Saturday

We awake the next morning thinking that that will need amending to 'we definitely overdid it considering we have three mountains to climb today'. The B&B owners feed us a nice breakfast and wish us luck on the ben. They say it is a common mistake to come via Glasgow and that we should've come via Stirling. Presumably the totty is better that way. They also say they have friends in the Swindon area and that therefore they won't kick us out at half ten if we fancy getting a bit more rest. It must be something about Swindon folk.

But we have already packed and we have things to do. Like buy gloves. I thank you, that's 3/4 of our party who, despite the biting weather on the Pen y Fan practise, did forget to pack them. And Fort William is not to be found wanting if you're after women's gloves, motorcycle gloves or yeti gloves. If you want standard gloves, it is not easy and takes us some time. I am also on the lookout for a hat (being that sunglasses don't fit too well over my ordinary glasses) and think I've found a nice one, only for MORT to politely imply that it makes me look like a prat. It's a bit rich to be accused of looking like a prat by a man with a fluorescent green bum-bag and scooby-doo socks, but if even he thinks you look silly, he's probably got a point. I just buy a cap instead.

Fort William High Street

Now we've done our research and we know that for lunch we want to fill up on the low G.I. carbohydrates. This means pasta. There is an Italian restaurant in Fort William and presumably they know their market as they do the unusual, yet presumably popular, macaroni and chips for a fiver! Bargainous. Yet even after all that eating and glove hunting we still have plenty of time to kill before the challenge so we spend some quality time sun bathing / resting on the church green. There are several other parties of 3-peakers around looking very fit and professional so we mock them for having support teams and adjustable length sticks.

deary me

When we park up at the Visitor's Centre at the foot of Ben Nevis, everyone is actually nervous! We have about 15 minutes to kill before the 1730 start time and we spend it pacing and going to the toilet one last time. MORT comments that it's like when you're just going into an exam and you know you've not done enough revision.