SNOWDON FOR ALL CHILD’S PLAY Is Wales’ highest mountain the perfect starter peak for kids? We sent a rock star to find out... WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS PHOEBE SMITH ver half a million an ideal first mountain for kids visitors a year would to climb. Naturally, we wanted to suggest the cat is well put that theory to the test, so we and truly out of the went in search of an adventurous bag with Snowdon. family looking for their first taste Arguably, it’s the perfect of proper mountain walking. We mountain for walkers. weren’t expecting that search to Undeniably, it’s one of lead us to a BBC radio presenter OEurope’s most spectacular. This is who also happened to be the lead a peak of extraordinary, unrivalled singer of a multi-million-selling versatility, one that’s historically 1990s rock band. But that’s been used as a training ground exactly what happened. for Everest-bound mountaineers, The message arrived quite but also one where you could unexpectedly one Wednesday achievably stroll with your afternoon. Scanning through my children to the summit. emails, it was a pretty normal day. Then I saw it, the There are no fewer than 10 recognised ways one that stood out above the rest. The subject line to walk or scramble to Snowdon’s pyramidal read: ‘SNOWDONIA – February half-term?’ 1085m top. The beginner-friendly Llanberis Path The message was from Cerys Matthews, the offers the most pedestrian ascent; the South Ridge former frontwoman of rock band Catatonia and holds the key to the mountain’s secret back door; a current BBC Radio 6 Music presenter, who I’d while the notoriously nerve-zapping and razor-sharp accompanied on a wild camping trip a few months ridgeline of Crib Goch is reserved for those with a earlier. Having grown up in Pembrokeshire, Cerys thirst for thrills. is no stranger to the joys of the outdoors. Yet, after Ultimately, Snowdon is a mountain for all. And, spending years on the road touring with Catatonia despite being the highest peak in all of England and then settling into family life in London, she’d and Wales, in the right conditions it can also be lost the confidence to explore the great outdoors. � 54 TRAIL JUNE 2019 JUNE 2019 TRAIL 55 SNOWDON FOR ALL “WE had ONE Beginner siMPLE goaL hillwalking kit Gear shops like Cotswold Outdoors are full of For thE NEXT experts happy to give advice on mountain kit. 48 hoUrs – Here are some of the key items Cerys and to REACH thE family picked up. Waterproofs SUMMit OF Vital for any British hillwalking, even SNowdon” in good weather as Recreating an iconic pose from George Mallory and his climbing conditions can change partner, outside Snowdon’s Pen-y-Pass hostel. quickly. Look for a very breathable and waterproof fabric such Still – desperate to instil a love of the natural very hostel in 1909 while training for his first as Gore-Tex or eVent, plus sealed seams, an world in her children, and impassioned to fulfil trip to the world’s highest mountain. Cerys was adjustable hood and a Welsh rite of passage that had, for whatever planning to take Johnny and Red to Nepal in April large pockets. reason, evaded her until now – climbing Snowdon to do the Everest Base Camp trek. Her hope was was now firmly set in her sights. that visiting the peak where Mallory and a host of Walking boots Getting the right fit As we began planning the trip, Cerys confessed other famous climbers had cut their teeth would is essential. Ankle that her first concern was what kit she and her inspire the boys. There was just one element out support and a rigid sole kids would need. “It’s really overwhelming,” she of our control – the north Wales weather. are great for beginners. told me. “We’re complete novices. I just want to Cloud, thick and wet, was all we could see Rucksack make sure we have the right gear.” So, a few weeks outside the window the next morning. The Go for around a 30-litre later we found ourselves in her family’s local forecast not only spoke of rain but gale-force capacity, and be sure to Cotswold Outdoors shop, getting fully kitted out winds too, meaning any attempt on the summit try it on first. Ventilation is key to avoid a sweaty along with her 15-year-old daughter Glenys and would have to wait until tomorrow. Instead, back, with shoulder two sons Johnny, aged 13, and Red, aged nine. we went for a shorter stroll around the lower straps that don’t dig Fast-forward another couple of weeks, and we flanks of Snowdon to bed into our kit. in when it’s full. were all finally on the train bound for a two-day We woke the following morning to yet more Base layer top adventure