I was asked to attempt the National Three Peaks Challenge back in March, which seemed like a great Idea! Team work, physical exertion a new type of challenge we would remember forever. Little did I know, quite the extent of the challenge itself & how prepared we should have been...Especially considering three out of five of us had never climbed a mountain before!
Friday 11th September, five of us set off at 7am on our two car road trip to Scotland, beaming with excitement & full of nerves! A lot of traffic & a quick photo opportunity Stop at Loch Lomond we then arrived 11hours later in the scottish highlands of Kinlochleven,(Which we found highly amusing to pronounce) Blackwater Hostel & Campsite was in a perfect setting for our first evening, two glamping pods amongst beautiful mountains, with a small river running behind. Again lots more photo fun was taken advantage of here.
We made our way to THE local pub for food, which appeared to be a reastaurant, bar, club and local hang out all in one...Room! Very dated, with a limited food menu, but found some amusement, and got out as quick as we could once we were fed, carb loaded and relaxed with a drink. Not to mention the 4am alarms we had set, so 10pm bedtime was in need!
Saturdays alarms woke us with excitement, we shuffled around the dark campsite packing the cars, ready for the off. Eventually we found the car park at the Bottom of our chosen Track to climb Ben Nevis, The Highest mountain in the UK, Standing at 1,344 metres (4,409 ft) above sea level. None of us had climbed it before, so there was no real expectation, just excitement for what was to come. Steph, our crazy leader, planner & mountain goat was more than excited to start the walking. Head torches at the ready, backpacks full, layers on and we were off.
Ben Nevis is said to be a hard mountain to climb, the height of it may make it the highest, but parts were actually quite pleasant with fantastic views, especially until we reached the halfway mark & before the weather turned. I stayed fueled with homemade oatcakes, naked bars & water, the others opted for some sweets! Not sure how they sustained their energy.
It became evident in the early stages that due to my shorter & less powerful legs, I was going to find it hard to keep up! This was a reoccurring theme throughout the challenge, which increased the mental pressure. The top of Ben Nevis, we experienced cold like never before, a sudden change of wind speed, a drop in temperature and a severe downpour of rain! Not something any of us would like to experience again. Luckily we managed to capture this poor quality photo and scrambled our way back down, hoping to dry out and warm up. Again I seemed to be the last to do so! I ended up a little lost at the bottom, looking back we should have stayed together on the way down & most definitely been more prepared for the weather that we hit!
. 
After a re-fuel stop for the cars & our bodies, we continued onto Scafell Pike which is situated in the UK's Lake District. It is 978m (3,209ft) high but very steep & rocky! We aimed to just about complete this in daylight but after losing half the team - lack of sat nav obedience! We ended up waiting around and starting the climb at 10.30pm. Knowing we had roughly 5hours of climbing ahead was a painful thought. All layered up, head torches back on, glowsticks on display, we were off! but minus any navigation equipment, again another error! Many people were near the area and climbing at various times, which seemed the norm & most of the way we managed to follow some organised groups, until hitting the Y shape part just before the halfway mark. This left us unsure which way to go, and we ended up opting for the harder route - not by choice! The rain started to join us lightly before we reached the top, making the stones extremely slippery. Luckily we found amusement in the falls & knocks we encountered. We reached the top in the pitch black & started our decent, which felt a lot colder and wetter than the climb. Again we managed to follow some groups for a short period, but these experienced climbers really don't hang around! Especially not for the likes of the three giggling girls, holding hands and singing as we slip down the rocks! This appeared to be our coping mechanism under delirious fatigue. It seemed to keep us amused....until yet again we were lost & couldn't find the path! It all started to get a bit serious at this point as I was shivering down to the bone & feared us being lost for hours on the side of a mountain. The boys scouted around for a path as I hid from the wind behind a rock, thank fully they had extra layers to hand. Gutted we didn't get a picture of me in what looked like a long black cape on a very short person, with a dim headtorch! Lucky I found the funny side eventually.
At this point, most of us started to encounter aches, pains & re-occurring injuries, For me this was in the form of severe knee pain, nothing I have ever experienced before. I hoped this was just due to the cold! Finally we got to the bottom, cold wet & tired for the second time. It was now 4am. I was too frozen to remove layers to add warm ones, wrapped in a duvet in the back of the car I attempted some shut eye. Off we were to the third climb.
A slightly shorter drive took us to Snowdonia in Wales. Ready to climb the third mountain Snowdon 1,085m (3,560ft) in the daylight, the sun was beaming and we had all dried out a little. At this point it was evident we were all in pain of some form. Mine being the knees, not wanting to cooperate other than being still and slightly bent. However up we went, via the easier longer path to reduce the stress on our bodies. The views were amazing, quite breathtaking to say the least. Quite a few photo stops were made on the way up. There were some very steep areas but overall this is a nice mountain to climb & requires minimal equipment, it felt a little chilly at the top once we got into the clouds, but could still see some fabulous views and the sense of achievement nearing the highest point was rather overwhelming. There is also a train that climbs this mountain and a small indoor cafe & gift shop at the top. It appeared to be a very popular attraction. Once at the top we all decided to take out time to enjoy this achievement and take in our surroundings. We purchased some warm, heavy carbs, bottles of fizzy sugar, nursed our pains with painkillers & deep heat & started our way to the finish line.(not usually my style but for in this situation, sugar & medication was necessary) I personally felt like an old woman at this point, as my knees had totally given up on any weight bearing whatsoever, walking stick in hand, finish line in mind I continued to the end!The final hill I shuffled down backwards but made it back to the car park & fell into a heap, with a strange smile on my face! No feeling quite like it.. How we managed to stand up to pose for the following picture, I do not know. This was the start of a fantastic evening of giggles, warm food, celebratory drinks & a heavenly 10hour sleep in an YHA hostel beautifully set between the mountains.
Our Journey home, was that of a sore & slow one. All whilst feeling rather tired, but accomplished. We still managed to giggle in hysteria over the silliest things, possibly a combination of exhaustion, relief & excitement.
It became rather evident three days later that my recovery was going to be a slow process. Little did I know, mild stages of hypothermia had numbed my nerve endings in my fingers which are almost back to normal five weeks later. And I had severe inflammation in both knees under my kneecaps, which I had forced out of alignment. Quite common with the uneven stepping, coming down the mountains! If I was to climb a mountain again, I would most definitely be more prepared with regards to equipment and waterproof clothing... Having said that, I think just one at a time would be more sensible & enjoyable!!!The biggest bonus being the £520 I raised for Cronn's & Colitis UK. A charity that means a lot to me! The Boys also raised over £1000 for Lupus also. well done Team Three Peaks!!!