Wales's Highest Mountain (feat. The UK's 2nd Highest Railway & A Giant Grey Cloud)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ย. 2024
- It's about time we climbed this one isn't it?
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I did not expect anything else from the man who daringly climbed the highest mountain in the Netherlands. . . . You’re a beast my dear sir.
Aso the highest in Belgium and Denmark!
Technically not the highest in the Netherlands, just in the European part of the Netherlands.
@@onbekende07 And the dangers of Luxembourg's multiple summits!
I found his climb of the highest* peak of the province of Flevoland more impressive.
*highest natural peak that is,
the actual highest peak is a hill of 32 meters.
Got to correct you, Tim. There is still one more mountain in the British Isles that you haven't climbed (at least on video), and it too has a railway on it: Snaefell, on the Isle of Man, climbed by the Snaefell Mountain Railway. And as a lovely bonus, it means you get to go to the Isle of Man, which is lovely and chalk full of Tim Traveller material.
I don't imagine Tim is a motorcycle rider so the Tourist Trophy is out 😂
@@LadyAnuB You never know. Besides, there's still the Manx Electric Railway, the Groudle Glen Railway, Lady Isabella aka the Great Laxey Wheel, the Isle of Man Steam Railway, that weird castle thing in Douglas Harbour, Castle Rushen, the Nautical Museum and the sailing yacht Peggy (assuming they were able to pull her from the museum's basement before record high tides crushed her), Peel Castle, Fairy Bridge... I once joked that the Isle of Man was Britain's Living Time Capsule. After visiting there, I'm not joking anymore. It really is Britain's Living Time Capsule, preserving aspects of every era of British history alongside their own rich and proud heritage.
@@LadyAnuB Ashamed to say I'm in my mid-fifties and that's the first time I've heard what the TT means in "Isle of Man TT" 😆
I always assumed it was for "Time Trials"
Came here to suggest Isle of Man next.
I love this channel. It either opens with a famous tourist attraction that we aren't going to see or we are there to see the attraction, but cannot due to adverse local weather conditions.
"There's a great view from this mountain, but we are not here to see any of that."
@@jaakkoiswatching6437 Tim is likely kicking himself for not actually saying that!
Adverse? That wasn't adverse for Wales...
I love your comment
Fun fact, if the little musical ditty didn’t tip you off, the Snowden Railway was the direct inspiration for the Culdee Fell Railway, which appeared in the Railway Series aka Thomas and Friends! A lot of the story of the book is actually Snowden History, everything from the names of the engines to the opening day accident where #1 fell off the cliff!
I believe the locomotive names are fictional (yet accurate Sudrian) parallels, not actual copies. But yes, the history is pretty much the same, including the opening day disaster. Though I don't think Snowdon is particularly haunted, as the TTTE fandom would have you believe Culdee Fell is.
If that's true, then how come that train doesn't have a face on it?
That’s exactly what I thought when I saw it!
@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721The train's wearing a mask to throw off the paparazzi.
Im here for the giant grey cloud tbh.
Wow, I must have been incredibly lucky when I hiked up Snowdon via a more challenging route on one of the 16 clear days a year! Didn't realise the odds were that bad... But hey, at least you got up there and saved £ 38 each!
Yes, I was equally lucky the day that I climbed, slid, and scrambled round the full Snowdon Horseshoe. Excellent views all the way, though the ridge walk from Crib Goch might have been a bit less scary if we hadn't been able to see the steep drops either side.
Fun fact - The Culdee Fell Railway (in the Railway Series) was inspired by the Snowdon Mountain Railway.
Especially one of its stories, "Bad Look out," in which an engine fell down the mountains, which mirrored the very first days of Snowdon Mountain Railway's operations
Even the black spot where Tim was turned back showed up as a section known as “Devil’s Back”
Any chance you'd do the highest Mountain in The Isle of Man? If it helps persuade you, theres also a train up to the top.....
Same, and there's a cafe! Needs to do it. Also the IOM mountain railway is all electric and I think all original stock, deffo worth a visit
The electric Snaefell line is actually a year older than the steam-worked Snowdon line. It also has a third rail (albeit just used for braking). Plus, there's the opportunity to completely ignore one of the island's most iconic tourist sights as you ascend... 😉
Oh, fabulous idea! I hope it happens. 🍀
Went up to the top of Snowdon about 20 or so years ago... by train!. When we arrived at the summit it was a gorgeously clear day with fantastic views. About 20 minutes later we had the same view as you Tim. Stood at the top and watched the cloud approaching.
Mountains AND railroads -- we're in Tim Heaven!
plus wind and a big moist cloud - that's videoing hell.
