National Three Peaks - Peak 1 : Scafell Pike (978m)

Go on....challenge yourself!

Other people do the National Three Peaks (highest mountains in England, Wales and Scotland) in 24 hours, we are targetting to do them in 4 months.

We couldn't have asked for better weather. We drove up to Nether Wasdale on Friday after work and as expected, got stuck in Bank Holiday traffic. By the time we got to the campsite it was 9pm. Luckily it wasn't too dark. Whilst James and Sheue Ting set up camp, I boiled some water and prepared some soup as we didn't have a proper dinner - having been on the road since I finished work at 3.30pm.

For some reason, it was extremely cold that night. So much so that all of us had difficulty sleeping. Nevertheless, come daylight, we packed up some lunch, had our cereal and set off for Scafell Pike in the sunshine. It was uphill from the word go. It reminded me of the Dead Woman's Pass on the Inca Trail in Peru. The Dead Woman's Pass was more difficult as it was steeper and at high altitude. Nevertheless, Scafell Pike did exert our muscles. So much so that I felt a pull in my calf muscles on several occassions and slowed down thereafter - not wanting to risk a muscle cramp. We started off at Wasdale Head via Lingmell Gill to get to the top - ie the easier route.

We climbed many small steps, crossed one or two little rocky streams and trekked through some rocky terrain before getting to the top. The sunny blue sky backdrop made all our photos look absolutely stunning! It's clear to see how the trek could easily turn hazardous on a wetter day due to the slippery rocks. Although I probably could have completed the walk without my hiking pole, I was grateful for the extra support and comfort it gave me even on a dry day.

On our second day, we tasked James with planning an easier, gentler route. Just a flat walk with no climbing of hills and mountains please, James. "Ai Ai" replied our Mancunian navigator. Hence, we found ourselves walking along a gentle stream reminiscing over our trip to Peru. Not long after, we were trekking up a steep slope whilst singing "The hills are alive, with the sound of music" pretending to be the von Trapp family as they escaped from Austria. Hang on a minute,.........rewind a tick........yes, I did say trekking up a steep slope! Sorry James, but we did have a little laugh about how the route wasn't as flat as we expected it to be! We found ourselves spending the next few hours hopping from stone to stone to cross over streams, having lunch at the base of a waterfall, getting our feet wet (or not, thanks to my trusty Salomon boots! :) in boggy fields, being stared at by a cattle of cow and hiding behind stone walls for a wee in the most scenic toilet one could ever ask for.

We didn't get much sleep on the first night of camping as it was extremely cold. On the second night of camping, I didn't get much sleep as I was too busy waking up to remove the extra layers I had put on as a result of the cold the previous night. At about 3am that night, there was an extremely loud booming sound overhead. It didn't sound like a helicopter and didn't sound like anything I have ever heard of in my life. Sheue Ting and I still believe it must have been a UFO! It is quite unfortunate we didn't get to investigate it on the third night. Oh, and Sheue Ting heard a crying lamb. I heard many lambs, not sure if any of them were crying! We finally got a bit more sleep on the third night - despite the howling wind.

Next stop, Snowdonia - the highest mountain in Wales. :)