Snowdon
Another in the line of walking posts but this one will be shorter.
Yesterday, three of us walked up Snowdon (same two companions as Ben Nevis) using the Pyg track both up and down.
There was so much fog and mist that it put Ben Nevis to shame and we cheated starting at 1100 feet but still made it to the top is 1 hour 54 minutes so feeling relatively happy.
The cafe at the top is, well, interesting. It's nice to be able to get carrot cake and orange juice at the end of a hike but it does somewhat detract from being at the highest place in England and Wales. It's well built and has good information and food so not all bad, just a bit weird.
Having arrived at the car park at 7:30am we were a bit annoyed to find it was already full so we drove down the road, parked and got the bus back which meant we didn't actually start until 8:15am. Still, we were back down by 12:30pm, got back to the bunk house we stayed in the previous night (helpfully remembering the code for the doors) and managed to be showered and dressed in time to see the rugby in the pub down the road. As an aside, that was the first communal shower I've had since school and it wasn't as bad as the last one.
The walk itself was more challenging than I expected with some fairly steep bits and a few areas where it was actually hard going. However, it's probably slightly easier than Ben Lomond, definitely easier than Ben Nevis and on a par with some of the hills in the Pentlands I walk in regularly - if a bit higher.
The 8:15am start was a godsend as there weren't that many people on the mountain at that time, just the remnant of the previous night's 3 peaks challengers going down and a few ahead of us going up. On the way down, however, I reckon we passed upward of 200 people ascending and the Pyg track isn't the most popular one. I see what they mean when they say it becomes a conveyor belt.
Anyway, nice mountain, shame about the views, nice area but won't be rushing back. Scotland has just as nice areas and better mountains.
Next one will be next year probably as a few months hiatus beckons while we have baby and winter sets in. Still 3 peaks is more tempting knowing now that I can do Ben Nevis and Snowdon in under 6 hours between them. Need to see about Scafell Pike and work out the driving times; oh and find a driver, and some time, and mend my knees and toenails again
Yesterday, three of us walked up Snowdon (same two companions as Ben Nevis) using the Pyg track both up and down.
There was so much fog and mist that it put Ben Nevis to shame and we cheated starting at 1100 feet but still made it to the top is 1 hour 54 minutes so feeling relatively happy.
The cafe at the top is, well, interesting. It's nice to be able to get carrot cake and orange juice at the end of a hike but it does somewhat detract from being at the highest place in England and Wales. It's well built and has good information and food so not all bad, just a bit weird.
Having arrived at the car park at 7:30am we were a bit annoyed to find it was already full so we drove down the road, parked and got the bus back which meant we didn't actually start until 8:15am. Still, we were back down by 12:30pm, got back to the bunk house we stayed in the previous night (helpfully remembering the code for the doors) and managed to be showered and dressed in time to see the rugby in the pub down the road. As an aside, that was the first communal shower I've had since school and it wasn't as bad as the last one.
The walk itself was more challenging than I expected with some fairly steep bits and a few areas where it was actually hard going. However, it's probably slightly easier than Ben Lomond, definitely easier than Ben Nevis and on a par with some of the hills in the Pentlands I walk in regularly - if a bit higher.
The 8:15am start was a godsend as there weren't that many people on the mountain at that time, just the remnant of the previous night's 3 peaks challengers going down and a few ahead of us going up. On the way down, however, I reckon we passed upward of 200 people ascending and the Pyg track isn't the most popular one. I see what they mean when they say it becomes a conveyor belt.
Anyway, nice mountain, shame about the views, nice area but won't be rushing back. Scotland has just as nice areas and better mountains.
Next one will be next year probably as a few months hiatus beckons while we have baby and winter sets in. Still 3 peaks is more tempting knowing now that I can do Ben Nevis and Snowdon in under 6 hours between them. Need to see about Scafell Pike and work out the driving times; oh and find a driver, and some time, and mend my knees and toenails again