@@davidwelch6796 That's how you can tell it's a Tim Traveler video. If it were easy, ANYONE could do it. That's not for Tim. I mean, this is the man who has conquered peaks in the Netherlands, Belgium, and beyond. He prefers difficulties that would make lesser men turn back.
I appreciate the effort with Ireland and naming conventions Tim 👍🏻
Not to mention a sighting of the elusive alpine seagull! What a find!
As always, the subtitles are greatly appreciated Tim! You’re one of the great ones in terms of accessibility support :)
Adding my thanks, another wonderful thing about this channel
Hi Tim, Yr Wyddfa is not the only highest mountain in the countries of the British Isles with a railway to the summit. You are forgetting Snaefell on the Isle of Man. There’s another adventure for you.
My grandfather is a retired GP. Several decades ago he and his family went up the mountain in visibility conditions like those in the video.
A few days after they got home a patient asked him if he'd enjoyed being at the top of Snowdon!!
Ah yes, north Wales. I greatly enjoyed not seeing any of it for the rain and fog too. I'm reliably informed that it's quite nice though.
Let's not exaggerate. When I visited Wales for a fortnight - admittedly, South Wales, around Methyr Tydfil - many years ago, there was a day where it didn't rain. Or at least, not all of the time.
i roamed wale for 2 weeks, and there was only 3 to 4 rainy days overall
I spent two days in Blaenau Ffestiniog and it never rained AT ALL. Should I submit my photos to the Guinness Book of Records?
A piano version of You Stole The Sun From My Heart accompanying the mist, originally by a Welsh band too. Very deft.
Love your piano arrangement of “Search for the Hero” as you and Frances were reaching the summit. The musical easter eggs in your videos are such a treat, even more-so because it’s you who is playing. Cheers from Ottawa, Ontario, 🇨🇦.
Thank you so much! I was pulling out what little hair I have left trying to place the melody.
'Suspiciously green' is what I, a camping enthusiast, would call Wales.
Next time you come to Northern Germany, you can climb the Brocken. It also has a steam-powered narrow-gauge train going up for the "lazy" or "impaired". The border between east and west-germany ran close to the summit. And although the borders were opened on November 9th 1988, not at the Brocken. It took another month until a peacefull treck of west-german hikers ascended the mountain. And if you are not there for the summit or the train, travel there fore funny villagenames like "Sorge" (sorrow) and "Elend" (misery)
Yes. Tim needs to do this!
We went up there on a cloud-free day. It helps if you're camping across the Conwy Valley, with Yr Wyddfa in the distance. Wait until you can see the mountain, and then go for it. The views are stunning, with IOM, Scotland, Ireland and Wales all visible from one spot.
I remember climbing Snowdon in snowy, icy conditions one New Year's Day. Reached the top to find it in such deep fog that you could see about 3 metres. Such great views!
I climbed it in snow the first time I went up, as part of a large group celebrating a birthday. Someone took a sledge and tried it out on the railway line down. The clouds finally cleared about halfway down and it was spectacular.
The second time I went up, it was sunny and I got a decent photo from the summit.
I remember in 1988 wanting to take a train ride to the top but we as a family of four were priced out of the journey because of high ticket prices. Seems like 35 years later nothing has changed!
Well. I was at jungfrau josh in 1993.. we where 4.. ticket cost about 60 euros. To state how expensive that was back then, it would be cheaper to rent a private helicopter.
Mountain railways are generally pretty expensive. Although Mt Washington is less so than others, as well as being the first with a rack.
60 euro or 60 DM? There was no Euro in 1993
@@IIVQ actually there was. There was no cash euro, just the euro value. But swizetland never adopted euro...
Wirh euro in this case ne numerical value of euro for that time.
@@matsv201I remember when I did the trip to Jungfraujoch in 1984, the fare from Interlaken and back was 134 francs - back then you got a little over 3 francs for £1, rather than just over 1 franc that you do now! Fortunately I worked for British Rail at the time, and I could get a letter addressed to the Berner Oberland Bahnen that got me a 75% discount!
Just below where you got blown out on your 1st trip, is 'Cwm Hetiau' or Hat Valley. Local kids would scramble up from below to gather up the Victorian ladies bonnets which had blown off on the exposed ridge above, then take them into town to sell.
Don't forget Snaefell on the Isle of Man. As its over 2000 feet, it is officially a mountain.
