Last weekend, Nick and I with 8 friends embarked on the 3 Peaks challenge – that is walking from the base of Ben Nevis to the top of Snowdon via Scafell Pike within 24 hours.

We set out from a very grey, depressing Fort William at 3pm on Friday and started our first climb.  The sun was out and we felt warm for the only time in the 24 hours to come.  By the time we reached the summit – there was snow on the ground and thick mist and it was freezing cold – thankfully we had been warned and so were well prepared with hats and gloves.  Ollie's high viz trousers weren't easy to walk in but were like a security blanket as I felt sure that any rescue team would be able to find me! Going down was more difficult than the ascent and the shallow steps finished Nick off. Despite having had a cortisone injection in his ankle, his leg swelled up and so he generously decided to retire rather than slow us all down. (5 ½ hours)

In our absence, our fantastic support crew had loaded the minibus with food and drink.  And so after a quick change of clothes and a hastily eaten fish and chips we set off for the Lake District. Paddy and Amanda drove through the night to Wasdale which was our starting point for Scafell Pike. Nick had made the right decision - a kip in the van was much more attractive than a steep walk in the dark and driving rain. As a new day dawned, the weather didn’t improve but the path was well trodden and there were people and cairns to follow. There was no view from the top – just thick cloud, driving rain and cold, miserable people!  Dry clothes, the sight of smoke and smell of barbequed sausages for breakfast were so welcome after 4 ¼ hours of discomfort.

The hours spent driving between the mountains made one realise how big the UK is and how grateful we were not to be driving ourselves.

The gentle start of the Miner’s track up Snowdon led us to falsely believe that this would be an easy mountain to conquer.  How wrong!  After a few miles walking up a gradual incline it joins the higher Pig Track and the final section is a steep climb.  Progress was hampered by the crowds of people coming down, many who had obviously reached the top by train and who were totally unprepared for the terrain or changing weather conditions. Once again, we could hardly stand on the summit as the wind blew and the train chugged up the hill out of the cloud. 2 hours 40mins to the top.

We had achieved our goal and climbed 3 Peaks within 24 hours despite bad weather and our driving speed limited to 65mph.

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