Three Peaks Challenge
11th / 12th June 2005
Featuring:-
Rob Hamilton
Duncan BAYLIS
Paul Mortier
Dale Thomas
1 x Ford Fiesta
Introduction
So the Three Peaks Challenge is where you have to climb up and down the highest mountain in England, the highest in Scotland and the highest in Wales all within 24hrs. "Up and Down" means from the car to the top and back. This is a challenge which conventional wisdom deems achievable for generally fit people who have undertaken a modicum of training. A lot of people do it to raise money for charity; the idea being that people will sponsor them for selflessly putting themselves through such hardship in the name of a good cause. We thought we'd do it for fun.
It is also considered a wise move to have a support team / designated driver of some kind. This is the one who as well as not being able to drink (and drive) gets the added pleasures of ferrying a bunch of sleeping people around the country, sorting out the food, other provisions and petrol, getting bored while the others are on the slopes, and receiving none of the plaudits at the end. Amazingly we had three volunteers to perform this thankless task, but we turned them down because although concerned friends and family / wimps consider it to be good common sense, it is actually cheating.
Fitness Levels
You don't have to be a seasoned mountaineer to be able to complete this
challenge but it helps!!!!!!!!!! We were advised that 'a good base level of
fitness' is required and luckily Dale goes to the gym and keeps himself in
shape. Baylis plays Sunday league football and although they are in the 8th
division, that's still pretty hardcore exercise twice a week and often with a
hangover. For the past year I have been doing running, martial arts and going
to the gym so should be okay. MORT is allergic to exercise and deems it an
unnecessary evil best avoided. Though he does have a
stick*
* We're not talking one of those aluminium alloy jobs with internal shock
absorbers and adjustable length that they flog at outdoor shops for 30 quid.
This is a Baylis approved**, inch thick, shoulder length piece of
wood.
** The Baylis Test is where you get your stick, smack it against a
nearby tree,
and if it breaks it's rubbish..
In preparation we did a couple of practise walks in the Cotswolds and the Malverns, plus we climbed Pen y fan in the Brecon Beacons, which was a cold, wet and miserable experience. TOP TIP: When climbing mountains, definitely bring gloves.
Aww, Super-kawaii!
From left: Bob, Baylis, Dale, MORT
Planning
Now successful completion of the 3 peaks challenge requires meticulous planning. It's no good just setting off willy-nilly when you happen to be feeling energetic; you'll end up turning an ankle or getting lost in the dark or else run out of energy on the final mountain. For top quality Three Peaks gen, we recommend http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/richieev/tp/. The longest drive is from Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands to Scafell Pike in the Lake District, so we wanted to do that at night. This meant our schedule had a start / finish time of 1730. (That's half five in the afternoon to you retards). So the plan was to drive up to Scotland on the Friday and kip overnight in Fort William, do the challenge from Saturday to Sunday, then stay overnight in Snowdonia, driving back to Swindon on the Monday morning.
Swindon is down south.