Snowdon Charity Climb !!!!

From Kent to Cardiff...

The mission begins. Packed off like a donkey with all the essentials plus waterproofs and hiking boots I set off to Wales. Cab to Barming station (thought id savor some energy for the climb), an hours train ride into London Victoria and a 3 hour coach ride into Cardiff.

Feeeewwww! Had finally reached base at my friend Kateys house, was definitely time for a curry!!! Over the next couple of days the realisation sunk in that we still had an incredible distance to cover to reach Snowdon in the North of Wales. Trains were becoming incredibly complex and neither of us could drive. Joined by Matt Friday night, we all deliberated over the situation with a Nandos chicken roulette. Can I just say that meal is the biggest disappointment! Your told they present you with a plate of different spiced chicken wings. So, your all sat there analysing the chicken with every bite praying someone else will burn their mouth off with extra hot!….only to find out it’s a swizz, and they all taste medium! So, between the disappointment and the meat sweats, somehow Katey and I managed to persuade Matt to take part in our Snowdon charity climb and be our designated driver.

From Cardiff to Snowdonia National Park, Wales...

We set off Sunday morning on the 4 hour drive from Cardiff to Snowdon. It was pretty breathtaking entering Snowdonia national park. Driving through the winding roads, in every direction you saw mountain after mountain. The peaks all hidden by the clouds. We kept trying to guess which one might be Snowdon, but each time proved wrong as we turned the corner and saw an even bigger mountain. I have to admit, we were all bricking it and wandering what on earth we’d got ourselves into! As we travelled higher, the air became extremely cold, so we were quite grateful for all the layers we had packed in our bags. Kate and I took a quick dash for the loos and put on every item of clothing we had, feeling very much like Mr Blobby!

We decided to take the PYG track up Snowdon, which meant starting our route through the Gap in the wall at the back of the car park. Sounded very much like we were about to enter Narnia or something! I’d been told  by this man that we climb for 40 minutes until we see the lake, and that the mountain ahead is not Snowdon, so DON’T CLIMB UP IT and instead make sure we veer left! At this point I asked him for a map haha don’t think he was too impressed :S So we set off…mapless…but we were definitely all smiles at this point, the     track not too challenging, starting with a nice flat piece of concrete…but that quickly changed!

 I felt like one of the pocket sized children in ‘honey I shrunk the kids’ trying to climb up the huge rugged rock steps. As you turned the corners you were often caught by huge gusts of wind which were trying to push you back, so it was a case of laying low until it passed. The views were spectacular, despite the appalling weather conditions, especially when we reached the first resting point where you caught first sight of the lake. 

We continued over the wooden steps, so far the path still relatively easy to make out, but the further we got, the harder it became. The terrain became more rugged and it was hard to find your footing. As the wind picked up there were definite points I reckon me and Kate looked like massive nature lovers hugging the rocks! But this was more a case of holding on for dear life! Although there was one part we had to cross which just looked like steep flat slate with water cascading down it and there was nothing to hold on to, so you had to pass it as quick and safely as you could before the wind came! 

We were up there in the mountains for hours, the weather conditions getting worse  as remnants of hurricane Katia lured nearer, making the climb treacherous. There was a definite point where we all turned to one another and agreed that we didn’t want to die today and were proud of what we had achieved.

Snowdon was black and the summit was hidden in thick dark clouds looking terrifying, already reaching near 6pm, with no torch, it wasn’t safe to continue. At probably around 2500-3000 feet, it was time to come back down!

The climb down was just as exhausting, our legs were shaking by the end of it, but we were incredibly proud once we had made it back down to the gap in the wall, and grateful for the warm car and some nice pub grub before the four hour drive back to Cardiff!

So far with everyone’s support in donations and sponsorship I have raised £651 for VSO, which I am incredibly pleased with. Thankyou to all you guys! And a massive thank you to Katey and Matt for taking part in the charity climb, and hats off to Matt for taking one for the team and driving us back shattered after that climb! Couldn’t have done it without you!

You can still donate at www.justgiving.com/eden-vance