When a challenge starts with Crib Goch, you know it’s going to be one heck of a challenge. In my opinion, the Welsh 3000s is the toughest popular hiking challenge in the UK, knocking the socks off the National Three Peaks.
Welsh 3000s – What is the Challenge?
The challenge is to bag all of the Welsh 3000 summits in 24 hours.
That’s 15 mountains in North Wales with the height of 3000 feet or more.
Which Mountains Are in the Welsh 3000s? The List:
In the order I intend to tackle them, here’s the list of Welsh 3000s mountains and their heights:
- Crib Goch – 923m
- Garnedd Ugain – 1,065m
- Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) – 1,085m
- Elidir Fawr – 924m
- Y Garn – 914m
- Glyder Fawr – 1,001m
- Glyder Fach – 994m
- Tryfan – 918m
- Pen Yr Ole Wen – 978m
- Carnedd Dafydd – 1,044m
- Carnedd Llewelyn – 1,064m
- Yr Elen – 962m
- Foel Grach – 975m
- Garnedd Uchaf – 925m
- Foel Fras – 944m
That’s quite the list of mountains and I have already bagged 12 of them on smaller individual hikes. But bagging all the summits in 24 hours is going to be incredibly challenging.
Welsh 3000s Route – South to North
My plan is to take the route most commonly taken, South to North, starting with Crib Goch and the final summit being Foel Fras.
This is it mapped:
Welsh 3000s Challenge
Now, the time starts when you hit your first summit and ends on the last one (so the walk up to Crib Goch and down from Foel Fras aren’t included in the time). Nonetheless, 15 mountain summits across 24 hours is quite an ask.
The Welsh 3000s is going toi amount to 50km or walking, there or thereabouts, with some 4000m or so of elevation gain.
The route starts with this beauty (Crib Goch).
Though a great idea I read was camping up on Snowdon the night before, getting that first bout of elevation in before a sleep, then resting. Then you can bag Snowdon, head back out for Garnedd Ugain and Crib Goch and come back on yourself a little to then continue the route as planned. Quite a nifty idea (given than camping on the knife edge ridge that is Crib Goch probably isn’t on the cards).
When will I do it?
I want those long summer hiking days with 16 hours of light in order that I get to do most of it in the daylight hours. So most likely June 2025.
Highlights…
I can’t wait to visit Tryfan again:
And my favourite ever sunset was on Yr Elen:
So I am excited to go back to that summit too! Though by the time I reach Yr Elen on this challenge I’ll no doubt be somewhat more exhausted than I was last time around.
Objective?
Just to hit the 24 hours and bag them all. I’m certainly not going for any records here!
