If you’re married, or engaged, the likelihood is that you’ll be able to clearly recall where and when you got engaged.
Over the years I’ve witnessed numerous marriage proposals on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), and without wishing to make it any the less special for those who have done that, if I’ve happened to see that number on the limited occasions that I’ve been on the mountain, then there must be many thousands more that have happened when I wasn’t there.
Naturally enough, the summit seems to be the most popular location for doing this. I recall one occasion when I was at the summit, and there was quite a long queue for the steps up to the summit pillar. Suddenly there were cheers and applause, and I turned round to see people pointing up to the pillar, where a man was down on one knee, proposing to his girlfriend. He was probably hugely embarrassed at what he’d intended to be an intimate moment, rather than a very public one, but you’ll be pleased to know that the lady said yes.
Many others choose a quieter part of the summit area, their actions only given away by the production of a ring box, often accompanied by the presence of champagne and glasses (though not everyone who drinks bubbly at the summit has just got engaged!).
The proposal is usually a surprise, and has often involved sneaking the obligatory ring up in a pocket. Often a small bottle of bubbly with appropriate champagne glasses are also sneaked up by the person proposing. Some carry plastic champagne glasses; some carry glass ones and are more than relieved to find that they’ve survived intact in their rucksack.
These moments are quite poignant to witness; a couple celebrating a momentous occasion in their lives. It’s the start of a new chapter for them, a time full of promise and possibilities. And these moments are usually understatedly quiet, though no doubt those concerned do a certain amount of shouting about it afterwards, especially on social media.
Talking of which, in a totally bizarre coincidence I was literally taking a break from writing this blog piece and wondering if I had a suitable picture to use (pictures are not actually as common as you’d think), when up popped an engagement picture on my Facebook feed; a couple had got engaged at the summit that very day! Their picture is below, and I wish Ana and Kevin every happiness in their future together.
Ana and Kevin got engaged on Yr Wyddfa on 11 November 2024. © Ana Santos
The most recent proposal I witnessed wasn’t at the summit at all, even though the couple concerned subsequently went on to the summit. I saw them on a grassy outcrop some 75m away from me, some ten minutes before the Intersection on the Pyg Track. Although the man didn’t go down on one knee, it was obvious from their actions – including a great deal of kissing – that a proposal had been made. We stopped at the Intersection, as is the norm, and they shortly passed us. On enquiring if they had just got engaged, they confirmed that they had, and we congratulated them in no uncertain terms. What I didn’t say was that we often see that kind of thing on the mountain; they wouldn’t have wanted to hear that.
I’m genuinely pleased for these people; almost as pleased as they are. In most cases the engagement is a surprise, and here they are going up the mountain as just a couple, but coming down as a fiancé/fiancée.
And in case you’re wondering, yes, I too proposed to my wife at the top of a mountain, though it wasn’t Yr Wyddfa. It was a favourite, lesser, isolated peak in Eryri (Snowdonia), and at the time it was pouring with rain.