My dad frequently laments that he has climbed Yr Wyddfa three times but never seen the view from the summit. I've never been but would like to go. I climbed Pen Y Fan in Bannau Brycheiniog in in 1998 when I was 7 years old, which was fun. I don't really remember the view from up there, though. I remember it took mere minutes to get back down even though it had taken the better part of the day to climb up. And there were sheep. Because of course there were. I didn't really know how to appreciate such experiences properly back then. I'd love to go back.
We did this path with my blind daughter a number of years ago and she wasn't best pleased with the experience, but to her immense credit she did it, all without a view for a reward (the cloud cleared as we got to the top).
Than you Tim. I really enjoy all your videos. I’ve climbed Ben Nevis and Skarfel Pyke, but never Snowden. Now I know why. Thank you for all your wonderful journeys I now have so much of Europe to visit. :-)
Snowdon is the best of the 3 IMHO
So, Isle of Mann, and the Channel Islands next?
I've been up twice...
on the train.
The first when I was a kid and we got the same cloudy view. So the second time when I was older I made sure to check the weather for the week I was there and got lucky with a glorious clear view (especially lucky for early October!). I also got the early bird ticket (9am) which is cheaper than the rest of the day.
That heroic music at the end! Chariots of Fire, eat your heart out.
Superb vistas! 🤣 It reminds me of a summer day decades ago when we had a visitor from North Dakota and we drove up to The City to show her around before dropping her at her hotel. You know what happened: we got to the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge and couldn't see the span and we drove down the Great Highway and couldn't see the beach. You've ramped up the nostalgia quotient for us Bay Area natives by a lot.
Imagine living in Pacifica
@@LadyAnuB Another cousin and I visited our cousin in Daly City last week. It was sunny in Berkeley and Mountain View and frigid there. Just normal, yes?
The fact that you've had a previous, unsuccessful summit attempt of Yr Wyddfa makes this entire endeavour, like, *chef's kiss*.
I went up there once with my school - we went camping in Betws-Y-Coed - we went up a path that looked down onto a lake on our left ascending, right descending - staff would not let us have anything to eat or drink until we got to the summit - never felt so thirsty in my entire life - it’s a miracle I lived to tell the tale!
There is something so impactful about mountains. I live in Portland and look to Mt. Hood often and definitely want to climb it
The train was £11 return when I climbed Snowdon. I nearly died when I discovered that Half way House thinking I’d finished. Those shear drops and constant changing of the Mist were quite frightening. So much so we waited until the last Train had left and walked down the Railway track. Having said that a throughly enjoyable experience. I can say after standing on top of that Trig point I was the highest person in England and Wales and I’ve had a pint in the highest pub as well. Nice video, brings back the memory of all that Mist.
That must have been 40-50 years ago. I remember going there with my parents in 1971 and I think the fare was around £8 which was a lot of money in those days. It's now £50 return by steam train but the diesel is only £35 - both plus an online booking fee. Still, I remember the Jungfrau railway in Switzerland being over £50 return in 1995!
@@iankemp1131 1985ish
@@iankemp1131 The current "season 2" (summer) return fare is... you'll want to sit down for this... CHF 238.80!
That's just under £215. (or for our US readers, a whopping $272)
I never got beyond Kleine Scheidegg for that reason...
Intriguingly there's a season ticket valid for unlimited travel from April 'til November which is "only" CHF 499 (£448 / $569). Not that they rip the tourists off, oh no.
I just love whenever there's train, there's TTTE theme behind in this channel!
Tim I don't think you realize just how much joy that Hello brings me everytime
If you like mountain railways then the Brockenbahn in the Harz is the thing for you.
Easily among the top 3 best video about a giant grey welsh cloud on TH-cam!
My first attempt to summit Mt.Whitney here in California around 38 years ago was cut short by both dangerous gusts and some snowdrifts,... in June. I succeeded the next month. No train to use on the descent there, but having a good hiking stick with me for a brake, I took the snow slide shortcut down to the base camp. For most a Mt Whitney summit hike is two or even a three days from the trailhead. That start point is at twice the altitude you reached on Snowdon. But our luncheon party at the summit was interrupted by arrival of two older men who had run the entire trail as training for the Pikes Peak Marathon race. Oh Well, we can't all be Edmund Hillary or Tenzing Norgay.
*insert - Running Up That Hill - Music *
Did you make it to Badwater?
Another lovely video. This railway took seventeen months to build. Look on this and despair HS2.
AHEM - Snaefell, please. Also has a railway. And it's the only electric mountain railway in the British and Irish Isles. AND it'll only cost you 18 quid to go from the capital all the way to the summit and back.
Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom.
@@flibblesan Neither is the Republic of Ireland, and he included the highest mountain there...
