Because I live at one end of Snowdonia and my family at the other, for years I’ve taken the drive past the dramatic beauty of Snowdon and Beddgelert for granted, with Brondanw Gardens and Portmeirion to visit on the way.
Well, never again. This last year it seems we’ve either been in lockdown or when Snowdonia is heaving. In the first lockdown there was a certain magical element with the perfect weather and having no traffic or visitors around. The birdsong seemed louder, the bluebells were more intense. And yet at the same time it felt uncomfortably eerie.
The only time I ventured into the mountains during lockdown was when my car battery was found to be flat (embarrassingly!) after not being used for months, and I needed to drive for half an hour to make sure it was fully charged. I was excited to get up to Ogwen lake, even if it was just to turn round and come back without stopping. But once I got there, it was one of those moments the reality of the pandemic really struck home. Where usually there would be crowds climbing Tryfan, or up to Idwal lake and the Glyders, there was just silence. Yes, I loved the idea of nature taking over and having a chance to heal, but it still freaked me out, this lack of humanity in the landscape. This was when a vaccine still seemed impossibly out of reach and when the past year felt like stepping into a disaster movie. I couldn’t wait to get home.
How different it was this last weekend! As I finally ventured out to meet family members for the first time since last September, we had all been vaccinated. We were careful (including, as it turned out, picnicking amidst flurries of snow!), but it felt just that little more like normal. And going past Snowdon amongst the early morning frost, it was great to see the car parks already full and people heading up into the hills. I could see on some of their faces that this must be the first time they had been up on those hills for months.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this is finally a step back towards the freedoms of life before the pandemic – and this drive, and the ability to walk in the mountains and visit the beaches is one I will definitely never, ever, take for granted again!
The White Camellia, is published by 
