“Mountain Lieder met and exceeded all my expectations; a perfect way to unwind and relax”
“an enchanting, thought-provoking and soul-easing few days”
“a one-off unique experience which I really enjoyed and have no hesitation recommending”
“what could be better for us than a combination of the outdoors, culture, healthy food and good company. We loved it”
Mountain Lieder is a truly unique experience; a feast for the senses, bringing together the wonder of the Welsh mountains with the beauty of song.
Mountain: a raised part of the earth's surface, much larger than a hill*
Lieder: The plural of lied, the German word for ‘song’
The brainchild of professional singer and mountaineer Edmund Hastings, Mountain Lieder is a one-of-a-kind adventure, bringing together his three main passions: music, the outdoors and good food. Spend your days out on the hills of Eryri (Snowdonia) guided by a team of wildlife and local history experts, see things you might never have seen before, and explore the beautiful upland environment of North Wales. In the evenings, sit back and enjoy an exclusive, private song recital series, in a programme exploring the rich history of the local music tradition and beyond. Sample the quality produce that this area has to offer - your in-house chefs, Annie and Tony Hastings, will prepare a delicious menu for you, using regional ingredients and supporting local suppliers.
We keep our numbers down and ratios small - each course will run with a maximum of nine people, making for an intimate, personal experience, and ensuring that you get the most out of your stay with us. We’re really excited to share our passion for nature and music with you; join us on our family-run holiday for an unforgettable experience.
*In case you are worried that the name implies vigorous exercise on mountain trails, have no fear! The nature walks are gentle and local, with plenty of stops. If you are, however, interested in something a bit more athletic, Edmund is able to offer a day’s scrambling as an optional extra at the end of the course.
Accommodation
You will be staying in St Curig’s, a beautiful converted 19th century church. Set in the tiny village of Capel Curig, you will be right in the heart of the Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, with views of the mountains from every window. The private, ensuite rooms are stylishly designed to incorporate the original chapel features - where else can you sleep beneath a carved stone pulpit? There are two double rooms, and then two more that can be configured either as doubles or twins.
The open-plan living area features a mezzanine dining space, looking down onto the apse with a fabulous original mosaic ceiling. This is where the recitals will take place, with a stunning acoustic and concert grand piano. You can also unwind with a game of pool, have a knock about on the table tennis table, or soak under the stars in the garden hot tub.
Private, ensuite accommodation
Garden hot tub with views to Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)
Every room has a view of the Welsh mountains
Looking up to the 19th century apse mosaic
Looking down from the mezzanine to the apse
Schedule
Day one
Arrive in the early evening to be greeted with champagne and canapés. After a delicious dinner, Ed will talk you through the arrangements for the coming days.
Day two
After a hearty breakfast, collect your picnic lunch, then head out into the mountains to explore and learn about the upland flora, fauna and geology in Nature in Eryri (Snowdonia).
Back to the church for tea and some rest and relaxation, then in the early evening, unwind with an hour of beautiful music in the apse, courtesy of our wonderful musicians. You will get the chance to meet them both afterwards over a sumptuous dinner, prepared by our in-house chefs.
Day three
Up with the larks (literally!) for a very special dawn chorus experience with Alex, our birding expert. Just a short walk from the church, listen to the acoustic performance of our native and migratory songbirds as they start the day. From faint murmurs in the woodland twilight, you’ll hear an ever-increasing chorus of birdsong across sunrise and explore the mechanisms behind how and why birds produce such elaborate melodies. You'll come away with the knowledge of how to identify birds by their calls and songs, as well as gaining an understand of bird ecology and conservation. If you’d prefer a more leisurely start don’t fear - this is optional!
After breakfast, head out again into the mountains for more adventuring, this time accompanied by our musicians. This time, you will be looking at land use and the impact of the slate industry in Mountains - the Human Impact.
After your day on the hill, it’s back to the church, fill up on tea and cake, then relax until early evening, when our musicians present their second concert recital in the apse. Feast on another delicious dinner, maybe take a turn in the outdoor hot tub, and then enjoy a well-earned rest in your ensuite, private room.
