Glamping this week, has involved a walk up Snowdon!
I carefully and thoroughly researched this before setting off to the caravan this week. I researched "safe routes for kids," "family friendly" and "easy" routes up Snowdon. I talked to Squeak about it beforehand, and I was I thought well prepared.
In my uni days I used to hang out with the mountain rescue guys, was friends with the guys in the climbing club and have happy memories of weekends spent camping in the lakes walking the fells. I have some experience of mountain walking so believed we would be fine. As ever my kids derail me every time!
The Snowdon Ranger was the route I settled on. Packed lunch made, flasks, juice, waterproofs, dog, kids, and sat nav sorted. However the Sat Nav took us to a place 3 miles down the road from where we had supposed to be setting off. Bubble by this point had had enough (he gets car sick in the back of cars), getting out in a remote car park and reading the information board he declared. " Right - this route will be alright - it's scenic - it will be fine!" I tried to point out that it was a harder mountain route, but he and the delinquent were having none of it.
So off we went............It was hard, very hard. We scrambled streams, climbed rocks, averted waterfalls ascended 3085 feet, wobbled over a 3ft ridge for about a mile with a distinctly disgruntled delinquent on a lead to reach the top. I refused to let him off the lead because even at nearly 3 years old he STILL has an issue with sheep! At the top there were of tourists in tee shirts and shorts who had all conveniently taken the train up - walked 50 steps to have their photographs taken and got back on the train to go back down. We did not sneer AT ALL! or felt smug or superior in any way whatsoever.
We had a cup of tea in the visitor centre and walked back down.
It was epic! we are very proud of ourselves and the kids are all for doing again. I have pointed out that ANY other route we choose will be easy compared to this one, so their plan for the summer is to do all of them! (I am hiding in a corner).
The rest of our holiday involved days on the beach, crab fishing (with real fish guts!), the car boot sale and market, the walls of Conwy Castle and generally having a really good time reconnecting with my kids.
The moral of this story is - we climbed a mountain, it's no big deal people do it every day. My obsessive checking on the internet as to "safe" routes for kids is rubbish. They bounced up - scrambled rocks, streams, bogs, very bloody high ridges, climbed 3,085 feet, walked 9 miles and were playing badminton at the caravan an hour after we got back.
40something on the hand still feels like she needs 2 hip replacements 5 days later and my ass still bloody hurts when I sit down! I walk up the stairs and everything hurts! I am getting old.
Thanks for reading
x
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