Three Peaks Challenge - A Local's View
Guy Newbold lives and works in the Wasdale valley, this is his disturbing take on the impact of organised Three Peaks Challenge events.
OUTDOORSMAGIC member Guy Newbold is a walker and climber who
lives and works in Wasdale. As the Three Peaks Challenge season hits
its heights - hordes of walkers attempting to climb the highest
mountains in Scotland, England and Wales, he's not a happy bunny.
Here's a local's view of the damage inflicted in the name of good
causes. Time for a re-think?
A lot has been said recently about the impact of the Three Peak
'challenges' held on Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis and Snowdon. The main
problem with the debate is that most can only base their observations
on individual events and there are few who are able to comment on it
as a year-long phenomenon without being accused of vested interest
and a local anti-tourist type of attitude.
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Scafell Pike on a busy Easter
weekend, but most
Three Peakers make the ascent in the dark causing
huge disruption for locals
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Well I am a local of Wasdale, but I also make my living from visitors
to the fells, so my viewpoint is as balanced as you could hope for.
I wasn't born here, instead taking the route of the "off comer"
settling in the area because of a deep love for the Cumbrian fells.
I'm a climber, a walker, and a runner and a kayaker and perhaps my
view may be of interest to some?
Thousands of people have done the Three Peaks challenge; some have
done it as part of a large organised group and some as part of a
smaller team. The rules are pretty random, some set a time constraint
on completing the event - usually either 24 hours or three days - and
some require you to start at certain points away from the peaks
themselves. Whatever the rules most people arriving to climb Scafell
Pike have already climbed one of the other peaks and most choose to
begin from Wasdale as it represents the shortest possible route up
and down.
Some Facts To Consider...
But before we get into the debate lets get a few facts
straight:
? The majority of people will try to climb all three of the
peaks in 24 hours.
? As a result of the above most will arrive at Scafell Pike
during the night.
? The summer months around the longest day are the most
popular times of the year although from May to October you will find
groups doing it every weekend.
? Most people do the event as part of a large sponsored event
raising money for a charity
? A large percentage will not beregular fell goers, as they
are doing it solely to raise funds for a good cause.
? We are not talking about a couple of hundred people spread
out over the year, it is hundreds of people each night, and nearly
6,000 each year.
? Wasdale has no mains water or sewage and only one public
loo.
? 200 people using a path in one hour do ten times the amount
of damage as 200 people do using the same path over the course of a
week.
? Large numbers of people arriving in the middle of the night
by minibus cannot do so quietly.
? People still need to go to the toilet even if there isn't
one available.
? Some charities pay event companies to organise the events
for them, the more the better for the company and the charity. It
isn't just a fundraiser, it's big business. 2,000 eventers at
£100 a head - someone's getting rich and it's not the
charity.
Patience strained among locals woken almost every summer
weekend...
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Above Wasdale, looking towards
Mickledore and Scafell
Crag - are Three Peakers simply missing the
point?
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So those are the facts, what's to debate? Well the problem is the
event keeps on getting more and more popular as it raises more and
more money for good causes. This has meant that patience is now low
among locals who can spend almost all their weekends awake, visitors
are not returning to the B and B's, hotels and campsites are empty as
they too don't want to be kept awake and finally the environment is
starting to suffer.
Wasdale is a remarkable place, remote and beautiful. It doesn't
have the facilities of Ben Nevis or Snowdon and that's half its
charm, it is still a remote wilderness. Scafell Pike doesn't have one
main path and so there isn't a continuous pitched and paved route to
the summit.
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The summit plateau on Scafell
Pike
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The increased traffic is in concentrated time periods and so causes
much more damage than the same number of feet spread over a week. The
result is that paths are now becoming deep ruts 30 to 40 feet wide.
Even the old Brown Tongue path which was redirected is now suffering
and is slowly returning the large muddy scar it was before the
renovation work was done 10 years ago as the sheer number of walkers
means many ignore the new, pitched path.
No toilet facilities...
