The Welsh Three Peak Challenge
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You may well have heard of the ‘national’ three peaks of Yr Wyddfa, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis and perhaps the Yorkshire Three Peaks but the Welsh Three Peaks are probably less well known. It’s also meant to be completed within 24 hours but with much less driving than the UK version with perhaps the main difference being that you’re directly swapping 7km and 400m of ascent up Pen y Fan for the slightly tougher 16km and 1300m Ben Nevis equivalent.
Starting on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. Taking the so called secret way up via the Rhyd Ddu path, the actual path used for the first known ascent of Snowdon in 1639! This is one of the quietest ways up Snowdon but some say the one that offers the best views, a must if you ever climb Snowdon. It is also one of the toughest ways up and is very exposed in some parts, more information on the route and the other seven ways up Wales highest mountain can be found here
The route the group took can be found here..
After a bite to eat and a pit stop in Dolgellau, we headed over to tackle Cadair Idris, (Penygader), one of the finest mountains in wales, at an elevation of 893 m (2,930 ft) above sea level. Cadair Idris means 'Idris's Chair' featured on the Men of Harlech song they say if you spend a night at the summit you will either wake up as a madman or a poet. We took on the Pony path, more information on this and other routes up Cadair Idris can be found here
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The route can be found here..
After making our way down into the Brecon Beacons to our final mountain of the challenge and well within our target time of 24 hours, a pit stop was arranged en-route where the team had a shower, a good feed and a few drinks after an amazing days hiking. After a few hours sleep it was a 7.00am start, a good breakfast and it was onto Pen-Y-Fan, the highest peak in south Wales, situated in the Brecon Beacons National Park. At 886 metres (2,907 ft) above sea-level, it is also the highest British peak south of Cadair Idris in Snowdonia, famous for being the training area and playground of the SAS british special forces unit, probably the second busiest mountain in the uk behind Snowdon. It was rather quiet for a Sunday and the group made it up and down in just one hour and fifty minutes having completed the Welsh 3 peaks challenge with two hours to spare. A fantastic effort and well done to everybody who took part.
For more information on the routes up Pen Y Fan head here
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The route can be found here..
We are running a winter welsh three peaks in December. Contact us for more information, there are also 2022 dates available here
