ᐅ Summit No. 13 Snowdon (Wales) | Top Summits of the World

SUMMITS

SUMMIT Nº 13: SNOWDON (WALES)

WALES

SNOWDON

17/06/2023

ALTITUDE

1.085 m

OSCAR SOLSONA, ÁLEX QUIROGA, JORDI DUQUE AND ANDREU LÓPEZ

DIFFICULTY LEVEL

LOW

CHRONICLE

We meet again with Oscar, Jordi and Àlex. We try to meet at El Prat airport around 3:00 p.m. to have enough time to catch our flight. This time we will change Hungary and its thermal baths for Wales and its medieval castles.

Our flight is not direct to Cardiff and we will have a stopover at Schiphol (Amsterdam) which will disembark in the Islands later. Additionally, we flew with KLM, an airline that was a repeat offender when it failed to comply with schedules and that they apply a delay to the departure time that had already been delayed for a few days.

Wales, in Welsh Cymru, is bordered on the east by England and on the west by the Irish Sea. It has a total population of 3.1 million people and its capital and largest city is Cardiff with 305,000 inhabitants.

Wales is a land of castles since it has a total of 641 and is the country in the world with the most castles per square mile. Some of them have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO such as Baumaris, Conwy and Harlech as well as Caernarfon. It is to the latter that we go after waking up and to get there we will have a long drive of almost 4 hours by car.

The castle of Caernarfon, apart from its magnificent state of conservation, is characterized as the place where the Prince of Wales is invested. The current and recent monarch of the United Kingdom, Carlos III, was invested as prince in a ceremony dated July 1, 1969.

The nation of Wales is bilingual and the two official languages are English and Welsh, the latter of Celtic origin and therefore one of the oldest in Europe. Additionally, its national symbols are the dragon, which is present on the flag and symbolizes bravery, as well as the sheep, the population of which is 4 times larger than the number of inhabitants. Snowdonia National Park is full of herds of sheep and this will be our next stop on this 3-day getaway to Wales. However, let’s not go to the National Park to visit the sheep, but our objective will be Snowdon, in Welsh Yr Wyddfa (without any doubt one of the most complicated languages in the world), which at 1,085 meters is the roof of the country.

Our initial idea is to start the route to Pen-y-Pass at 391 meters, although the saturation of cars prevents us from doing so and we will have to start a couple of miles lower. Just starting the route we find the famous herds of sheep that will be present in a good part of the itinerary. After gaining altitude for approximately 30 minutes, we join the main path and there we come across floods of people. The path is crowded and reminds us of the Triglav path (in Slovenia) and it is that in all probability, ascending Snowdon is a matter of national pride.

The landscape and climate are very similar to Scotland with spectacular green covered landscapes as well as multiple lochs dotted on both sides of the road. Both Wales and Scotland are countries with generous rainfall regimes and this is the explanation for so much green and beautiful landscapes.

The first kilometers advance without excessive inclination of the terrain, although from an elevation of 550 meters, the terrain becomes more pronounced and bears as well as with numerous stones along the way that make it difficult to advance. The path to the summit cannot be lost, especially on a day like today when the track of the route is not necessary since the human pilgrimage will lead us up to 1,085 meters.

I like to do the Top Summits surrounded by local people and the atmosphere, although today I socialize less than usual with the local walkers since I find them excessively noisy and at times the mountain seems like a tavern in full swing.

We arrived at the top of a neck that is a point of confluence with other routes (you can ascend Snowdon for up to 6 different routes) as well as with a train track, and the number of people, which was already high, is multiplied by 2 or for 3…the summit is visible on the left less than half a kilometer.

150 meters before reaching the summit I am surprised by a queue of people…they are people waiting to take their photo at the summit…amazing. What’s more amazing is that the waiting time is 1 hour… as if it were an amusement park… I’ve never come across this in the mountains. Digested the surprise, I propose to the comrades to take a photo of us, a few meters below the summit. We took out the Welsh flag as well as our “TSOW” flag and immortalized the moment.

Cardiff occupies us on the last day of this getaway and it is a small city, to be a European capital, although very lively and active and with numerous activities and street life. Among the places that are worth a visit are its elegant Victorian arcades as well as the streets of Bute Terrace and St. Mary, its castle, the Cardiff National Museum as well as the visit can be closed by reaching Cardiff Bay. The Cardiff Bay area is characterized as one of the betting and driving areas of the city and has spaces such as the Parliament building “The Senedd” with a very modernist style as well as “The Cardiff Millennium Center” cultural reference of the city where operas, concerts and shows are held.

With Jordi and Oscar we met in the Sants flat (Àlex would appear a few years later) and we are united by a beautiful friendship from more than 15 years ago. We don’t have opportunities to see each other and meet like before, but the lesser times we share are of a high quality and very enjoyable.

It is fantastic that after so many years and with changing circumstances in each of us, to be able to continue maintaining such a healthy and strong connection. Last year we shared an adventure, within the TSOW project, in Hungary and this time Wales was the destination and we hope that many more will come in the future.