Three of My Welsh 3000s Solo Attempts (2011, 2012, 2021)

Even if you have support and the conditions are perfect, the Welsh 3000s is a very tough challenge. I have made a number of attempts at completing the 3000s completely on my own, two of which I (naively) attempted to run the route. The main problem with solo attempts is that because the Welsh 3000s is a linear route which ends in the middle of nowhere it means that if you do get to the last peak then your car is 10 miles and two mountain ranges away, so the total distance you need to cover is closer to 45 miles, and you have to carry extra food, water and kit (including sleeping kit) to make up for this. That much extra weight and bulk adds up to a LOT more energy used, and much more strain on your body. Super tough, and something which I have yet to achieve. So here's a few videos of me failing it. Enjoy!

Posted By

Brave Dave

Date

9th October 2021

Location

Snowdonia

My First Ever Welsh 3000s Solo Attempt (2011)

By coincidence, I realised that my solo attempt in 2021 was exactly 10 years to the day since my first ever solo attempt at the Welsh 3000s, way back in 2011! What were the chances? So I've added the video from that attempt as well.

It's worth noting that my 2011 attempt 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 ;)

Running Crib Goch Ridge & Half The Welsh 3000s Before Getting Injured

This was my second attempt at running the Welsh 3000s and whereas the weather was better than last October I went and pulled something in my knee which put a great big spanner in the works. Damn it! When I try this for the third time I WILL succeed. I WILL.

My Welsh 3000s Solo Attempt (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.