Climbing in the first snow.

In travel, we often seek the unfamiliar — a shift in light, in rhythm, in landscape. Wales offers this sense of elsewhere without the distance. In Snowdonia, the air feels different, the light sharper, the silence deeper. It is a place where wilderness is still tangible.

Stretching from the Irish Sea to the summit of Mount Snowdon, Snowdonia National Park gathers peaks and valleys that invite exploration. Beyond the famous Snowdon, quieter routes — Cnicht, the Arans, the Berwyns, the Roman Steps, or Cader Idris — reveal the park’s untamed character.

Climbing in early winter, when the first snow settles and ice begins to cling to the rocks, brings a raw simplicity to the experience. The effort, the cold, the changing light — everything feels closer to what travel should be: a meeting between nature and the self.