British Heights

---

SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK - NORTH WALES


Back from Brazil, staying over at friends' places: Celso and Alex. Ana was in London for the last bit of her holiday and was brave enough to be the very first pillion passanger in my new VFR; I forgot to take the padlock off and we both fell with the bike. 😱 Ana had to help me lift the bike so that my left foot could be freed from under the weight. Had I broke a bone? I thought so but changed my mind quickily when I got to the Whittington in Archway around 11pm and found the waiting room crowded - luckily the foot got better quickily...



Three days after that I was off to SNOWDONIA with Helen and Ed: a weekend of trekking, scrambling and climbing which could well be my intro to the big expeditions; hehe. Ed wanted to do a long route up to a summit, so we scrambled our way up this mountain in thick fog, sometimes only able to see about 20 metres of broken rock pilled up ahead and abysses on both sides! What an achievement!



Next, Helen got this brilliant BMC guide for true climbers only, listing some obscure crags in the middle of nowhere, or better say amongst forests, long walks and plenty of swamps to make my boots drown. When we finaly got to this far-away-from-civilization-rock I had a fantastic time leading an easy 18m trad route. Helen and Ed climbed too and we found a quicker but not less strenuous way back to the car. I did feel my legs belonged to an 80yo man the last bit down the forest!




That eve we had drinks and delicious food in the pub, and were entertained by a couple who were staying in the same hostel as Helen and Ed. Did they have stories to tell! I slept in Ed's van to save some cash for my next trip - FRANCE. Coming up soon! 😊

---

Photos

Snowdonia - North Wales
Mountains, lakes, forests and small villages, plenty of mountaneering enthusiasts and enough land to entertain all tastes, from scrambling up pilled broken boulders to sticking your boots in swamps!

Getting Ready for the Challenge
Helen is all good moods before going up the hill - and she did keep it till we were back on the van!

Snowdonia National Park
One of the mountains in the area.

The Way Up
Helen and Ed take a break to see the view and discuss the next path to take. I was happy to just follow.

Billy Goat
"Can I smell goat's cheese?" I asked myself before I could see and hear quite a few of these animals which don't attend the climbing shops but are fearless of heights!

Satisfaction
Helen having a rest on the summit.

Crowded Summit
Not exactly a very rewarding summit: no view but fog and lots of people, families with children and dogs populating the place. Not exactly a K2 but I was happy nevertheless!

The Jump Non-existent
Ed climbs up one of the two blocks upon the summit. Hellen and I both bet he would do the classic jump from one rock to the other; he didn't! Honestly, Ed!

Slabs I
Very nice easy route up the crack on this big slab.

Slabs II
Climbing a great slab route and trying later my new techinique to climb without a partner: I tied knots every 1.5m on my rope, tied one end to the anchor and threw the rest down the slab. Then using two quickdraws I climbed a bit clipping one above me and unclipping the one down the rope. Will let you know later I have scraped this idea all together for an easier and safer solution!