Their story, in their words…
We hiked 120 kilometres from One side of Wales to the other over the course of 5 days, beginning in Chester and ending in Bangor.
It was extraordinary. Being somewhere so rural, we saw a sky that was packed with stars, the most some of us had seen in our entire lives. The nature was also something mesmerising. The streams, forests, mountains, and farmland seemed unending, it was beautiful to stop and look at from time to time. Especially while we were in Snowdonia, the mountains really put into perspective how small we were. I’m glad we were able to make it. At times, it was so difficult that we legitimately considered giving up, but we’re happy we didn’t. It was gruelling and painful, but it helped us realise our full potential and boosted our confidence majorly.
We were planning to climb Glyder Fawr, as it would give us a beautiful view, and also access to a shorter journey to Bangor, though the weather proved to be too foggy and rainy for it to be safe, so we decided that we would just take the longer, safer route. Though it was unfortunate, it was just something we had to deal with – not everything was going to be perfect. Speaking of imperfections, we had no shortage of them. A lot of the time, we reached campsites later than we had hoped, especially in the first couple days. Thankfully, the people who worked in them still let us in. Adding on, the trip was extremely cold, especially on the final day, but I would say our biggest issue was weight management. We had a lot to carry, which slowed us down significantly, playing a major role in making us reach campsites late, and made the trip quite tedious. We used our supplies as time went by, though, and things got easier over time.
Something we appreciate is how kindly we were treated, we got offered help several times along the way. Someone even offered us a lift without us asking. It really warmed our hearts to see how nice people were.
All in all, I think we can all say that this was an experience we’ve never had before. While it had its ups and downs, it truly was something enjoyable and it was lovely to have it as an opportunity for us. Looking back, we all don’t know how we managed to pull through, yet we did, which really allowed us to feel good about ourselves. I don’t think we’ll have to face as many issues with confidence, now that we know what we’re capable of!
