Snowdon 'prat' thanks mountain rescuers

The man had climbed Snowdon to see in the new year

The first person rescued from Snowdon in 2019 has said sorry for being a "prat" after getting lost in fog.

The unnamed man sent a letter thanking Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, which helped him down Wales' highest mountain in the early hours of New Year's Day.

They published the note on Facebook to "educate and not to condemn" others.

The walker had gone up the mountain to see in the new year but took a wrong turn on the way down and then texted his family to alert them.

He said he told them he had "it under control and not to worry" as he planned to "wedge between two small rocks to escape the worst of the wind and rain and get any warmth I could get until it became light".

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But they alerted rescuers, who pinpointed his location using his phone signal and advised him to meet them at a nearby location.

"There I was in the open to all the elements for the next three hours," he wrote.

"By the time they arrived I wasn't in the best condition by any means.

"The rain and wind and cold had taken its toll... I was shaking like a mountain jelly and going into shock."

Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018, is regarded as the UK's busiest, carrying out in excess of 200 rescues annually.

The man was given the all clear by medics after he and rescuers reached a car park near Llyn Padarn in Llanberis at about 08:00 GMT.

"Everything turned out fine, but I was embarrassed and things could have ended far differently," he said.

"Also, I put the rescue team at risk, I couldn't thank them enough.

"And to all my family, and friends, sorry, for being a prat, but I will always be a prat, I'm my own man, but I do promise to listen to all of your precautionary advice in future."