Walking and Climbing

Some of you will have read Ronald Turnbull's feature in TGO a few months ago, where he issued a peculiar Three Peaks Challenge. Nothing peculiar about climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon... people do it in droves... but Ronald's challenge was for people to do it in 48 hours using nothing but their own two feet and public transport.

So... I had a look at Ronald's new book over the weekend - Three Peaks Ten Tors - which is even more entertaining than his Book of the Bivvy. Unfortunately, I was distracted from his talk at The Outdoors Show by someone who wanted to talk to me, so I was the only person who didn't get to gather any of the pearls of wisdom he was scattering around.

Anyway... there's a website devoted to this Three Peaks by Public Transport 48 Hour Challenge and I had to console myself with browsing through it this evening. I gather it took Ronald as long to research a workable public transport schedule as it did for him to complete the Challenge itself.

Now... I'm no speed merchant on the hills... but I'm pretty good at finding public transport options. I sat down ready for a heavy session... and to my surprise discovered that I had a workable schedule in only 15 minutes... and a completion time of around 36 hours! I've emailed Ronald my findings, but I know he's away on the hills at the moment, so I'm not expecting a reply within the next few days.

In the meantime... would anyone on OM care to come up with a workable solution to the Challenge? Ronald's 'rules', such as they are, can be found on the website above. The only transport websites I needed to refer to were Transport Direct and Traveline and it only took me 15 minutes. I had to guess how long it would take a fellrunner to get up and down each peak, but I based it roughly around times quoted by Ronald himself.

I was surprised to slash the 48 hour time limit to 36 hours... and depending on the interpretation of the 'rules'... I suspect it could be reduced even further towards 30 hours. I also disagree with Ronald's assertion that Scafell Pike has to come in the middle of the epic journey, since I found you could save bags of time if you did it last. Hmmm... the plot thickens!

Anyone else like to puzzle over this one? I'm willing to post the bare bones of my 'solution' after Ronald has had time to comment on it.

Hey Paddy! I saw you looking through the door at the show while I was watching Ronald on Saturday afternoon! The Transport direct website is brilliant for finding public transport, I'm in the middle of redesigning my website and I'm including a search tool on each walk to figure out public transport to each of the walks. I think I may well have to have a go myself at planning this, got a week off next week so I'll give it a go!

Jamie... looking through the door for five minutes was as far as I got... then someone who I think is the editor of Trail collared me. Well... that's what his badge said.

I like Transport Direct for rail times, and I gather it's OK for coach journeys too, but for local bus transport I'd always turn to Traveline. Having said all that though, I still want to see it all on proper paper timetables!

For anyone trying to figure out the Three Peaks puzzle... the trick is NOT to approach it the way anyone would do it by car. Public transport NEVER does what cars do, so you have to alter your way of thinking. The other thing people would naturally do is either to go from Snowdon to Ben Nevis via Scafell Pike, or vice-versa. Again, you'd do this in a car, but with public transport you'd end up creating a problem for yourself. The trick is to climb Scafell Pike LAST, even though it's in the middle.

I also feel Ronald Turnbull's original plan started to come apart during the night hours. Not only did he assume, as most people would, that the night-time is useless for public transport, but he also lost valuable rest and recuperation time during the night. My 'solution' involves getting a really good night's sleep after climbing the first peak, but without losing any travelling time.

Aha... do you see where I'm going with this?

Jamie... good luck with a 'solution'. I think it's great that you're adding public transport info to your site. Hopefully that will mean less cars cluttering up the view.

That Traveline site is good Paddy.

If I get a spare half hour I'll try and solve the riddle!

Steve - Traveline is OK, but it's not always perfect, and there are lots of regional sites inside it of varying quality.

I've just discovered that I left an 's' out of the Transport Direct link, so it doesn't actually go anywhere. Transport Direct is much better for planning long-distance journeys by rail or coach (or even by car, but not in the context of this Challenge). The full clickable address is...

www.transportdirect.info

Sorry for the inconvenience!

Now... I've just emailed someone a clue... so I'll share the info. Ronald, as you all know, likes to spend time sleeping on mountain-tops, and he assumes that as there's no public transport through the night, you should do the same. I don't agree. There is some public transport through the night, and if you use it, you can climb one mountain, link directly with that transport, and wake well-fed and well-rested ready for the next peak, having been moved hundreds of miles while you sleep.

Yep... it's a sleeper service... find it and use it... and marvel at how many hours and how much hassle it saves!

To be fair to Ronald; he does say that it maybe possible to do the challenge in 36 hours.

Using the most convenient (but boring) forms of public transport, the challenge may actually be achievable in 36 hours. Indeed, Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland could possibly even be included within the 48 hour limit.


Anyone up for adding Slieve Donard in the 48 ;-)

BW

Bad Wolf - I would never be unfair to Ronald! I admire his passion, flair and attention to detail, which is all the more remarkable considering the speed he travels at and the hardships he inflicts on himself.

I guess my schedule, which comes out at exactly 36 hours, is indeed based on boring forms of public transport. I crafted it using only trains and buses, without recourse to Ronald's more exotic steam trains and ferries. He allows the use of a bicycle, which could be used to create a link where none exists, or for the real hardy types, to cover distance at night!

I looked into the possibility of including Slieve Donard as an add-on to the 36 hour schedule, but couldn't get it to fit into the 48 hour limit. My best effort on paper finished with a time of 53 hours.

I suppose that if Slieve Donard is to be included, then that should be seen as the biggest 'problem', and therefore needs to be 'solved' before the other peaks slot into place. That's my approach... to solve the biggest problem... and let everything else cascade into a workable plan. You can't force public transport to do something it isn't actually scheduled to do!

I notice the only two website entries for the successful completion of the challenge are both called Ronald Turnbull, and both times are recorded as 47 hours 15 minutes. I suspect that Ronald might be deliberately spinning out the Challenge in order to get maximum enjoyment out of it!

Don't forget the Wasdale Taxi Bus service too, that can come in handy from Scafell Pike to Seascale!

The Wasdale Taxi Bus is allowed, under Ronald's 'rules', but other taxis aren't. I think that any approach to Scafell Pike from West Cumbria is likely to involve lost time. Buses and trains round the Cumbria Coast are in no big hurry even at the best of times. The Borrowdale Bus, on the other hand, runs from early until late, at regular intervals, between Keswick and Seatoller.

Here comes another clue...

The schedule I put together has Scafell Pike coming last, rather than second, as most people would assume. Using one of the last buses from Keswick to Seatoller, the ascent of Scafell Pike takes place in the night. According to the up-and-down 'fellrunner' time supplied by Ronald, I reckon the summit would be gained by Midnight and a return to Seatoller is possible 1½ hours later. (Not by me, of course, I'm no fellrunner!)