The National 3 Peaks Challenge - the facts

I thought whilst this info is fairly fresh in my mind (moreso that I've got it all to hand), that I'd note down the facts for ease of reference for next time (hmm?).

The national 3 peaks are made up of the highest mountains in Scotland (Ben Nevis), England (Scafell Pike) and Wales (Snowdon). The challenge needs to be completed in 24 hours for it to be a success.

Ben Nevis is generally the first peak to walk and it stands at 1344 metres. The ascent of Ben Nevis is 1325 metres from the hostel (which stands at about 20 metres above sea level). The distance from the hostel to the summit of Ben Nevis is around 4.75 miles. Ben Nevis has snow on the summit well into the summer months due to its altitude so it is important to be careful when on the top. The maps for Ben Nevis are 41 (OS Landranger) and 392 (OS Explorer).

Scafell Pike is the always the second mountain to complete and is 977 metres high. At this height it is the smallest of three mountains and involves a climb of 913 metres. The shortest walk is from Wasdale Head rather than Seathwaite. This does involve a touch of a longer drive but you are able to make the time back on the walk. This route is 2.5 miles from the base to summit. OS Landranger 90 or OS Explorer OL4 and OL6 cover Scafell Pike.

The last mountain to walk is Snowdon, which is reputed to be the most climbed mountain in the UK. It is 1085 metres high but due to the height at which you start it is only 725 metres of ascent. The miners path is a length of around 4 miles from the car park to the summit. The maps for Snowdon are OS Explorer OL17 and OS Landranger 115.

The driving distance is around 265 miles from Ben Nevis to Wasdale Head (base of Scafell Pike) and is 215 miles from Wasdale Head to Pen y Pass (the starting point for the Snowdon walk), being a total of 480 miles.

A typical schedule generally runs as follows;

4:00pm - Touch water at Loch Linnhe - Fort William
4:30pm - Start at the base of Ben Nevis
6:45pm - Summit Ben Nevis
8:30pm - Be back off Ben Nevis
2:00am - Start at the base of Scafell Pike
4:45am - Summit Scafell Pike
6:15am - Back at the base of Scafell Pike
12:30pm - Start at the base of Snowdon
2:30pm - Summit Snowdon
3:30pm - Back at the base of Snowdon
4:00pm - Touch the water at Caernarfon

It is best to attempt the national 3 peaks as close to the 21st June (longest day) as possible to maximise your daylight hours.

It is essential also to be quiet when you're in the vicinity of Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike as these are residential areas and the locals, understandably get a touch hacked off with noise of cars and challengers at anti social hours.

Try to get a driver in order that you can all rest as much as you can - you will need it.

Long walks - something to get your teeth into.

Following my jaunt on the national 3 peaks and my preparation for the Lakeland 3000's (which sadly I haven't managed to embark upon yet due to my pesky foot) I thought I'd have a scout around the Internet to find out what challenges I could set myself - cos we all like a challenge don't we!

I was humbled upon my first click through google where Stuart Ashley and Susan Cullimore-Pike walked the "Heart of Scotland" walk (read the full article here). This beast is 104 miles long! That is a monster of a walk, which I will hasten to add they completed in one sitting in an amazing time of 38 hours and 41 minutes. This kind of puts into perspective what some folks are capable of. At the same time The TGO challenge is a huge undertaking too at around 200 miles and I'll take this opportunity to congratulate those who completed it recently. These are challenges that really take grit and determination and leave you with an enormous sense of well being.

This brought me to the awesome website of The Long Distance Walkers Association which has loads of long distance walks all over the country and is exceptionally well put together. This has really wet the appetite and has instantly given me a list of walks I'm keen as the proverbial mustard to have a shot at. I think I'll be starting with the shorter ones mind and build up to the 100 mile plus blister fests.

Lumpy feet!

I'm still in my flip flops now with the foot injury I picked up surfing on the last surf of my trip down under some five weeks back. Getting a bit frustrated of not being able to get my feet into shoes I was having a closer look last night to see how the heal healing was getting on and in fairness it seems to be getting to the point where it might have turned the corner. Delighted as Glastonbury Festival will not be good if my foot ain't shoe worthy by then. Relying on flip flops for that bash is reckless at best, especially considering the track record weather wise - I might as well be barefoot when the mud's up to your armpits.

But on closer inspection not so delighted, I came across a lump on the outside of the foot which I must have picked up at the same time as I sliced my heel off, so I went to the doctors today where he pressed and prodded and twisted and pulled (my foot). It is fairly sore however the doc seemed to think that it was nothing suspicious and should it grow then I go back, fingers crossed it will as I can only see this prolonging the visit back out into the wilderness further. The saga continues........

Walking Poles turn you into the Duracel Rabbit

After having done some walking with walking poles recently I thought I'd put my view of this kit from pen to paper or more appropriately key to monitor.

I'd heard people talk of the benefits of walking poles for long enough however at the outset I never liked the prospect of having your hands tied up using poles. I would much rather have hands free to do what they need to. After all how much difference can poles make to your walking? Or so I thought.

First few times out if can feel a bit odd until you find your rhythm with your right pole going forward with your left leg and so on. The difference is astounding, when walking uphill it's as though you have a banister at your side at every step to drag yourself up the hillside with. For descending it's the same - cushioning your knees and ankles as you go, preventing the ache that so many of us suffer from. They do take so much pressure off your legs leaving them in better shape for longer. They come into their own when yomping through streams, in this case they are most definitely like extra legs and when you're balancing on small rocks and in these cases four legs are definitely better than two.

If at any time you're sick of using them or you need you hands for any reason - they slide away in seconds to about a third of their extended size and you can strap them to the back of the pack (most packs have straps specically for walking poles or ice axes) or carry them in one hand. I can not sing their praises highly enough it makes the whole job so much easier enabling us to go yomping for longer.

You see so many sites too that promote the use of walking poles for fitness, for an example click here. They are awesome for an all over workout! If you go for a good trek in the hills with walking poles you will feel your shoulders ache from their overuse, something you definately don't feel in their absence. As you are using your arms as well as your legs (even though it may feel only marginally) it does work your heart harder and give you a better cardio workout walking the same speed over the same distance - hard to believe but it's true.

Today too you can get poles that multi task, for example doubling up as the likes of monopods or torches. These are naturally a bonus as you don't want to lug a full blown tripod out for miles and if you can cut the weight you do without fully compromising on the quality of photographs or film.

There's always a spanner in the works

On this occasion I am the spanner, but I'm not alone there is another dude joining me in the spanner stakes. The forecasted attempt for the Lakeland 3000's this coming weekend has sadly had to be temporarily shelved. My foot that was injured at the start of May and that I endured the National 3 Peaks with is still nowhere near better. I can't risk doing this walk in trainers and I still can't get my boots on so for me annoyingly it's a no no. One of the other guys had a nasty dose of toncilitis too and lost a stone and a half as a result leaving him not ready. Bad bad bad. Another date has not yet been finalised but with loads of us to consider it's never easy to find one that suits everyone. Very dissapointing but fingers crossed we get another date to aim for in the diary.