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.