My Welsh 3000s Solo Attempt (2021)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ต.ค. 2021
- The weather report seemed pretty good so I thought I'd give the Welsh 3000s a go before winter set in. Doing it solo is way harder than doing it with someone else, or with support along the way. This is because you won't have a car waiting for you at the end, so you need to carry the necessary kit and extra food for sleeping out on the Carneddau and then walking over ten miles back to your car in Llanberis Pass (descending Pen Y Ole Wen and crossing the Glyders again along the way). This adds a lot of extra weight to your backpack, which uses up more energy, makes movement much slower and increases the chances of slipping over and having an accident.
Having mist and wet rocks for the entire way certainly doesn't help anything either.
The next time I do this I will be mega fit so that I can do the whole thing and then get all the way back to my car in one go. That's the best part of 50 miles of rough mountain terrain. So yeah, meeeeega fit!
It's also kind of funny how this attempt was exactly ten years to the day since my first ever 3000s experience. That was way back when I was very new to the mountains and it's genuinely shocking how unprepared and naive I was about what the 3000s actually entailed. I like to think that I have a bit more knowledge and experience these days though ;)
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I’ve watched most of your videos and they are brilliant , it was me who said hello “I know you from TH-cam!” Up on glyder fawr ! Thanks for the mention and continuing to inspire people like me who is trying to gather as much info as possible to attempt the 3000’s this summer , I’ve done a lot of training and research , just need to organise where to leave car/cars and accommodation for the weekend in mind ! Hope to bump into you again this year and if I see u on the llanberis path you are welcome to a lift and a take away pal 👍🏻
Hi Clive! Hah, I should have got a clip of you and your mate to put into this video, but when I bump into people it always feels like it would be a bit weird if I'm like "Err, can I stick this camera in your face for my TH-cam channel?" :P Good luck with the 3000s this summer. I'll be doing it again, for sure, and smashing it as well (for sure?). If you need help with the logistics of where to leave cars then let me know. Oh and if you do ever find me sat on a wall looking a bit defeated then your offer of a lift would be massively appreciated. Haha :)
@@BraveDave thanks for reply , just a couple of questions if u don’t mind ?!
Firstly …..would u recommend camping up snowdon or finding accommodation locally and climb snowdon first thing In The morning ?
Secondly , kit I’m not taking too much because I hope to jog some of it and don’t want a huge bag on my back if I can help it (brings back memories of my forces days !) was thinking of the very basics for first phase then grab a hydration pack at first break/stop as I’m hoping weather will be warm ish in June ?? Once second phase completed , refuel and hit third phase hopefully in daylight , just not sure where to get my friends to meet me at the end and timings etc , I know the signal for my phone is bad once I leave the road!
I always carry first aid kit and water proofs and plenty of fluids and food .
Is there anything from your experience that I might also need ?
Btw I watched the rescue on crib goch today , there’s no doubt u and others saved Ed’s life , I haven’t read the negative comments and I won’t because In the circumstances you couldn’t have done anymore , I’ve been on many first aid courses and saved peoples lives and every situation was completely different to the last , not becoming a casualty yourself is priority and keeping calm which was great to see in your situation
Again very inspiring and people can learn a lot from that situation, anyway I’ve rambled on , if u could advise on ideal parking locations then great 👍🏻
Damn, that’s a really ambitious day hike. Makes me think of the Grand Canyon rim to rim, or Cactus to Clouds hike over here in the states. The mileage and elevation gain of the Welsh 3,000’s are the realm of a super athlete. Looks like you made good decisions and lived to fight another day!
Your famous Dave, don’t give up on it that’s the spirit
A top effort Dave. Solo is always harder and in those conditions. Fair play mate!
Thanks Alan! I'll get it done next year though, for sure :)
Brilliant stuff mate. Love your vids
You sir are 100% an inspiration
Feel your pain Dave, I aborted the same point as you in June after my bloody knee went on me. Hobbling down Tryfan was not pleasurable. Did it as a two with my mate Chris, who went back the following week and soloed it in 10 hr 30. Insane.
It's frustrating having to drop out, but I guess we should be grateful that there is the option to do so. The Carneddau is a pretty lonely place to be if something goes wrong :P And well done to your mate Chris! That's a great time!
10h30? Bloke outright speedran the 3000s! Massive kudos to him.
Soon enough I'll have your energy! Id say I miss the train vids but going legit is just as good man keep up the good work and stay safe! 👍
Thanks Peter! I do have a lot of energy, I agree, but carrying that weight over so many slippery rocks took its toll that day :P
Amazing Summit. THANK YOU!!!
