This page is a bit off topic, being nothing to do with vegetables but instead an account of Chris and Oliver Smaje's ascent of the Welsh 3000s on 21 July 2012 - but we raised a bit of money which we're hoping to use to sponsor links between small farmers in the UK and in low income countries abroad. There's more on why we think this is a good idea on our blog and also on our publications page. That, at any rate, is the tenuous link with farming - but now for the mountains.
The 3000s challenge involves climbing all of the mountain peaks in Snowdonia over 3,000ft high in a single day. The exact number of peaks is hotly debated, depending as it does on exactly how you choose to define a 'peak'. Oliver and I decided to leave nothing to chance and climb everything that anyone has ever claimed is a 3,000ft Snowdonia peak - which means 16 peaks, well over 30 miles of walking and I believe about 14,000ft of ascent - it certainly felt like it!
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We began by climbing Snowdon on the evening of 20 July, in perfect weather that stayed with us throughout the walk. Here's an evening view from near the summit over Crib Goch and the mountains to the east. |
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We reached the summit of Snowdon at about 8.30pm - one of the many summits where we found an obliging hillwalker to take a snap of the two of us together. |
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We bivvied on the summit of Snowdon, just next to the cafe. Sadly by the time we arrived it was closed but at least the cafe builders had left us a nice bit of flat ground for a bivvi. Logistics demanded that we optimised weight and comfort, so we'd decided not to bring sleeping bags. As the sun drained away and the temperature plummeted, this was a decision I began to regret... |
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After about 2 hours' sleep and a lot of rubbing of cold toes, we got up at 4am, ate some muesli bars, got co-opted into taking some photos of a team who'd just completed the (much inferior) 3 peaks challenge, generally faffed around for too long and then began our walk by bagging our first peak, Snowdon (3,559ft) at 04.45, just a few yards from our bivvi site. |
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Garnedd Ugain, peak number 2, is only 10 minutes walk away. Ollie on the summit (3,493ft) at 05.00. This is a doddle... |
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A pleasant scramble across a precipitous ridge brings us to Crib Goch, peak number 3 (3,027ft). Chris on the summit at 05.50. |
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Unfortunately, we now have to lose almost all of the height we've gained with the long trek down through the bogs to Nant Peris. I'd bought some gaiters for the trip, which I left in my rucksack. Unsurprisingly they did a poor job of keeping my feet dry. Not clever. |
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Now we have to regain all the height by slogging nearly 3,000ft up this boring grass slope to the top of Elidir Fawr. The worst part of the day. It's steeper than it looks. And it's wet too... |
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On the summit of Elidir Fawr at last. Peak number 4 (3,031ft), 09.30. |
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A nice view of Tryfan on the way down from Elidir Fawr...but we have four more peaks to do before we get there. |
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Peak number 5 - Chris on the summit of Y Garn (3,106ft) at 10.40am. I'm beginning to get tired already and I'm holding Ollie up on the ascents. But I'm good at going down (something to do with excess weight and gravity, I'm told). |
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The rocky road up to our next peak, Glyder Fawr. Also steeper than it looks.
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Peak number 6, Glyder Fawr (3,283ft). Chris celebrates wildly at 11.42. |
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...while Oliver strikes a more dignified summit pose. Parents are so embarrassing sometimes... |
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Whether the pile of rocks known as Castell y Gwynt (3,188ft) constitutes one of the Welsh 3000s or not is a matter of grave national debate. We decided to take no chances, and took the short but pleasant scramble up it. Oliver on the summit at 12.10. We'll call it peak number 7 and dare you to disagree... |
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Only a short walk to Glyder Fach (3,260ft). Ollie on the summit of peak number 8 at 12.24. |
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A knee-shredding descent from Glyder Fach, and then another slog up to peak number 9, Tryfan (3,011ft). Chris feeling the pain on the summit (along with a cast of thousands) at 13.44. |
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And now, sadly, we have to go right back down to the road again in the Ogwen Valley, by the pleasant waters of Lyn Ogwen. |
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...our next objective, Pen yr Ole Wen. It's a lot steeper than it... oh, all right I'll stop now. |
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A superb view back over the route we've taken from near the summit of Pen yr Ole Wen, with Tryfan to the left, the Glyders in the middle, Y Garn and Elidir Fawr to the right and Snowdon etc in the very far distance. |
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Chris on the summit of Pen yr Ole Wen (3,208ft) at 17.15 - peak number 10. |
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The summits are falling thick and fast now. Peak number 11, Carnedd Dafydd (3,424ft). Chris on the summit at 17.50. |
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Clouds begin to drift over our route ahead. Clouds! Almost unheard of in Snowdonia, apparently... |
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Another rarity - horses high in the Carneddau. |
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Peak number 12, Carnedd Llewelyn (3,490ft). Ollie on the summit at 18.40. |
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Now we have to detour to take in peak number 13, Yr Elen (3,155ft). Chris on the summit at 19.15 and feeling pretty tired by now...look, I'm doing my best to smile, OK? |
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Ollie's effort isn't a whole lot better.
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The last three summits are a bit of an anti-climax, since they're just gentle bumps among the uplands. Still, they've got to be done, so here's peak number 14 - Foel Grach (3,201ft) at 20.00. |
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Carnedd Uchaf is another one of those peaks whose inclusion is debated by the experts. There's also some controversy about its name, with one current of opinion now calling it Carnedd Gwenllian after a tragic Welsh princess who...actually I really don't care by this stage of the day. Let's just call it peak 15 (3,037ft). 20.23. |
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And finally, peak 16 - Foel Fras (3,090ft). Oliver leaps onto the summit cairn to celebrate at 20.50 while Chris can only point his stick in wonder. The Welsh 3000s, completed in 16 hours (including rest stops) which isn't a bad time when you consider that the record is...no actually, let's not go there. |
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Despite being utterly exhausted, my nose for free beer hasn't deserted me. We coincide with some other 3000-baggers on the final summit - they have a support team who are generously sharing out the goodies. Another team on the final summit offers us a lift back into Ogwen, saving us from a second miserable bivvi in the mountains. Cheers! |
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But we still have a long way to go - down through the bogs to the lake and then a few miles along tracks and roads to the village. We don't get to the car until 23.00. |
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Celebratory breakfast the following morning at Pete's Eats in Llanberis, where else? Shall we have the small breakfast, or the big breakfast? No, we'll have Pete's Even Bigger Breakfast, a spread of such mythically gargantuan proportions as yesterday we could but have dreamed. |
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A visit to my mother and Ollie's grandmother in South Wales on the way home, and she's hung out the Union Jacks for us. Not sure about the political symbolism, but they were the only flags she had. Hey, I'm filled with the euphoria of success, so God bless the queen! |
