Hello everybody,i'm new to outdoormagic but not a hills newbie. Does any body have any advice/tips for the Three peaks challenge (ben nevis,scafell,snowdon)?best timings,best routes etc.tried usual websites but thought there seems to be a lot of experience in this forum. oh by the way tescos walking socks 2 pairs for a fiver! I don't work for tesco's but I reckon these should be under their "finest" range! cheers for any help.
My advice would be don't do it over 24 hours, do each hill in daylght, keep a group (if you are in a group) small, and follow the guidelines that have been laid down to controll these events.
Be prepared to have to deal with other large groups doing the challenge and avoid the weekends around the Summer solstice as there will be thousands of people doing it.
And finaly don't be surprised if not everyone you meet is happy that you are doing the event as a lot of people have had a lot of trouble caused by people doing the event in the past. I'm sure you are doing it all the right way but thousands aren't.
Cheers Guy, having read the wasdale search and rescue diary of the three peaks season, it is a real shame that a lot of these "charity walkers" aren't following the "leave nothing but footprints" philosophy. Leaving waste both human and food packaging is just awful no wonder the local population dread the three peaks period of the year! Thank you for your reply,happy trails. :)
Simon, Have done it twice, both times have started at Ben Nevis. Have found this the best way. over the 24 hours you have to do at least one MT in the dark, have both times done snowdon. If you aim to do BN 4.5h scarfell 3.5 and snowdon 3.5 then providing the traffic is good and with a bit of luck (remember this is providing you stick to the speed limit...) you should do the 3peak in around 22.5h! Cheers J
Not just the local population, at any time during the summer there are a lot of campers and visitors to the area, and many of these are woken or disturbed by these events, simply never to return.
Trouble is once someone is doing it to raise money for a good cause they think that the means justifies the ends and sadly there are just so many people doing this that the area is really suffering, both from noise, distrubance, footpath erosion, damage to verges and roadsides as they turn into car parks the list goes on.
Yeah, I've been camping in Wasdale in the summer and our night's sleep was disturbed many times by revving of engines, shouting, floodlights which penetrated the tent, and the toilets at the back of the pub left FILTHY.
It's nearly got to the point where I stay away in summer :((
Hmmm, must say that i'm having great reservations about being involved in this event as it really does seem explotive of pretty much everything related to "doing the three peaks".I was really interested in the physical challenge of doing three peaks in 24 hrs,perhaps i'll do them one at a time in a less busy period.Thank you all for your views,chinese paraliment! can't beat it.;))
Well, I'd recommend this one for starters. If you scroll back a bit on the "meets and partners" topic you'll see that there have been a few threads on this topic before, including an OM excursion last year. Not sure about dedicated sites though. I expect others can suggest some.
I'm charged with organising a large-scale (probably 20-30 people) Three Peaks at the beginning of September. We're knee-deep in planning at the moment, clearly it'll be a bit different to planning a weekend away with a couple of mates so I'd appreciate some tips.
First of all I'm aware of the concerns and hostility expressed here and elsewhere to Three Peaks groups, I'll take personal responsibility to ensure we disturb things as little as possible, but I've read that already so I don't need a sermon - I'll make sure that no rubbish is left, that we stick religously to paths, and that we keep as close as possible to silence at the appropriate points ie beginning and end of Scafell. What I'm more worried about is the implications of taking a large group, with a variety of fitness levels, experience and so on, on such a tough 24 hours.
I'm imagining that for a large group, the biggest threat to not completing within 24 hours is "faff" - that is, more toilet breaks than necessary, too many rest breaks, hanging around waiting for people to get their boots on, arguments half way up the mountain when some people want to go down and/or are going too slowly, and all the rest of it.
We're intending to take along a dedicated person just to sort out packed lunches for everyone, tidy up the minibuses and so on, while we're up the mountains, and the drivers get some kip.
On the mountain - how difficult will it be to get the balance right between "cracking the whip" to get a good pace going, and not forcing people at the less fit end of the spectrum out of their comfort zone? My prediction is that everyone will get up Ben Nevis no problem, and that it'll be Scafell which'll cause issues and divisions.
What "communal" kit should the most experienced people carry? Our "group leaders" kitlist at the moment consists of...
Emergency blankets and/or shelter First aid kits Maps & compasses 2-way radios Extra water and snacks Plastic bags (both for rubbish and in case people forget to line rucksacks)
We've already agreed that if anyone needs to descend for whatever reason, that someone "experienced" will go down with them. How likely is that to happen? With a group of 25 (say) many of whom have never been up a mountani befopre, but have strong personalities, what is the chance of some sort of mutiny? (eg "This isn't safe, we should all go down" if there's a bit of wind, or "We need to speed up" even when that would be inappropriate)?
Finally, I'm writing a bit of a kit list for people at the moment. Trying hard to get the balance right between making sure that people have adequate kit, and not pressurising people to go and spend hnudreds of pounds. Any tips on getting that balance right? I'm pretty much saying that the only things people will really need to go and spend money on are footwear and a base layer, plus some sort of waterproof if they don't have one already, and ideally a headtorch; most other things they can improvise - everyone will have some sort of warm layer, rucksack, water bottle, suitable trousers, hat gloves etc.
I have a feeling things might end up going very wrong given the sheer numbers involved. Please put my mind at rest...
On the mountain - how difficult will it be to get the balance right between "cracking the whip" to get a good pace going, and not forcing people at the less fit end of the spectrum out of their comfort zone?
You cant - crack the whip, get on with it.
