Three Peaks: Wales

Snowdon. Our final stop on our challenge. A natural wonder, full of stark beauty and mystery - yet with a tourist railway & a bloomin' service station at the top...! Our Three Peaks adventure was drawing to a close but with still one more climb to tackle...

We'd arrived in Wales the night before, tired from our efforts, despondent from the frustrations of Scafell & mildly baffled by Radio1's Sex Night on the journey! But we realised That we were staying within the castle walls in Caernarfon - in a lovely hostel with a dining area & kitchen. Just what we needed to take stock of our progress. Without question, the best place we stayed during our trip. They even had pictures on the wall to help us plan our hike...

The next morning we set out for Snowdon along the Miners track, in thick hill fog. It was hard enough to see the path ahead let alone the summit and our goal. Miners is a deceptively gradual climb up past reservoirs and grassy banks until it gets to the mine itself and then it climbs very steeply indeed. The fog was clearing but then as we tackled the final haul to the upper ridge, we were heading up into the cloud - giving the steep drops around us an eerie, almost celestial, quality. At one point we found ourselves slightly off the path & using the rock climbers spikes to cling on to the rock face!

Eventually, we made it up to the upper ridge, just as the mountain railway clanked into view - appearing from out of the mist at great speed. This was the final gentle climb to the peak & it meant that we were close to completion. As we rounded the final bend & up past the station, the summit appeared. It was cold, near zero visibility & crowded - groups of hikers converging from all sides mixing with the next batch of shirt-sleeved tourists just off the train. We got our pictures and then retreated inside the summit cafe for lunch.

I was expecting a small room - a token gesture of a coffee shop - but what we saw was a purpose-built visitor centre with viewing gallery, toilets, gift shop & allsorts. It was a strange contrast to the blustery, foggy, peak outside & we made the most of the stop. By the time we headed down again, the cloud was lifting and we started to see al the breathtaking views we had missed on the way up!

we headed back down the Pygs track to avoid the steep drop on Miners & this was a smart move - a much more gradual descent. Dom & Timea pressed ahead, perhaps extra spurred on by the proximity to completion of our challenge. So much so that they were back long before I was...! I'd become very aware of how wet my left foot had become today but didn't think anything of it until I got home & discovered I'd split my entire sole apart while walking that day...

So that was our Three Peaks challenge done & throughout it many images of journeying sprung to mind. But ultimately, for me, the main thing wad about achieving great things one careful step at a time and knowing where you are and where you want to be. No bad lesson for life I guess?! It was an amazing experience and one I'd love to repeat some day - maybe with some of the guys from church or from Urban Saints. Next time it'll be different. Next time the leaks won't know what's hit them!

[Please consider giving generously to sponsor me on this, as I raise money for our Rebuild project in South Africa. Thank you so much!!]