Welsh 3000s Challenge - Completed 10 June 2006

The Welsh 3000s challenge (AKA 'the 14 Peaks' or 'the 15 Peaks') involves standing on top of all the 3000+ ft mountain peaks in Wales by walking or running between them. The route Tom and I chose to take is the 'Purist' version that starts on top of Snowdon and finishes on top of Foel Fras, taking in all of the other peaks en route (as described in the book 'The Welsh Three Thousand Foot Challenges, a Guide for Walkers and Hill Runners' by Roy Clayton and Ronald Turnbull). The above route between Snowdon and Foel Fras is 35 km (21.5 miles), but when the walk up Snowdon and the descent are included the final distance is 48 km (30 miles) including a total of more than 3500 metres of uphill (and a similar amount downhill). According to the book the record from Snowdon to Foel Fras is 4 hours and 19.56 minutes set by Colin Donnelly on 11 June 1988 (this may have been beaten since the book was reprinted with revisions in 2003), a truely amazing feat. Anyway, Tom and I completed it in a more modest 14 hours and 6 minutes on 10 June 2006 (total from Pen-y-pass to the Bwlch y Ddeufaen car park was 16 hrs 45 mins).


The Start - Me (left) and Tom setting off from Pen-y-pass at 4:15 am.












Peak 1 - Leaving the Summit of Snowdon at 5:46 am.














Peak 2 - Carnedd Ugain, 6:00 am.













Peak 3 - Crib Goch, 6:51 am.













Peak 4 - Elidir Fawr, 9:57 am.













Peak 5 - Y Garn, 10:56 am.













Peak 6 - Glyder Fawr, 11:57 am.













Peak 7 - Glyder Fach, 12:19 pm.













Peak 8 - Tryfan, 1:31 pm.


















Peak 9 - Pen yr Ole Wen, 4:47 pm.













Peak 10 - Carnedd Dafydd, 5:08 pm.













Peak 11 - Yr Elen, 6:15 pm.













Peak 12 - Carnedd Llewelyn, 6:47 pm.













Peak 13 - Foel Grach, 7:12 pm.













Peak 14 - Garnedd Uchaf, 7:30 pm.



















Peak 15 - Foel Fras, 7:52 pm.



























We arrived at the Bwlch Y Ddeufaen car park at approximately 9 pm, which ended a truely magnificent day out in Snowdonia.

If friends and family would like view all of the pictures I took that day then please click on
http://webalbum.bonusprint.com/UK/goto.ashx?url=e23475c8431b45ab9c0077505ed80856 (you'll need to email me for the password to view them). I can email full size copies of those pictures. Just email/phone/write to my usual contact details and tell me which ones you want and I'll be happy to oblige.

Crispin