Hi all, sorry you haven’t heard much from us over the last three months, but we’re back now that the weather is warming up and we’re able to get out walking again.  With two peaks down, we’re itching to get going on the next eight.

The Welsh hills are next on the list and we’ll be setting off for Snowdonia in early April once the school holidays are underway.

First up, on Sunday, 3rd April we will be climbing Cadair Idris (893m).  Local stories describe Idris as a giant who lived on this amazing mountain. The large boulders on the lower slopes are said to be the debris of stone-throwing battles between Idris and other giants.  Legend also says that anyone who spends the night on Cadair Idris will awake either as a poet or as a madman – let’s hope we get off by nightfall!

We plan to take the Pony Path (used by traders with their ponies) – it is a little over 10km to the summit and back, about 5-6 hours hopefully.

We will then be either climbing Tryfan (918m) on Wednesday, 6th April or another local peak.  Trail magazine recently named it the UK’s top mountain.  Apparently it’s pretty challenging and will require some scrambling to get to the summit so we’ll have to see how the weather is for this one.

Simon Ingram, Editor of Trail: “Tryfan has a unique aesthetic and has always been a mountain close to the heart of hillwalkers… Snowdon may be the superstar of the region but Tryfan is the bristly underdog, providing just the right mix of the accessible and the thrilling – great to look at, and a real mountaineer’s peak.”

Tryfan is topped with two hunks of stone known as Adam and Eve – some people apparently like to jump between the two.

We will finally be climbing Snowdon (1085m) on Saturday 9th April. It’s the highest mountain in Wales and a wonderful climb.

We are planning on taking the Pyg route up and Llanberis track down.  We were hoping the Snowdon Mountain Train would be open by April for those that wanted a lift up to the summit, but unfortunately it doesn’t open until May.  But there are plenty of other things to do in Snowdonia for those that don’t fancy the climb.  Anyone up for a zip wire or learning to surf?

We are lucky enough to have an amazing guide from Snowdonia Walking and Climbing lined up to help us with our walks in Snowdonia and later in the year in Scotland.

Richard Bale “I started mountaineering in Scotland with the RAF Mountain Rescue Service over 20 years ago and since then I have walked and climbed throughout the UK and abroad. I have been an RAF Mountain Rescue Team Leader and was the Service’s Chief Instructor for 5 years.  In 2001 I was selected as a member of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service Everest North Ridge expedition and successfully reached the summit on 22nd May.  My mountaineering has taken me all over the world including the Alps, Norway, Canada as well as the greater ranges of the Himalaya and Andes.  Closer to home I have also completed the ‘Munros’…all the Scottish mountains above 3000 feet.”

We’ve got lots of enthusiastic supporters already lined up for these walks, but if anyone else is interested, get in touch soon!   We will of course keep you posted about how we get on and there will be a few more posts soon about the rest of the climbs we have planned in Scotland and Yorkshire later this year.  Thanks again to everyone who has donated, we are bowled over by your support!