Mountain-top cafe reopens for business

The UK's highest cafe reopened for business today - offering stunning views from the peak of Mount Snowdon.

The 3,560ft-high cafe is the centrepiece of an £8 million visitor centre at the top of Snowdon, the highest mountain in England and Wales.

The official opening ceremony will be conducted by Rhodri Morgan, the First Minister of Wales, later today.

The building, called Hafod Eryri, was designed by architect Ray Hole and offers views from a "window on the world" wall of glass which makes up the front of the centre.

The granite structure is built to withstand the extreme weather conditions for which the mountain is famous.

The centre was due to be opened last year but more than 70 days of construction work was lost because of high winds, heavy rain and deep snow.

Tegwyn Williams, site manager for contractors Carillion, told BBC News: "More than once I've thought we'd never get here

"We've had days when we could not get here.

"But it's good to see it finished and it looks good."

As well as a cafe there is also a shop area, toilets, a lift for the disabled, and the building can be used as an education centre.

The former summit building was built in 1935 and designed by architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis.

Plans for a new visitor centre got under way after a survey found people wanted to replace the old one, described by the Prince of Wales as "the highest slum in Britain".

The First Minister said: "Snowdon is far more than a tourist attraction. It is one of the wonders of Wales. It is a majestic icon of all that is best about Wales.

"With 500,000 visitors reaching the summit of Snowdon in a typical year, we have needed a new visitor centre that does justice to that proud and very ancient mountain.

"This new centre will allow visitors of all ages and physical ability to learn more about the mountain's significance as a unique recreational, environmental and cultural resource."