured last week in the Liverpool Echo newspaper.


The large windows on the western side of the building.

Carillion, who are responsible for the project, plan to keep working at the summit into the winter and finish as close to Christmas as the weather will allow. It was December 18th last year when this blog carried a posting titled 'Tools Down for the Winter'.


Hafod Eryri clad in scaffolding seen from the south.

The first fix of the electrics is due to start this week and the underfloor heating will shortly be fitted with a layer of sand and cement on top of that before the granite floor is layed. The good weather at the end of last week meant the helicopter contracted by the National Park was kept busy flying white bags of stone to the summit for path building.


National Park contractors working on the paths around the summit area.