When to do it
The Welsh 3000s Challenge is not an organised race or event. It is generally undertaken by individuals or groups of friends who decide on an appropriate date for themselves.
Most people walk it as close to the 22nd June as possible. This gives the maximum amount of light, but is before the temperature starts to get too high.
At this time of year sunrise is about 5am and sunset is about 10pm.
The following is a good link for working out sunlight hours (Snowdon is 4 degrees 5 minutes west, 53 degrees 4 minutes north):
USNO sunrise/sunset calculator
Weather
The weather will be key in determining whether you complete this walk, and your completion time. It is therefore important not to have a set date on which you are going to walk, but to be flexible.
It’s almost impossible to find the perfect day, but you are likely to be slowed down if it is:
- Too hot - dehydration can be a big problem on this walk.
- Too cold - heavier kit is needed in order to keep warm.
- Windy - buffeting by the wind is a major energy-sapper!
- Raining - also remember that the ground can remain slippy for many hours after it has stopped raining.
- Misty - this is a major problem as navigation is difficult in some sections.
The weather will also effect the quality of sleep that you get at the top of Snowdon the night before the walk (along with the amount of noise created by other people during the night, as Snowdon is a busy place this time of year!).
The following are good links for the area:
Met Office - Snowdonia forecast (also see the enhanced forecast)
MWIS - Snowdonia forecast, active Friday to Sunday
Metcheck - forecast for Snowdon or Glyder Fawr (use pulldown menu)
Accuweather - Snowdon summit forecast
First Hydro - current data including webcams (ignore first photo)