Welsh 3000s

Peaks: Yr Wyddfa, Crib y Ddisgyl, Crib Goch, Elidir Fawr, Y Garn, Glyder Fawr, Glyder Fach, Tryfan, Pen yr Olau Wen, Carnedd Dafydd, Yr Elen, Carnedd Llewellyn, Foel Grach, Carnedd Gwenllian, Foel Fras
Time: 8.38
The finest Welsh mountain day of all, but only the second time I've done it. This is partly due to the awkward logistics, although running it is far easier and less complex than walking: indeed, we only decided to do it on Friday night. In 2003, it was planned for several months: we had support team and various other advantages when I walked it with Steve and company, and it took 15 hours from Crib Goch to Foel Fras. This time Peter, Jez and I did it in purist fashion: no support, and walking up Snowdon first (the true start of the classic route, harder than starting up Crib Goch). It is such an aesthetic, varied and logical line, nothing arbitrary about it, that it is surprising that it seems to be falling out of favour slightly. Pen y Pass was rammed when we arrived at 1am! I can only assume these were the dreaded, rather contemptible 'three peak' challengers: whatever they were, vans arrived all night and we had a couple of hours sleep at best before ambling up Snowdon at 6am for the true start of the 3000s (which is traditionally timed from the top of Snowdon to the top of Foel Fras). The weather was dire: thick clag, rain and 35mph westerlies that we just knew were waiting to batter us as we crested the ridge by the obelisk above the zigzags. Even at our ambling pace, we were on top of Snowdon in well under an hour. Touching the cairn, we set off running down the main path to the branch off towards Crib y Ddisgyl (Garnedd Ugain). It was pretty obvious that the ridge would be awkward in the high winds, and the rock was soaking - not ideal in old fell running shoes. Fine for Peter and I, not so fine for Jez, who does not have a climbing or mountaineering background. In the event, he was fine as we enjoyed the initial rocky ridge down to Crib Goch, with the first pinnacle looming through the mist. After a few pointers, Jez negotiated this without any problems and the rest of the ridge was completed without issues, although the wind and the rain slowed us down considerably. The North Ridge, down from the summit, is also awkward in these conditions, and we then had the trickiest nav on the route to do in claggy conditions. We cut north-west down the screes, then went a tad too far west as we descended grassy slopes to emerge above Llyn Glas. This was far from the optimal line, but not too disastrous as it leads to a good path which I knew well from previous visits to Cwm Glas for winter routes and the like. Down past Cyrn Las and a spectacular but brief clearance over the pass, then the road at Blaen y Nant. Quick running down the pass to Nant Peris and then the dreadful climb up Elidir Fawr. Almost certainly the day's lowpoint, we'd done this on last September's memorable Elidir Fawr race and remembered all the tiny shortcuts. The climb is endless, but at least we had the superb run over Bwlch y Brechan to Y Garn to look forward to. Conditions continued dire: cold, wet and windy. Indeed, Y Garn was an unexpected and unanticipated lowpoint for me. It didn't last, though, and we picked up the pace down to Llyn y Cwn and up the steep screes to Glyder Fawr. Careful nav across the plateau, always tricky in clag, to the scramble up Glyder Fach, then down the side of Bristly Ridge where the weather finally, and spectacularly, cleared eompletely: superb conditions for the rest of the day. Within five minutes, it was warm and the wind had dropped: dry rock for the scramble up Tryfan and down the western gully to Ogwen. I descended more quickly than the other two and pelted down to Ogwen cottage for the psychologically crucial hot pie I had been looking forward to! Along with a coke and crisps, it represented rebirth, and we all flew up the first section of the notorious slog up Pen yr Olau Wen: only 51 minutes from Ogwen to summit. It is all over bar the shouting then, and I was surprised to have very good legs for the rest of the day - just a few minutes over the top of Dafydd then above the Black Ladders to the crucial traverse path to Yr Elen, which includes a welcome water source. Back over Carnedd Llewellyn, fine and fast despite the sharp climb, then the wonderful final leg - all runnable - over Foel Grach and Carnedd Gwenllian to Foel Fras. Not a fast time (8.38 is closer to Thomas Firbank than Colin Donnelly!) but we weren't trying to push it, just to enjoy the day. With a ride up Snowdon, better conditions for the first half, and a better line down to Blaen y Nant, perhaps 90 minutes could be taken off. Given that I've spent the summer training for 1500m and 5k, I was just surprised to have the legs: although the big days in Scotland, the Alps and the Lakes obviously also helped, the benefits of my usual ultra-varied approach. An easy stroll down to Llyn Anafon and the car, back to pick up the car at Pen y Pass and a quick recovery pint in the Vaynol.