in Snowdonia National Park. We had mist but a more agreeable forecast overall. Merino wool is good one simple goal for the next 48 hours: to reach Everyone packed their rucksacks excitedly and due to a high warmth- the summit of Snowdon. we set off along the mountain’s popular Pyg to-weight ratio, and it’s naturally odour-free. “I’ve got into the whole Everest history, so I’m Track – which starts from Pen-y-Pass and winds Look for a traceable and fascinated by its links to Snowdon,” said Cerys upwards past the lakes of Llyn Llydaw and sustainable brand. as we arrived at Pen-y-Pass hostel, our home for Glaslyn – with the mist swirling and huge the next few nights. Indeed, legendary British boulders lining either side of the path. Walking trousers Look for a comfy fit mountaineer George Mallory had stayed in this Glenys and Johnny skipped ahead with a � – not too tight, with articulated knees to allow movement. Showboating on the 1085m summit of Wales’ highest mountain, and already planning a return trip with a view! Walking socks Socks should offer support, flat-locked seams to prevent rubbing, and ventilation to stop over-heating. Dry-bags Very few rucksacks are waterproof, so carry a selection of dry-bags to keep your kit and food dry. Colour-coding will help you locate what you need more easily. Hat and gloves Beanies are small but warm, and two pairs of gloves – an inner/liner pair and warmer/waterproof outer pair – is best. 56 TRAIL JUNE 2019 SNOWDON FOR ALL Eventually we emerged above the tracks of the Industrial relics on Snowdon’s Miners’ Track provide a Snowdon Mountain Railway, which carries passengers fascinating insight into from the town of Llanberis to the highest point in the mountain’s history. Wales, to spy the faint outline of the stone staircase leading to the mountain’s summit-marking trig point. “Is this really it?” asked a surprised Johnny, a huge smile cracking across his face as he realised he’d almost made it to Snowdon’s top. Soon we were standing proudly as the highest people in the UK south of Scotland. “I can’t believe we did it,” said Cerys. We rejoiced for a moment before taking shelter in the Hafod Eryri Visitor Centre and filling our bellies with celebratory sandwiches. With several sets of tired eyes facing me I produced my secret weapon: a big bag of jelly babies. ‘Enjoy not endure’ has always been my motto! Summit snaps taken and sugar coursing through our veins, we began our descent, choosing a slightly spring in their step. It was special to see a mountain different route for the return leg by weaving through the through the eyes of those for whom it was a completely old mine workings on the Miners’ Track, where the new experience. For these children the hills were still clouds finally began to break. We reached the shores of shrouded in mystery, a possibility still waiting to be Glaslyn, the lake where Welsh legend says King Arthur discovered. They listened with amazement as I told them threw his sword Excalibur beneath the waters before about the knife-edged ridge of Crib Goch, rippling high making his way by boat to Avalon and the afterlife. along the skyline above us, when we reached the point The kids all listened intently as I recounted the tale. that its path cleaves away from the Pyg Track. When Pen-y-Pass hostel finally came back into view, When our trail eventually joined with the Miners’ the children were given permission to bound ahead at Track above Glaslyn, I could tell the children’s energy their own pace to experience the final stages of their levels were beginning to flag. They couldn’t quite believe first mountain adventure alone. Cerys and I, meanwhile, how far they’d come when we reached the col at Bwlch traced the edge of Llyn Llydaw and reflected on her Glas, impressively marked by a large stone fingerpost, family’s collective achievement. “We’ll all be tired and I advised them to add another layer of clothing and tonight,” she confessed, “But I doubt any of us will tuck into a chocolate bar before our final pull to the top. ever forget this day.” T 5 PERFECT FIRST-TIME PEAKS The UK is full of great mountains for beginners – and here are five of the best. s Cat Bells, s Yr Eifl, s Worcestershire Beacon, Malverns Lake District north Wales On the highest peak ancient breed of Galloway Climbing the north-east (425m) in the often- cattle, introduced in 2015 summit ridge of Yr Eifl This pint-sized (451m) This 561m triple-topped overlooked Malvern Hills, to maintain the area’s on the Llyn Peninsula in peak near Keswick offers peak (right) not only offers keep an eye out for the unique grassland.