Last weekend I went on another Fell Club trip, this time to Snowdonia in Wales. The group that went this time varied from the Lake District, so it was fun to meet some new people as well as visit a new country. Overall it was a great trip, but had you asked me on Saturday afternoon, I probably would have given a completely different response…Day 1:
After loading up the mini-buses and signing all necessary papers, we waved farewell to UEA and embarked on our long journey to Wales. At least the trip was complete with the inevitable stop at a chip shop, and plenty of cakes (anything sweet and bread-like is called cake here), biscuits (basically hard cookies that come in millions of varieties and are usually eaten with tea), and
flapjacks (delicious creations made out of oatmeal, sugar, butter, and whatever else you choose to throw in). I think we got lost on the way there because we didn’t arrive at Caseg Fraith, the hut we were staying at until nearly 2:00 am. The beds were a wonderful sight, despite the fact that it was just two long rows of mattresses laid out on the floor.
Day 2:
After not enough sleep, we woke up to the pleasant sound of pouring rain being blown against the glass on the windows. At least there was lots of porridge and tea to put us in better spirits and prepare us for the adventures of the day. We went through the usual routine of packing lunches, gathering gear, and dividing into 3 different hiking trips and by then, thankfully the rain has subsided slightly. My group began at Pen-Y-Pass with the intentions of ascending a few peaks and walking along a ridge until we reached Capel Curig, a town on the opposite side. When we started out, it was only raining a little bit, but the paths had turned into streams and my feet were soaked through within 20 minutes, despite my heavy boots and multiple socks. The further up we got, the windier it became and by the time we had reached 500 meters (which is only about 1500 feet) we seriously had to sit down to keep from blowing over. For awhile I thought I was going to have my life long d
ream of being able to fly actually come true. It was obvious things were only going to get worse if we tried to go up any farther, so our walk leader made the wise decision to head down into the valley. We basically made our own trail but in the UK, there aren’t the trees everywhere like back home, so you can see where you are going. We used the map to orient ourselves as then began to follow this never ending stone wall. By this time it was absolutely pouring and the wind was just driving the rain. We had to cross several streams and march through bogs, but at this point we didn’t even bother trying to keep dry; it was far too late for that. If it’s possible I don’t think I’ve ever been wetter, not in the shower, not swimming, not anywhere, in my life. Just as we thought it couldn’t get worse, it some how managed to rain even harder and then turn to hail which, with the wind, made for a painful combination. The stone wall wasn’t getting us anywhere quickly, so we found our way to the road and followed it for another 2 miles or so until we made it to Capel Curing where we saw the glorious sight of the pub where we were meeting everyone else. We must have been a sight in ourselves though, dripping wet, clutching our hot tea, and huddled around the little fire. Later it was so nice to get back to our hut 
and change into dry clothes, eat a delicious dinner, and just sit around playing cards and enjoying warm drinks.
Day 3:
Sunday was also predicted to be horrendous, but fortunately the bad weather held out! Yet the day was not adventure free. We hopped into the minibuses ready for another hike, but it wouldn’t start. After many phone calls to the university and the insurance company, we found out that they would send another bus for us to drive as well as a tow truck. Since they were coming from Norwich, we knew it was going to be a long wait so we split into groups, changed our paths and did hikes from the hut. My group went up and over a series of peaks along a horseshoe that looped back to the hut. It was really pretty and it was quite clear so the views were good. We had only had a small burst of hail and strong winds, but aside from that, the weather was surprisingly great! There was snow on top of one of the peaks we did and it was funny to see how excited some of the people became when they saw it. I told them to go to New England. The hike ended up being great as it was nice views, a good pace, and a fun group. Back at the hut we hung around waiting for our relief bus, only to have the insurance man arrive, stick the key in the ignition, and have the bus start with no problem! It was emb
arrassing, but we were glad to be on our way. It was just in time too because as we were pulling away, it began to sleet/snow/hail or something nasty, but we escaped it. Despite Saturday’s weather, it was a good trip and I’d love to go back to Wales to explore other parts.
