MY FAVOURITE VIEW
‘Salvage Hunter’ Alex Webster loves nothing more than enjoying adventure sports among the stunning surroundings of Snowdonia’s wild landscapes
Alex Webster explains why he feels most at home in the wild surroundings of Snowdonia
The Snowdonia mountains are like home to me. Snowdon itself I’ve probably gone up 20-plus times.
It’s just incredible, because at the peak I’m looking out over my own stomping ground, the area where I grew up. I’ve always been into outdoor sports, and from the summit I can see the thin peninsula of Anglesey where I surf. Then there are the Llanberis slate quarries, which is where I go mountain biking. Snowdon is also the perfect place to take in a real panorama of
North Wales and see the way its environment changes so dramatically within a relatively small space.
As much as I love Snowdon, it can be quite a busy place. My favourite time to climb up is actually on New Year’s Day, when we’ll start in the dark and arrive at the top as the sun rises, which is pretty incredible. In the busier summer months, when I need a bit more peace and quiet, one of the other mountains I like to climb is Y Garn. To get up there you have to go through somewhere called The Devil’s Kitchen which is quite an extreme sort of scramble. It’s just lovely because when you go up Y Garn you can look across the Llanberis Pass down the gorgeous Ogwen Valley, over towards Bangor.
I think getting out into the wilderness is so important for everyone’s mental health and wellbeing. I only have to spend a couple of days in a city and I start to lose my marbles, so I’m lucky that I work and live right on the coast. Although I’ve spent time living elsewhere, like Devon and Cornwall, I love living here, where everything is on your doorstep – especially if you’re into outdoor sports.
Rock climbing was a massive part of growing up for me. I’ve scraped myself up rock faces by the skin of my teeth, wondering if I’ll get home some days. Other days it’s just relaxing, having parties and picnics by the lake. And while I love both extremes, when you’re doing something like a mountain climb or mountain biking downhill, it takes so much concentration that all you can think about is that moment. There’s really nothing more stressrelieving than being unable to check your phone and forget about work pressures for a few hours.
The new series of Salvage Hunters: The Restorers airs Wednesdays at 9pm exclusively on Quest