And the valley floor is fairing no better either, there are no
adequate toilet facilities as there is no mains sewage, the result is
little piles topped with tissue behind every wall and tree. The water
too is in great demand as it all comes from private wells, which are
all too easily drained by a team of thirsty Three Peaker. Litter now
piles up during the night and the verges and green spaces are
becoming bogs as the hundreds of minibuses churn them all up, even
spaces reserved only for emergency vehicles are used as base camps
during the night.
Answers?
Wasdale is taking a beating, and is not always a pretty or
pleasant place to be. So what can be done? well relatively little
actually. More parking can not be provided, nor can toilets and bins,
as someone has to pay to install, equip, clean and empty them. That's
without considering the effect they would have on the whole feel of
Wasdale and the detrimental effect on the breathtaking natural
scenery.
The fells paths can't all be pitched, as it would be hugely
expensive and impact on the wild beauty of the hills. And try as they
might hundreds of people booting up and preparing for a walk can't do
so in silence. Rubbish will always be created try as they might to
stop it but tell someone that they are doing something for charity
and the ends will always justify the means.
So who can do something, the National Park? National Trust?
Government? Well in a word no. You can't deny people the freedom of
the fells, access is for all at all times of the day or night and
long may it continue.
Charities need to be more aware...
To my mind the event needs to be controlled not on site, but in
the planning stages and before. Charities need to aware of the damage
they are causing and made to pay for the repairs, or installation of
facilities. The event needs to be controlled so that it isn't going
on during the night and large groups don't pick the same weekend.
But mainly and most positively the charities need to take a
responsible stance and find something else to do instead. Sit in a
bath of baked bean, don't talk for a month, shave your head anything
but don't put 2,000 people on Scafell on a Saturday night! People who
might volunteer to do it and charities that want the money need to
think.
Please come to Wasdale and perhaps do the Three Peaks, you and a
few friends, just don't come with one or two hundred close personal
pals and definitely not in the middle of the night.
Guy Newbold
Discuss this story
If you're not sure whether something has been discussed, you can always use the Search facility cunningly hidden on the forums front page. The Three Peaks is a well-trodden route round these parts - try this for example.
Posted: 02/07/2002 12:09
I don't know. I think, to be honest, there's a lot of snobbery about people doing stuff like that not being 'proper' walkers, because maybe it's a one-off thing for a lot of them, though not all by any means.
I reckon a lot of it is just prejudice backed up with rationalisations to justify that prejudice, like saying that Three Peak Challengers spread more litter or cause erosion or are dangerous. To be fair, the Wasdale MRT site mentions passing a load of them dressed in trainers and jeans, then again, they didn't have to rescue any of them.
The only really good reason I can think of is people at the base of Scafell Pike being woken at 3 am by minibus engines, the rest of it, I think is prejudice and snobbery. They might not view the mountains in the same way as the typical outdoors fanatic, but so what?
I don't like London much these days, but I have every right to go there and not be slagged off for not viewing the West End as the centre of the universe, he said, rather tortuously. Live and let live is what I say and if some of them get into the outdoors as a result, then that's great.
Posted: 02/07/2002 13:01
Interesting thread. I thought I would put in my ten pence worth as I work in Wasdale and am a member of the Wasdale MRT.
To me the issue is not one of ban the races or restrict access it is one of responsible use and conservation. You can't stop people from using the fells, god forbid, however having accepted free access for all you then need to manage the use.
The three peaks is not a small problem believe me, the scale of the events is not fully appreciated, but living and woking here you get things into a good perspective, litteraly thousands do the challenge each year, a rough total would be about 6000 people. The problem comes from 2 angles as I can see it. Number one is behavoir and organisation. With the mind set of doing the event in 24 hours, the competitors arrive in Wasdale during the night mainly and when they get here systematicly wake up the residents, campers and B&B guests with noise, cheering, reversing sirens and generally not caring about who the annoy, but hey that's ok becouse it's all for charity. They then proceed to drink the vallies wells dry of fresh water, crap behind every wall and tree becouse there just isn't enough toilets ( mains sewerage not being present), they park whereever is closest and churn up the verges and gree spaces, and then when they leave they gift us all the rubbish they have created so that it can merrily blow all over the valley. And finally for good measure they drive like tits down the valley roads becouse the driver is charged with the task of getting to the next peak in 5mins.