P.S. Although, I didn’t get to hear much Welsh this weekend, I say it written all over. How do you pronounce words like hwylfawr (goodbye) or diolch yn fawr iawn (thank you very much) ?!
After loading up the mini-buses and signing all necessary papers, we waved farewell to UEA and embarked on our long journey to Wales. At least the trip was complete with the inevitable stop at a chip shop, and plenty of cakes (anything sweet and bread-like is called cake here), biscuits (basically hard cookies that come in millions of varieties and are usually eaten with tea), and
flapjacks (delicious creations made out of oatmeal, sugar, butter, and whatever else you choose to throw in). I think we got lost on the way there because we didn’t arrive at Caseg Fraith, the hut we were staying at until nearly 2:00 am. The beds were a wonderful sight, despite the fact that it was just two long rows of mattresses laid out on the floor.Day 2:
After not enough sleep, we woke up to the pleasant sound of pouring rain being blown against the glass on the windows. At least there was lots of porridge and tea to put us in better spirits and prepare us for the adventures of the day. We went through the usual routine of packing lunches, gathering gear, and dividing into 3 different hiking trips and by then, thankfully the rain has subsided slightly. My group began at Pen-Y-Pass with the intentions of ascending a few peaks and walking along a ridge until we reached Capel Curig, a town on the opposite side. When we started out, it was only raining a little bit, but the paths had turned into streams and my feet were soaked through within 20 minutes, despite my heavy boots and multiple socks. The further up we got, the windier it became and by the time we had reached 500 meters (which is only about 1500 feet) we seriously had to sit down to keep from blowing over. For awhile I thought I was going to have my life long d
ream of being able to fly actually come true. It was obvious things were only going to get worse if we tried to go up any farther, so our walk leader made the wise decision to head down into the valley. We basically made our own trail but in the UK, there aren’t the trees everywhere like back home, so you can see where you are going. We used the map to orient ourselves as then began to follow this never ending stone wall. By this time it was absolutely pouring and the wind was just driving the rain. We had to cross several streams and march through bogs, but at this point we didn’t even bother trying to keep dry; it was far too late for that. If it’s possible I don’t think I’ve ever been wetter, not in the shower, not swimming, not anywhere, in my life. Just as we thought it couldn’t get worse, it some how managed to rain even harder and then turn to hail which, with the wind, made for a painful combination. The stone wall wasn’t getting us anywhere quickly, so we found our way to the road and followed it for another 2 miles or so until we made it to Capel Curing where we saw the glorious sight of the pub where we were meeting everyone else. We must have been a sight in ourselves though, dripping wet, clutching our hot tea, and huddled around the little fire. Later it was so nice to get back to our hut 
and change into dry clothes, eat a delicious dinner, and just sit around playing cards and enjoying warm drinks.Day 3:
Sunday was also predicted to be horrendous, but fortunately the bad weather held out! Yet the day was not adventure free. We hopped into the minibuses ready for another hike, but it wouldn’t start. After many phone calls to the university and the insurance company, we found out that they would send another bus for us to drive as well as a tow truck. Since they were coming from Norwich, we knew it was going to be a long wait so we split into groups, changed our paths and did hikes from the hut. My group went up and over a series of peaks along a horseshoe that looped back to the hut. It was really pretty and it was quite clear so the views were good. We had only had a small burst of hail and strong winds, but aside from that, the weather was surprisingly great! There was snow on top of one of the peaks we did and it was funny to see how excited some of the people became when they saw it. I told them to go to New England. The hike ended up being great as it was nice views, a good pace, and a fun group. Back at the hut we hung around waiting for our relief bus, only to have the insurance man arrive, stick the key in the ignition, and have the bus start with no problem! It was emb
arrassing, but we were glad to be on our way. It was just in time too because as we were pulling away, it began to sleet/snow/hail or something nasty, but we escaped it. Despite Saturday’s weather, it was a good trip and I’d love to go back to Wales to explore other parts.P.S. Although, I didn’t get to hear much Welsh this weekend, I say it written all over. How do you pronounce words like hwylfawr (goodbye) or diolch yn fawr iawn (thank you very much) ?!
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