Day four
After a leisurely breakfast, it’s time to head home, so it’s goodbye from us, or Hwyl fawr!
Hill Activities
Nature of Eryri (Snowdonia)
On this day you will be looking at both the big picture and the little details. Explore the rich geological history of this unique area, and learn about the immense forces that formed these beautiful mountains over thousands of years. You will also be getting up close and personal with the area’s fascinating upland fauna. Your leader will teach you how to identify species of plants, flowers, lichens and mosses, and show you how animals and birds have adapted to make this difficult environment their home.
Eyebright
Exploring the Crimpiau area
Meadow Pipit
On this day you will be looking at the way humans have shaped this challenging mountain environment. Decades of heavy industry have had an enormous impact here - at one time North Wales housed the largest slate quarry and mine in the world - and the remaining spoil heaps, mine shafts and buildings are fascinating to explore. Your leader will help you step into the shoes of the men who once worked here, describing their living conditions, machinery that they used, and what it was like to work in this harsh environment. There is also a rich history of upland farming in the Welsh mountains, and, as you venture into the hills, your leader will help you explore the cultural and physical legacy of man’s efforts to tame this wild upland landscape.
Mountains - the Human Impact
Old slate industry buildings on the Watkins Path
Dinorwig slate quarry remains
Exploring the Dinorwig slate quarries
Mountain Scrambling (optional extra)
Scrambling sits halfway between walking and climbing - you move together with a rope between you, varying your approach depending on the terrain. On easy ground, you will be walking, and then for steeper sections you’ll need your hands for some exhilarating easy rock climbing. North Wales has some of the finest scrambling routes in the country - exquisite moves, beautiful views - a great way to explore this wild, rugged landscape.
Scrambling is available for up to two people, on a first come, first served basis. This will take place after breakfast on day four, so you won’t miss out on the other hill activities. There is an additional cost for this option.
Cwm Idwal
Bryant’s Gully
Tryfan East Face
Our leaders include:
Louise Tully
Lou is a Mountaineering Instructor and Paddlesport Coach with a keen interest in the outdoor environment, history and culture of North Wales. Lou has lived and worked in Snowdonia for nearly 20 years, and runs Freedom Outdoors, offering personalised outdoor instruction and guiding. As well as providing Mountain Leader training and assessment courses, Lou also teaches rock climbing, scrambling, mountain biking and kayaking.
Mike Raine
Mike Raine is author of Nature of Snowdonia, a seasonal guide to the plants, animals and rocks of North Wales, and The Mountain Leader: A handbook. Beginning his working life as a Geography Teacher, Mike was for many years a Senior Instructor at Plas y Brenin (The National Outdoor Centre), and now works as a Mountaineering Instructor and International Mountain Leader in North Wales. He has been leading in the hills since he was a scout in the 1970s, and specialises in environmental and technical training for mountain professionals.
Alex Rhodes
Alex is a Mountaineering & Climbing Instructor, Winter Mountain Leader and BSc Zoologist by training. He is passionate about connecting people with their natural environment, working as a freelance MCI/WML, wildlife tour leader and skills workshop provider. He is also a Mountain Training skills course tutor & course staff on Mountain Leader training/assessment courses.
He works on a freelance basis with other likeminded outdoor companies to provide qualified instruction and guiding services and also runs a range of his own in-house organised courses, workshops, guided experiences and events tailored towards walking, scrambling and climbing in the mountain environment as Summit Sense.
Alex lives and works in Eryri/Snowdonia year round and regularly works on the West Coast of Scotland, Cairngorms & Isle of Skye.
Edmund Hastings
If you decide to come for a mountain scramble you will be led by Edmund Hastings. Ed combines his work as a professional climbing instructor with a freelance opera career. Having founded his climbing and mountaineering business, Head On Out, in 2017, Ed works with a top team of instructors all over the country, teaching a range of clients from complete beginners to seasoned leaders in need of a refresher, and exploring some of the wildest, most beautiful and exciting natural playgrounds the UK has to offer.