If we're doing the British and Irish Isles, then we've got to include the Isle of Man.
Climbing a mountain and expecting good weather is like booking a holiday in the Shetlands and hoping no rain falls. You don't do so as such, you do so taking it in your stride and if it is sunny, then it's a bonus :)
Super wholesome. Hope you find a guide in France called England.
The locals say that on a good day you can see the outskirts of Liverpool from the top of Mount Snowdon.
On a bad day you can see all of Liverpool.
Thank you Tim, I haven't been up there since I was a child, and that was a loooong time ago!
Oh Wales, country of my heart. I was born in South Africa, moved to the UK in 2005 and discovered Wales in 2012.
That's when I fell in love with Wales and made it my home in 2018. Oh how I love this glorious, glorious country.
Nice on you to do a video about a mountain I live close to and drive over often.
Frankly, I really do not believe a better country exists anywhere in the world.
I might not be Welsh by birth. But I love this land and its people with all my heart
Speaking as someone born and raised in Wales, your comment warms my heart!
38 quid isn't too bad compared to the Jungfraujoch!
3:22 Ah the digger is still where I saw it! The pace of working advances 🙂 yep same weather as when we went up on the train 1st week july 23 claggy at the bottom, ride train into a cloud, stay in it. Get off train, look at the inside of said cloud, have a wee, get back on train. Ride down out of (now lower) cloud, get off, ice cream, leave😁
Ah, fond memories of high winds, driving rain and zero visibility on the second most difficult route to the top. Great fun!
Reminds me of my trip years ago to the top of Snaefell on the Isle of Man (2034 ft, so technically just a mountain). Supposedly one can see England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We could see cloud, but at least it's an interesting train ride.
I just LOVE your work, Tim! It's always a blast watching your stuff! Vielen Dank!
Ja! Und Tim ist 'feeling dank!' 😁
Tim: “We have now climbed the highest mountain in all regions of the British Isles”
Isle of Man: “Am I a joke to you?”
Isle of Wight: "Wait! Look, I think I have a hill lying around here somewhere."
He said "In every country of the Irish and British isles." IoW is not a country!
But Tim forgot Guernsey (114m at Sark) and Jersey (136m)!
@@IIVQ yeah I realised, shortly after I wrote my comment..but I'm leaving it anyway.
@@robertpavey5615 There is also the highest mountain on Bramble Bank.
@@robertpavey5615 Does the Isle of Dogs have a mountain?
If you ever make it to the eastern US, you should do Mount Washington. Absolute beast of a hill, featuring both a cog railway and an auto road.
Thank you! For the sake of completeness, have you considered covering Snaefell on the Isle of Man?
You may be disappointed to not look at the camera when taking the celebration picture, but I'm glad we now have a good picture of Tim with bombastic side-eye.
After you reached the highes point of Wales, what's your next goal? Highest point of The Isle of Man?
Or is there any chance that you will try to reach the highest point of France? 🙂
I say we egg him on to do Badwater to Mt. Whitney in California
Pikes Peak in Colorado has a “cog-wheeled” train that will take you from 6,320’ to 14,115’ in about an hour. Shear drops that scared more than a few people but a fun ride. You can drive to the top too. The road was finally paved all the way in 2011. I drove up the dirt road in 1983 in a 1978 Alpha Romeo Spyder. Challenging drive then. Same view as in Wales at the top, but most of the way was pretty spectacular.
Glad to know about Yr Wyddfa, now I can say Wales's highest peak without thinking about Princess Margaret's husband. Thought the music would be Ivor the Engine rather than Thomas.
fun video, enjoyed the HEROIC subtitles aswell.
I love mountain trains, and I love hiking.
And I know sometimes you get an amazing view of... the insides of a cloud. 😁
There is rarely a video of yours where your accompanying piano score doesn't raise a smile, and this is no exception.
Each piano cover version adds a wonderful wry edge to the storytelling.😅
Still missing the highest mountain on the Isle of Man to check off the whole of the British Isles (one of two with a railway on it 😄)
It ttok a second listen to put a names for it, but much kudos to Tim for getting some great Welsh rock into this film about a great Welsh rock! You Stole the Sun from my Heart, by the Manics, about half way up.
aw i went to mt snowdon in 1993 with my auntie and uncle and i loved it. the whole area looks EXACTLY the same. even the streets and shops at the foot of the climb
That lovely dark Welsh Champagne, yum… ;)
Lovely video, a timely reminder that this isn't a walk to be taken lightly. Plus there are trains. Trains are good.
Snowdon Mountain Railway fares are practically Swiss in terms of expense - which is kind of appropriate given that the railway uses the Abt rack system.