My prediction is that everyone will get up Ben Nevis no problem, and that it'll be Scafell which'll cause issues and divisions. What "communal" kit should the most experienced people carry? Our "group leaders" kitlist at the moment consists of... Emergency blankets and/or shelter First aid kits Maps & compasses 2-way radios Extra water and snacks Plastic bags (both for rubbish and in case people forget to line rucksacks) We've already agreed that if anyone needs to descend for whatever reason, that someone "experienced" will go down with them. How likely is that to happen?
Very - plan that it will happen on all three mountains.
With a group of 25 (say) many of whom have never been up a mountani befopre, but have strong personalities, what is the chance of some sort of mutiny? (eg "This isn't safe, we should all go down" if there's a bit of wind, or "We need to speed up" even when that would be inappropriate)? Finally, I'm writing a bit of a kit list for people at the moment. Trying hard to get the balance right between making sure that people have adequate kit, and not pressurising people to go and spend hnudreds of pounds. Any tips on getting that balance right? I'm pretty much saying that the only things people will really need to go and spend money on are footwear and a base layer, plus some sort of waterproof if they don't have one already, and ideally a headtorch; most other things they can improvise - everyone will have some sort of warm layer, rucksack, water bottle, suitable trousers, hat gloves etc. I have a feeling things might end up going very wrong given the sheer numbers involved. Please put my mind at rest...
No ideally about the headtorch - they need to have one. You'll be coming off then Ben in the dark..possibly starting Sca Fell in the dark and may be coming off Snowdon in the dark
Eoghan.Depends what you want from a challenge. I found the normal challenge, when taking part in the Three Peaks was the logistics and the driving involved between the peaks not the climbing was the challenge. Having the satisfaction of climbing the peaks with one or perhaps two like minded friends was far more enjoyable. We planned our events over three separate weekends in May.Walked and then camped in each area overnight on the Saturday ,climbed each peak on the Sunday and then drove home.Three really good weekends.Cheers.
What I'm more worried about is the implications of taking a large group, with a variety of fitness levels, experience and so on, on such a tough 24 hours.
So take that same number on some training runs and sort out the logistics first
What "communal" kit should the most experienced people carry? Our "group leaders" kitlist at the moment consists of... Emergency blankets and/or shelter First aid kits Maps & compasses 2-way radios Extra water and snacks
How many group leaders? What if someone is slow and is separated from a leader? They are not all carrying a map and compass. In the Scafell Pike area, I have met many people who couldn't find their way out of a paper bag. I've found them by the side of the road in the wrong valley, thumbing a lift back to Wasdale. It's dead easy to take a wrong turn at the top.
We've already agreed that if anyone needs to descend for whatever reason, that someone "experienced" will go down with them. How likely is that to happen? With a group of 25 (say) many of whom have never been up a mountani befopre, but have strong personalities, what is the chance of some sort of mutiny? (eg "This isn't safe, we should all go down" if there's a bit of wind, or "We need to speed up" even when that would be inappropriate)?
How likely that someone could drop out? In any walking situation, it could and DOES happen. Folk get tired, they twist a foot, they fall.
If the shit hits the fan, weather-wise, it could (literally) be life or death. It has to be agreed beforehand by everyone that the leader's decision stands. If you call yourself a leader, you have a Duty Of Care. If someone mutinies, then maybe you should ALL go down.
Finally, I'm writing a bit of a kit list for people at the moment. Trying hard to get the balance right between making sure that people have adequate kit, and not pressurising people to go and spend hnudreds of pounds. Any tips on getting that balance right? I'm pretty much saying that the only things people will really need to go and spend money on are footwear and a base layer, plus some sort of waterproof if they don't have one already, and ideally a headtorch; most other things they can improvise - everyone will have some sort of warm layer, rucksack, water bottle, suitable trousers, hat gloves etc.
Essential: Waterproof coat, over-trousers, clothing to layer, hat, gloves, head torch or GOOD hand torch, map, food, drink (some will only bring 300ml Oasis bottle - tell them to bring about a litre minimum). Preferred: spare hat, spare gloves (they disappear).
... organising a large-scale (probably 20-30 people) Three Peaks at the beginning of September....
Hmmmm. Some friends and I are planning to camp at NT Wasdale Head over the first weekend of September. We realise it's in three-peak season but it's the only date we can all make. I must admit we've been worrying about three-peakers crashing about in the adjacent carpark half the night. Eoghan, I'm reassured to hear that you will keep the noise down - but I fear other groups may not as considerate as you.
On the Saturday, we will be walking up to Scafell Pike. It won't be a race and we've chosen the 'easy' way - Brown Tongue, Hollow Stones then Lingmell Col - so we'll have plenty of time to relax, to look around and just enjoy being out in the hills. We're resigned to the summit being crowded but we had rather hoped that the majority of three-peakers would have come and gone by mid-morning. Is our hope over-optimistic?
Sunday promises more solitude. A few of us are thinking about tackling the path across Wasdale Screes beside the lake: I suspect we won't encounter huge crowds along there
Thanks everyone - very helpful and confirms that this will be a tougher exercise than anything I've ever done before, although for different reasons.
I suppose the main thing will be to remember our priorities...
1. Keep everyone in one piece 2. Complete the challenge 3. Complete it in 24 hours.
We'll try a couple of training walks, nothing technical (we're in the Smoke, have to make it North Downs Way or something) but at a furious pace which makes people slightly uncomfortable, and see how that works.
Good point about the Oasis bottle (I'll carry extra water).
@waldo yeah I'm not imagining it's going to be stress-free logistically!
@Ninja you've put far more new doubts into my head than you've dispelled, but that's not a bad thing, I don't want to be blase.
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