Our Musicians
Llio Evans
Welsh soprano, Llio Evans, gained a first class honours degree at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama before going on to study with Dennis O'Neill at the Wales International Academy of Voice. A winner of numerous awards including the Osborne Roberts Memorial Prize, Dame Anne Evans Award, and the Russell Sheppard Intercollegiate Award, Llio is a British Youth Opera and Welsh National Youth Opera alumna and a former Alvarez Young Artist at Garsington Opera where she was a recipient of the Leonard Ingrams Award.
Highlights in recent season include Celia, Iolanthe, for English National Opera; Iris, Semele, for Garsington Opera; Josephine, HMS Pinafore for Opera Holland Park; Zerlina, Don Giovanni, Melanto, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria for Longborough Festival Opera; Cilla, Waxwings (Clive & Mark Ives), for English Touring Opera; Phyllis, Iolanthe for Charles Court Opera; Bea Three Decembers (Jake Heggie) for Opera Della Luna (UK premier); and The Little One The Golden Dragon (Peter Eötvös) for Music Theatre Wales (UK premier).
Llio has appeared on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and S4C, and has recorded the role of Barbe The Beauty Stone (Arthur Sullivan) with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales produced by Chandos, and Y Fon in 2117: Hedd Wyn (Stephen McNeff) with Welsh National Opera produced by Tŷ Cerdd. Llio is also an accomplished recitalist having performed recitals for Cardiff Music Festival, Swansea Music Festival, Llandeilo Music Festival, Garsington Opera and Ensemble Cymru. She made her Royal Albert Hall debut as a soloist in the Festival of Welsh Male Voice Choirs and was the soloist and presenter for Christmas Classics From Around The World with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for BBC Wales.
Charlie Forrest
Charlie is a Senior Coach and member of music staff at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and English National Opera, as well as Garsington Festival, Birmingham Opera Company, The Grange Festival, Grange Park and Longborough Festival Opera. She spent 10 years on the staff at Opera North, and internationally she has worked at the Bregenzer Festival, Estonian National Opera, Bergen Opera and L’Opera Comique in Paris.
She gives regular masterclasses as a visiting lecturer at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music. She made her Wigmore Hall in 2011 and has gone on to perform around the world, including at Pisa Duomo, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Paris Salle Pleyel. For the last 16 years she has been Associate Keyboardist with the Monteverdi Choir and its orchestras, collaborating in over 30 projects. She has appeared with the choir and the ORR under Sir John Eliot Gardiner at the Wigmore Hall, Versailles and the Teatro Colon.
She performs regularly on BBC Radio 3's In Tune and Opera on 3, and on BBC 1 & 2 Television with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Recently she appeared on the Sky Arts production Anyone Can Sing.
Dates and Pricing
Course 1
September 29th - October 2nd
Course 2
October 6th - 9th
Course 3
October 13th - 16th
Course 4
October 20th - 23rd
Price per person: £856*
Optional scrambling extra: £150 per person, per day
*Includes three nights accommodation at the Chapel with full board, two guided days out on the hill, and two evening recitals.
Places are strictly limited; register interest now to avoid disappointment!
Logistics
Parking
There is a free car park opposite St Curig’s, behind the Joe Brown climbing shop. Signs will be in place on your arrival to show you where to go.
Dietary requirements
We are able to cater for any and all intolerances, allergies and preferences. We will ask for your requirements when you book.
Wet weather contingency
Wales can, on occasion, be rather damp! Should the weather be poor enough to preclude a full day (unlikely we hope), we will shorten our hill activities and spend mornings only on the hill. In the afternoon, our leaders will deliver a lecture with a nature theme, or we will visit the excellent National Slate Museum of Wales in Llanberis.
Alcohol
Please note that, apart from champagne on the first night, alcohol and soft drinks are not included, although you are very welcome to bring your own.
Single Supplement
We have based our pricing on an assumption of double occupancy; however we are pleased to welcome single occupants. There is no supplemental charge, but please note that, whilst single bookings will still have a private room, you may have to share a bathroom.
Kit list
Whilst no specialist kit is required, we suggest that you bring several key items with you to make your time on the hill more enjoyable. You can download our suggested kit list below, and if you have any questions about what to bring, you can contact us at any time.
Terms and conditions
To download a full copy of our Terms and Conditions, please click here:
