June 8th 2018
Staff raise funds for school charity
Travelling up to North Wales on the Wednesday afternoon there was a mixture of excitement and trepidation in the Moulsford mini bus, as to what the next 48 hours might have in store for us. There was no doubt that it would be a challenge, for all of us, but the team spirit was high and we all knew that would play a big part in taking on the Welsh 3000s. Soon after arriving in Betws-y-Coed, we shared an evening meal, our last opportunity to carbo load, before turning in for an early night. We met up with our guides at 3:30am and fuelled with Maggie’s delicious flapjacks, set off from Pen y Pass just after 4am.
Crib Goch, renowned for its knife edge ridge with 1000ft drops on either side, was our 1st summit at the beginning of the Snowdon section. We soon realised it was good to do that mountain first. Some of us were definitely put outside our comfort zone and were very glad of the early morning mist disguising the precipices on either side of us. This route took us past Garnedd Ugain, our 2nd summit on our way up to Snowdon standing at a majestic 3559ft, the highest mountain in the Welsh 3000s and our 3rd summit. After a gruelling descent we reached Nant Peris by 9am and were welcomed with breakfast rolls and a hot drink, by our support team. We had a quick turnaround and set off in high spirits to start the Glyderau section.
In preparation our guides had referred to the beginning of this section as a saunter up the valley but clearly this was in jest, as it proved to be a relentless, boggy slog. We all had to dig deep, with some, more than others, being quite vocal about it. Fortunately, the comedy sunhats came out, our moods were lifted and we were finally rewarded with some spectacular views from the top of Elidir Fawr and Y Garn, our 4th and 5th summits. Having climbed over 2500ft in this 2nd section, there was a sigh of relief at the sight of a straightforward, ‘relatively’ flat, path towards the final scramble up Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach, summits 6 and 7. Spirits peaked as the team enjoyed photo opportunities on the infamous Cantilever Rock and we recharged our batteries, both mentally and physically, for the final push up Tryfan, the last climb in this section and the 8th summit. This peak proved to be a brutal ascent as the team clawed towards the famous twin monoliths Adam and Eve. There were more photo opportunities providing some light relief, before a hairy descent literally from boulder to boulder. We were welcomed, at the bottom, with hot soup and some much needed TLC from Maggie, our amazing driver. That evening, after a few drinks, the inevitable break-down and with the prospect of a good night’s sleep before us, we were all planning the next instalment, watch this space… Aside from jelly legs, blisters, midge bites, achy muscles and a lack of sleep, it has been an incredible experience. Thank you so much for all your encouraging messages as well as sponsorship!! Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is an incredibly worthy cause and your support is very much appreciated.
If you would still like to sponsor our efforts, please follow the link to our Just Giving page below:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/moulsfordstaffwelsh3000
