Tom Clague, 33, a special educational needs teacher from Manchester
THE CHALLENGE: Bagging all 104 ‘Hewitts’ in Snowdonia in a year, walking 400km with 19,000m ascent
After completing all 214 Wainwrights in a year, I was looking for a new challenge. I loved escaping the city and tackling long hikes every weekend – and I didn’t want it to end. Eventually I settled on a peak-bagging challenge in Snowdonia. My aim was to climb all 104 ‘Hewitts’ – 2000ft+ peaks with 30m+ prominence – in the national park. I started the challenge in the January snow, bagging my first five Hewitts near Blaenau Ffestiniog. After this positive start, I steadily ticked off summits throughout the year, using my weekends to travel from Manchester to wonderfully remote corners of Snowdonia. Before I knew it, it was November and I’d reached my final two Hewitts: Yr Aran and Mynydd Mawr. It was a great challenge and I saw some incredible scenery. There was a lot of pathless bog trotting and many miles of difficult terrain. I learnt a lot about navigation and some of the awful weather was, well, character- building. But mostly I felt blessed to experience Snowdonia’s stunning landscapes. There is so much more to the area than Snowdon and the Ogwen Valley – and I’d encourage everyone to explore the forests and lesser-known peaks. They are fantastic and make for some amazing hikes.
“I loved escaping the city and tackling long hikes every weekend”