Also, at one point Snowdon seemed to be absurdly popular with those who wanted to use the mountainside as some sort of public toilet.
I've been up the mountain twice but on foot, I've still not done the railway. Snaefell on the Isle of Mann is also good fun and that one I've done by rail.
I hiked up this mountain during a holiday some 8 years ago. No day without rain, no view from the mountain. Possibly my best holiday ever, I love rain!
Many thanks for what you called the islands.
I went there earlier this summer. It was wind- and cloud free!
Another peak experience! Love the content. I, who is on the west side of the big pond in the northern colonies enjoy your travels.
You got me, I do like quirky and historic mountain railways. Got it in one.
when i was young i went on a touring vacation in wales, 2 weeks from cardiff to return to cardiff while going around all of wales by train. usually at a youth inn. we did make a stop at Snowdon, and went hiking on it. but we didn't take the train and I didn't even know there was a train on it at the time.
The accident hotspot is called the 'Killer Convex' but it's only a hotspot in the winter when under snow/ice. It's funny on the first Saturday you attempted it in storm Ciara I was doing Conwy fell race which is only on a small hill but we literally had to crawl on our hands and knees on one summit which was only 245m high.
Yes, that's exactly as i remember it. Only that i also remember my surprise when, right before the summit, in dense cloud and terrible wind, i bumped into a sheep, which was absolutely unfazed and boredly chewing on grass.
Then we went down the western path, which is really a stone stairway down the steep rocky wall, and ends in a valley looking exactly as how i imagine Tolkien's gates of Moira. Beautiful small lake, imposing jagged hilltops all over, and ruins of copper mining operation.
Snowdon is similar to Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, USA. There are also an extensive expensive cog railway and the summit is often in the clouds.
Francis is absolutely lovely!
When I walked up it was beautiful blue skies and sunshine. Didn’t realise just how lucky I was!
I rode the Mt. Washington Cog Railway and ....not only were the skies clear, but you could see the entire Presidential range!
Highly recommended. Tell me when you're coming to the states, and I'll ride it with you!
The Isle of Man isn't technically a country, but I think you should count it's highest (and only) mountain too. Snaefell is 37 feet above the mountain classification, and it has a pretty old (over 100 years) electric tram going up, using original rolling stock.
Simply Adorable, the video, the Tim and the hostess. :) Thank you and see you the next time.
4:58 "That's the end of the view as we know it" 🎶🎶
The SI unit for wind speed is m/s and that is the only unit we ever use in the Nordic countries, so it feels really strange to hear it expressed in km/h. We use km/h for all other normal day to day purposes but despite that I have no feeling for what 80 km/h wind speed is, so I had to convert it to 22 m/s. 😀
I Climbed Snowdonia for charity , we took the medium route was told. No railway! It wasn't open when we did it. Tough climb but sadly the day it was cloud all way up! But still i say i climbed it and did for a good course as well :)
I went up on the train and the view was like the inside of a ping pong ball. Summit was exactly the same as your video. Coming back down the fog lifted and the scenery was fabulous. Thanks for sharing the video and glad you were able to summit.
"No wind at all" - just as the wind shear on the mic muffles those words.
I did Ben Nevis, Scafell Peak and Snowdon a couple of years back. Not as the 24 hour challenge but they are great climbs, especially Ben Nevis
I've been up Snowden three times and have always got good weather and visibility! I've done the Pyg and Watkin paths.
That was my favorite railway during my 2016 railway tour of Wales.
Also, it was clear that day.
Congratulations on the excellent Welsh pronunciation
That train definitely reminds me of some of the old Thomas stories that were in the books.
I walked it in weather like that and paid for the train down hill as they often have folks going up by train and then walk down.
One year I got half way saw the cloud, found a handy spot and watched and photographed trains before heading down the hill.
At one time the first train was cheapest way up.
Wow! Two videos from my adopted homeland on the trot. It would be enough to make me experience hiraeth if I wasn't already here. 🏴
Went there for my... 18th? Birthday.
Sadly the train was the diesel loco. But we reached the top during a clear patch and had a good view... including the storm approaching.
So when we went to the local Welsh (later repurposed English) castle, was rather damp.
Rack & Pinion, technically the suspended railway in Jorvik (York) operates as such.
In Belgium they too have very high mountains. Look: Belgium's highest mountain Signal de Botrange, 694 metres high! Beware: some Belgian guys have piled up stones on the summit so it exceeds 700 metres.😳
Awesome climb Tim ... the weather and the visibility ... Well done on summiting!!!
It's always you, Tim!