Climbing Snowdon – an unexpected adventure!
Saturday 13th September, 15 of us began a journey at 6am, from London to Snowdonia. We were intending to climb Mount Snowdon to raise money for Islamic Relief’s Syria Appeal.
The journey to Wales was fun! We slept, ate and spent time getting to know each other better. We arrived at Snowdonia around midday, and were amazed by the natural untouched beauty of the mountains. The trek in total (up and down the mountain) took our team of brothers around 5 hours. We took regular breaks to take pictures, for prayer (Alhamdulillah a great experience) to rest, and of course to eat. The whole challenging journey to the summit was eased by the beautiful scenery: waterfalls, breathtaking views and strangely so much wildlife (hundreds of sheep!) – it was actually quite scary! After almost three hours, we reached the summit. The view was definitely worth the hunger and pain. You could actually see clouds below you! The other mountain climbers were all so friendly and equally happy to have made it to the top. Located on the top of the summit was a beautiful homely cafe. After hundreds of photos and victory dances and speeches, we went to the cafe, had a brief snack and made wudhu.
The journey back down the mountain was much more relaxed. The strong feeling of accomplishment having reached the top made the journey down a breeze! The journey really exercised our personal strength, stamina and for myself, patience. The whole trek was amazing, words and pictures do not do it justice. We met so many great brothers and sisters also climbing for numerous charities mashaAllah.
However the real adventure was the journey back! After just an hour on the road, the fuel in our minibus ran out. We were stranded and all the local petrol stations were closed. The AA was unable to rescue us. We were hungry, tired and now stranded without fuel or grilled chicken. We passed numerous shops, and I noticed a restaurant called Bala Spice. Whether it was my stomach speaking or the will of Allah S.W.T, I don’t know, but I told the drivers to stop there. We entered the restaurant and mashaAllah I will forever be grateful and touched by the welcome and service that we received.
Mr Abdul Hussain (the owner) and his relatives showed endless amounts of hospitality towards us. They gave us a beautiful feast free of charge, and they drove 30 miles to get fuel for our minibus. Further, they offered all 15 of us beds to sleep the night and even made a donation to Islamic Relief’s work. MashaAllah the generosity, compassion and thoughtfulness of these brothers will always stay in my heart. They are a true example of brotherhood; the concern and kindness that they showed us was amazing. We were strangers to those brothers, but they didn’t see us as strangers – they saw us as brothers in need.
To those brothers we say:
“May Allah S.W.T bless you all abundantly and may your businesses continue to flourish. JazakAllah khair for everything you did, you did more than feed us and get us back on the road – you showed us the true meaning of ummah.”
Insha’Allah if I ever return to Wales, Bala Spice will be my first stop. I strongly recommend this restaurant to anyone, the brothers, service and food is superb! Insha’Allah I will surely be returning when Allah S.W.T wills.