I love Brave Dave!
For some reason I'm getting loads of Welsh 3000s video suggestions...
I watched this one because I remember watching some of your videos during my research for my solo attempt in 2018.
I did it in one day (July 25), no camping and no support...........Far from ideal, but doable.
I drove from home to Llanberis (65 miles)
I parked in Llanberis about 4:30am
Walked up Snowdon.
Set off from the Summit at 6:36 am.
Arrived at Foel Fras at 5:48 pm.
Got down to Abergwyngreggyn about 7:00 pm . Five minutes before the bus to Bangor arrived and if I'd missed that I wouldn't have made the connection for the last bus back to Llanberis
.
I stopped at every summit (and cantilever stone) for a selfie, went off course on Elidir Fawr, did the Adam and Eve thing and made a mess of the decent off Tryfan. Without these I would have comfortably saved an hour.
Arrived back in Llanberis at 9:06 pm and drove the 65 miles home.
I had 6 litres of water, which wasn't enough, I ran out after Pen Yr Ole Wyn and was so dehydrated by the end.
Energy came from 2 Soreens, mixed fruit and nuts and some llittle fruit bars and that was fine.
Worst/Best/Hardest thing I've ever done.
Great work Dave.
Ah nice video Dave. We were supposed to do the snowdon horsehoe that day, but decided due to the fog and drizzle forecast to give it a miss. So glad we did now after seeing you slipping and sliding!. Great attempt though in those conditions. Stay safe.
Hooray for Charlie!
I remember I started watching during the train document but these type of videos are amazing to! I love exploring and I haven't really explored much in my life but when I get a car I plan to do tons of exploring mountains and peaks.
Legend, hope you’re all good Brave Dave :)
Cheers, Harrison! Yes, all is good, thanks :)
Nice one, Charlie.
Brave Dave, you have cured my heart with your videos especially
“Brave Dave’s Big Fat Freight Hop”
Wish you can freight hop again but, hope you keep up the good work!
freight hopping costs so much time and money, not to mention it is illegal and dangerous. Plus he is banned from Canada and the US from his last freight hop video.
@@hurricane3518 I’m aware of what happened to him. But I’m speaking through my opinion.
@@hurricane3518
There are other countries to hop~😏 If Dave is truly interested of course.
howdy - keep on adventurin bud!
Really good attempt. Having it be so wet had to make it really difficult. I would love to see a second attempt if / when you are up for it. Love the videos!
Thanks Matrix! Yes, the wet weather had a huge effect on the attempt. If it had been dry then I could have run over those rocks like it was nothing. Instead I spent so much time carefully treading over each one, worried I was about to break an ankle. And there will definitely be another attempt! It'll have to be next year though.
Nice one Dave - made me laugh out loud when you stopped at Ogwen. I had the same experience in autumn years ago. After camping on Snowdon, I thought I would sleep at the end of the 3000 before heading back to the car at Capel Curig, but it was getting dark and I was exhausted carrying a heavy pack in the wet. I went back another time to finish the last part and that will have to do for me.
Haha. I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who's tried and failed the solo attempt :) Next year though... I'm gonna smash it!! I think...
Nice one fella!
Would really love to see another video of your next attempt at this!
Coming this summer... 😉
This is something I really want to do, I've done all the sections over a couple of days on my own. Don't think I'd ever be able to do it all on my own... really good effort on attempting it!
It's perfectly doable if you have a car waiting for you at the end, but if you don't... oh man, it's a long way back to Llanberis Pass from Foel Fach (the last peak) :P
Time to change the name of your channel to 'sensible dave' 😂 Don't blame you though, maybe wait for better weather conditions next time 👊
Yeah, the weather report had said there would be some cloud and very little wind so I thought that sounded ideal. It turns out it meant "constant wet mist" which wasn't so ideal :P
What a legend
Good effort mate, ill definitely be up for this next year, need to get it done!
Thanks Paul! I'm sure that if it had been dry weather then I'd have managed it. But losing so much time due to having to move so slowly over the rocks meant that I couldn't be bothered to carry on into the Carneddau, being in the dark the whole time. Didn't seem any point to it as I'd wanted 12 hours and was never going to manage that on this attempt.
You can definitely look into an ultralight sleep kit, that will require much less weight to carry and you won't need an 80l neither.
