An Epic Day in Snowdonia

So the date was set for my Grandmother, Lilian,  and I to climb Snowdon and raise money for a charity she has helped set up.  People had made arrangements, taken time off work and we had a support vehicle arranged.  The plan was for my Grandmother’s group to climb from Pen-y-pass youth hostel with her group and me and my friend Dafydd (of Tilestop) would ride our bikes from Criccieth Castle at sea level and we’d all try and meet at the top of the mountain for a pleasant photograph.

However . . . . mother nature had other ideas and the chosen date, 23rd May turned out to be pretty much the windiest and wettest day of the year.  The forecast for the following day was better so, sensibly, my Grandmother’s group abandoned and decided to do the climb the next day.  With work and other commitments over our heads Dafydd and I decided to continue.  Standing on Criccieth Pier with the waves crashing against the rocks and rain sand blasting our faces I was what you might say a little concerned about conditions at the top of Snowdon.  The last thing we wanted was to be airlifted off by mountain rescue so we went on carefully keeping an eye on how things were shaping up weather wise.

So we pressed on with gritted teeth and a nice tailwind/ tailgail that blew us from Criccieth to Beddgelert and up towards Pen-y-pass.  From there we walked and climbed our way to the summit and luckily the weather improved and the south side of the mountain seemed to offer some shelter from the wind.  Eventually we got to the top and the winds were gusting at 80-10omph so staying on our feet was the focus of our concentration.  The view from the top was pretty spectacular and incredibly wasn’t covered in mist so that was a bit of a treat.

So we made it 🙂

The journey back was pretty tough, the wind was right in our faces, when you have to pedal downhill you know things are bad.  Energy reserves running low and muscles aching.  All worth it in the end and I have to admit it was great fun.  Often we don’t take the time out of our busy lives to do silly things like this but we should!

Thanks to all who sponsored and everyone who contributed on our facebook auctions.  Well done to my Grandmother too who got to Snowdon’s summit the next day, not bad for a 72 year old.