YHA Snowdon Bryn Gwynant plans £2m renovation

The mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington has lent his support to a £2m project to renovate a Victorian youth hostel in Snowdonia.

More than half a million guests have stayed at Bryn Gwynant, on the shores of Llyn Gwynant in Gwynedd, since 1959.

But the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) said the building was "falling apart at the seams".

YHA has committed £1.5m to the project but needs an additional £500,000 to enable work to start in 2020.

It wants to create its first "five-star" hostel in north Wales and plans to build an on site classroom, improve accessibility, modernise the rooms and facilities and install en suite bathrooms in all bedrooms.

The hostel has welcomed visitors since 1959

Simran Aujla, a visitor at Bryn Gwynant said: "I think it's great - right in the shadow of Snowdon.

"It's really affordable for people like me; students with a limited budget [but] it could do with some improvements...

"It's really important that places like these are kept open for young people and people with limited budgets, even from abroad, to experience this beautiful part of the world."

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The hostel manager Poppy Brewer said despite visitors saying that the location and views were "unbeatable" they also said that the site needed "a little TLC".

"You can see the years in it, unfortunately," she said.

"It doesn't stop them enjoying their stay but they would love to see a little more love brought back into it - and so would we."