Ultralight stuff is great but super expensive. Also my bag's weight wasn't just down to my sleeping kit. I had lots of food and water (the bulk of the weight), extra clothes, first aid, three torches and some other stuff too. I had to pack with an extra day of hiking in mind, and I had to presume the weather was going to be cold and wet. It's hard to pack light when preparing for all that :P Next time I'll just try and do the whole thing in one massive go. No sleep required!! Surely nothing could go wrong with that... haha.
@@BraveDave
What if you carry an electrolyte-rich drink instead of just pure water? Would you have to drink less?
@@DinnerForkTongue I was actually carrying several bottles of electrolyte drink. In fact I was carrying more liquid than I needed (due to the cool weather) but I didn't want to risk running out towards the end, so I packed extra. That was a fair bit of the total weight, to be honest. It's a shame water can't be compressed :P
@@BraveDave have a look into salt sticks. They’re very effective, light and cheap
@@BraveDave
Innit? Technology has failed us so hard that we don't have jetpacks and instant water until now! LMAO 😂
It is gorgeous hike at least. Not what I imagine when I think about the UK. Better luck next time.
It's a great route when the weather is clear. Not so much when it's constant mist :P
Wow !I don’t regard it as a failure.
When i ridge walk down here in tasmania....have the same mist problem
You annoy me Dave, in a good way, that I should be pushing myself more !! 😊
You need to do another train across somewhere series mate !, Best thing I've ever seen on TH-cam !
2 years later your attempt pops up on my feed.
Did it some time back in 9.5 hours. My ultra competitive friends the next week did it in just under 8 hours!
I went up Yr Wyddfa the night before and bivvied at the cafe and just carb loaded overnight and up at 4 and then dumped gear in my car in the Pass and went light weight the rest of the way with just a windproof, bum bag and glucose tabs with a pig out from a stash at tal y Llyn Ogwen. Having a car waiting in Aber after Foel Fras was the lynch pin though. Chippy in Bethesda and then get car from the Pass to end the day.
Excellent work, Richard! Travelling so light has its risks but is a massive advantage if all goes well. Having a lift at the end is a godsend too. A successful 3000s is all about the logistics! I'll be doing it again in a few weeks. Wish me luck :p
@@BraveDave cheers Dave. Long time ago but the principles are the same. Waited for stable weather and long days and went for it. Agree re Elidir Fawr, arriving at Llyn Ogwen is the psychological make or break. Recall walking down to Aber at the end all adrenaline ebbed away and felt shattered.
Another time we tried the same in winter got to the pass and went for a chip butty at Pete’s Eats instead!
Good luck with your next attempt.
Damp rocks, damp grass, damp moss... I'm nowhere near Snowdon and I could feel my feet slipping. And with an open not-so-shallow cut that had contact with pond water, too. Even if you'd gone forward and finished the 3000s, would it be worth the whole shitty condition you'd be left in? It was smart of you to not force a way ahead like a reckless teen, Dave, massive respect for knowing when to fold 👊
I bet the total lack of sun didn't help any. I can't really relate to it since my living region lies in a tropical to almost semi-arid climate so we get fog and mist about 2 or 3 days in a year (and even then it's usually gone by mid-morning) , but I hear a lot that constant sunless weather can really sap an outdoorsman's strength.
You're completely right, DFT! I set out wanting to do the route in 12 hours and so when it was clear that I wasn't going to manage it that fast I lost motivation, and the thought of continuing on into the Carneddau only to spend a very uncomfortable night there and then have to walk miles and miles back the next day did not appeal at all. And yes, not getting to see any views because of the mist makes things extra draining. Mist is very demoralising! Next time I attempt this I'll make sure the weather is clear and dry :)
@@BraveDave
And I sure hope you can be arsed to record it, coz I wanna see it! Thanks for all the content, sir 😄
Love your footage! no nonsense. Keep it up!
Is it not a possibility to drive first to the end, drop your gear, and drive back to the start? Don't know how accessible everything is. So maybe that doesn't work at all.
Thanks Elmar! It is possible, but it's a huge logistical effort. The problem is that the final peak is still four miles from the closest car park. When there's only one car available then it means that you either have to spend the night out on the mountains, or you have to be super fit and do the best part of 50 miles in one go.
Top effort.
I’m plannning to do this solo in June, but in reverse.
My theory is that if I camp near the summit of Foel Fras then I’ll have my heavy pack with me for the start.
From Foel Fras to the A5 is very little in the way of elevation change other than the big descent off Pen Yr Ole Wen.
Also, psychologically I’ll have broken the back of the route, 7 summits and nearly half the distance.
I then swap my bag out for a lighter one at my car and can complete the final two ranges.