Now, does that sound like responsible use of the National Park? Forget the fact they ignore the paths taking the direct routes instead, forget the erosion of 300 feet in one hours is ten times that of 300 feet over the course of a week, forget the fact that the Brown Tongue path which has been repairing for 10 years is now a ditch once again becouse people use it to come down instead of the pitched path becouse that is full of people going up! The facts are plain, the valley can not cope with this event in its current form, if nothing is done it will deteriate rapidly and detract from the pleasure of all who come to enjoy it during the daylight hours.
How can this be controlled then? simple control point 2 which is that most of the events are organised by large National and International charites as fundraisers. If the large charities who run the events can be convinced of the damage they cause and turn to alternate methods of fundraising then much of the above can be avoided. The small individual groups who do the event over 3 days cause little bother, its the 24 hour biggies that are the problem.
To put this into context next weekend or the weekend after I forget which, one big charity will put 2000 people on the summit of the pike over a 24 hour peroid. To do this they will attack it from three valleys and use the services of a national event management company. For each person of the 2000 doing the event, £100 of the sponsorship money they raise will go to the company who do very well thank you very much and bugger the consequences. Most big charity events do this.
Posted: 04/07/2002 11:20
I pay a bit to my 'local' MRT (OVMRO) as although I've never needed their services you never know, and they do a very good job. But I pay far more to a range of other charities as I priotise things like disaster relief and poverty allevietion over rescuing people. Harsh, but I can't afford to support everyone.
At the same time the ends don't always justify the means and Guy, you clearly know what's going on, and there is a problem in Wasdale. To be honest I've never been around Llanberis in the summer so maybe the problem is just as bad there, but at least they're on a main road with big carparks.
Have you tried writing to any of these charities with your concerns?
In Snowdonia there are literally piles of those bloody annoying shock-tactic 'Are you going home tonight?' leaflets. They must have printed a million and I'm sick of them, but I bet they've worked to reduce the number of ill-equipped walkers through education.
Isn't it time some organisation with authority, such as the BMC or the Llaneris, Wasdale and Fort William MRTs combined, produced a similar leaflet for 3PC participants and perhaps an info pack that could be sent to organisers outlining good behaviour, best practice and recommended routes (that could then be concentrated on to maintain)?
I also think there are measures that could help the situation in Wasdale. Imposing a 7.5t weight limit on the road to stop coaches springs to mind - the local council could do that. Signage at Wasdale asking for good behaviour might also be worth a try. Perhaps the LA could cough up for a better car park and better loos, or just extra temporary ones during the peak season. I'm not saying it's just a question of asking and getting, but maybe something could be done.
Snowdonia and the Peak have had millions thrown at them to repair upland paths, and I'm sure there must be money available in the Lakes too. Perhaps contacting the relevant groups in Snowy and the Peaks to see how they've done it would be a good way of finding out more.
Posted: 04/07/2002 12:34
I am a journo, it's true, though I reckon it's fair to say that I'm not exactly a lurker. Anyway, watch the site today for Guy's official, considered thoughts on the Three Peaks from a Lakes local's viewpoint.
The Guardian, and other national media carried something on the Challenge stuff last year highlighting the issue of disturbance to locals, maybe it'll get picked up again.
Oh, nice piece of irony here. Chatting with one of the lasses at the local leisure centre yesterday and she mentioned she'd just done the 'Three Peaks', then she corrected herself, 'Two Peaks...'
Me '?". Her: 'Well, we managed the first two, then I pranged the minibus.'
And who was saying that the challenge things might be a cause of road accidents...
Also, a nice one this, apparently one company does an alternative, more ecologically sound version of the challenge and... It's sponsored by Vauxhall. Forgive my hollow laughter but isn't one of the weaknesses of the thing that it burns considerable quantities of irreplaceable fossil fuel while people rush from hill to hill? Yes, I know most of us do something of the sort, but at least I'm not hypocritical enough to pretend it's ecologically friendly...
Posted: 05/07/2002 08:41
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