Also means I’ll finish on Snowdon which I’m much more comfortable navigating off than Foel Fras.
A good plan, Alistair. Have you seen my video where a friend and I do the 3000s North to South? We aaaaalmost complete it :p (had to skip Crib Goch as final summit due to conditions). North to South is overall more ascent but you're right about the psychology of quickly getting the easy carneddau out the way. It also means you go down Elidir Fawr rather than up it, which is much better, haha.
Good effort there Dave even though you didn't make it, weather looked terrible. Any more weekends in the lodge planned for next year?
Now then, Dean! Hopefully, yes. Several weekends planned but none booked yet :P Stay tuned! :)
Hi Dave. Wouldn’t it be quicker to start at Crib Goch then Garnedd Ugain then Snowdon. Saves the walk up the Pyg. Good vid anyway
It might be a bit faster, I'm not sure. I've never done it as I'm a purist who starts (or finishes) at Snowdon ;)
Is doing it in October part of the challenge? Or should you just try it in June maybe?
Have you seen the Norwegian 100k?
I don't watch that often, but i have always wondered why your videos are always 4:3 aspect ratio?
Because widescreen doesn't make footage wider. It simply cuts off the top and bottom. So 4:3 captures more. That's why I like it old school ;)
Do it the other way and finish in Llanberis ? Nice B&B with a pint to finish
That wouldn't solve the problem of only having one car ;) I'd get to Snowdon summit (the end) and then be like "Hmmm, Llanberis is 5 miles away and my car is 15 miles away. Now what?" I've done it North to South before (with someone else, so we had two cars). It's actually more difficult than South to North, mainly because you finish on Snowdon which is the highest mountain and therefore the route has more ascent overall.
Excuses excuses 😁.. Seems you took the right decision and got lucky. It is possible solo. We did it as well, walking off the last peak to be picked up by taxi. 60 pound to go back to the car.
Thanks Heiko! Getting a taxi at the end is cheating ;) My version of "solo" means hiking all the way back to the car by myself as well :P I definitely made the right decision to not continue though. Sleeping on the Carneddau that night would have been miserable, and so would the next day!
@@BraveDave OK. I get that definition of solo. Then I'd probably do a relaxed day hike to foot of Snowdon from where Charlie picked you up and then start on the second day. Means your supplies are as limited as possible and you can drop big chunks of your gear before section 3 in the car.
@@Heikolampe
That's really not a bad shout for a more casual Welsh 3000s.
@@DinnerForkTongue thanks. Casual solo based on Dave's definition, that is. I did mine the classic way, car parked at Snowden, start 02.30, walk the lot and then taxi after decent from last peak back to the car.
@@Heikolampe
Hey, as long as you enjoy the activity, then cheers!
Dave Stranding
Don't know how you can do 9 hours of walking. My feet would be killing me by that stage. 😄
Hah! Actually 9 hours isn't bad at all. I once did the 3000s in 23 hours and the total walking time including before and after the timed part was 27 hours. That was a very, very tiring day!
Why don't you go up the last peak and hide a waterproof pack containing your sleeping kit the day before? That way you don't have to carry it!
That sounds like it would work but in fact would be a huge effort. The last peak is four miles from the nearest car park (which is two miles up a narrow country lane from the main road). So I'd have to drive all the way to the car park, walk four miles to the last peak, hide my kit, walk four miles back to the car, drive 15 miles round to the start of the hike and then get a bit of sleep and set off. And if for some reason I'm not able to reach the end when I do the hike then I have all my sleeping kit on the top of some mountain in the middle of nowhere :P
Buy a trailer. Leave that with your Carneddau kit in Ogwen Valley, Glyder kit in the car in Llanberis pass. Maybe buy a house north of the end of the Carneddau range to avoid bivvy camping…
Excellent idea! I should also buy land and build a house next to Llyn Ogwen so that I have somewhere to change my socks half way along the route :D
@@BraveDave people have been doing the 3000s so wrong all this time…
@@BraveDave I’m gonna build a monorail between all the peaks to make it more do-able for me…
DAAAAAAAVVVVEEE. THERES NO AUDIO MAN
Well... there is! Have you checked your volume? ;)
Ahhhhhh there is noe buddy. Thanks Dave
It's your audio or your device is glitching I've had that happen before just try restarting it and watch it again.
Wuss boy 😂
'kay, and where's your printed record of the Welsh 3000s WR, eh?
@@DinnerForkTongue you sound well miserable 😂
Yo Dave ive emailed you again buddy. Id like to invite you to ameeting. See emailsman