Climb the three highest peaks in the United Kingdom
It is mainly on a whim I decided to climb the three highest peaks in the United Kingdom during a visit there last summer. Mount Snowdon (3 560 ft), Scafell Pike (3 209 ft.) and Ben Nevis (4 409 pi) are scattered in the country of Wales, England and Scotland. Fill the r. u. 3 Peaks Challenge ends up being one of the most incredible travel experiences that I've had to date. Maybe it's because I went in with little or no training and always successful (which means that you can too), or maybe it's because I'm me feast my eyes on incredible and one of a kind views. Maybe it's because it wasn't just a long hike to the top of a mountain; He challenged me physically, mentally, and emotionally (in a good way). But probably it's because I'm at the point more high absolute in the United Kingdom and that felt pretty cool to say the least. Here's an overview of what should be expected if you plan to do the challenge.
First of all, it should be noted that technically, the 3 Peaks Challenge is intended to be completed in 24 hours. The challenge of 24 hours is hardly possible and basically requires planning pre minute-by-minute. This means that you will have an amount of time to navigate the mountain, you will need to have a designated driver so that you can sleep between the peaks, and you have an incredible amount of stamina to endure those heights at one time of days. Lunatic me has not been prepared or sufficiently to complete the challenge in 24 hours, I did 3 days instead. Here's how it happened.
A friend and I left London by car around 09:00, headed to the National Park of Snowdonia. Note: there are several ways to get the 3 tops without a car, but you will need to plan a few extra days in your schedule of hiking for the extra travel time. The drive took 5 hours up to what we finally arrived at the start of the overcast, very wet, Pyg track trail, located in the parking lot of Pen-y-not. We leave at 15:04. The Pyg track takes you upward to a ridge, at the wire, looking at valleys and lakes which lie at the foot of Mount Snowdon. Ascension began immediately, during which I asked myself what I myself in. The weather conditions get worse because we won elevation. Not only it was foggy and wet, there were gusts that felt like 50 mph. about an hour after the hike, we decided to stop to refuel (pb & Nina are a necessity) and found that we could not even put our packs down without them blowing off the nearest cliff. Out here on ascension offered little to no visibility. Every person we passed that went down was to give us detailed instructions on how to reach the top, we couldn't even see our hands in front of our face. Do not forget, that the wind was always present, so the idea out of our trail map was simply a joke. We managed to reach the final ascent. It is essentially a large mound at the top with a spiral staircase leading up to the Summit where there was a plaque indicating that you were really at the top of Mount Snowdon. I climbed those stairs on my hands and knees for fear of literally be swept off the coast at the top of the mountain. Quickly after hitting the plate, we began the descent, taking care of is not to take a single step in the wrong direction. We intend to take the track down the mountain but rather found Pyg track of minors. This track took us down into the Valley at the same level with the lakes that we had admired and looked down on from above, on the Pyg track. After entering the past most of the mist and wind, the rest of the hike has been quite amazing. We reached our car at exactly 7:04 and after 4 hours, 7 miles, 3 562 vertical feet of elevation gain, it collapsed to the ground.
Was up to top of Scafell Pike, England. This peak is probably the most difficult of the three, as it gets fairly technical upward. The drive to the trailhead of Snowdon at the trailhead of Scafell was about 5 more hours. There are several different starting points, while ranging in difficulty. The easiest route to the top is the beginning of the trail from Wasdale. We decided to remove the starting point of Seathwaite especially because Seathewaite farm at the base is a large campground with shower and toilet, and we desperately need to shower. We set off on the trail of Seathwaite about 10:30 (I recommend to start earlier), which began in a beautiful valley, surrounded by the gills and full of sheep. From there it was purely vertical ascent. At some point, we decided to take what looked like a shortcut, but after consulting our trail map, we realized that we were very wrong and he could have to end up in a totally different mountain. That being said, I highly recommend buying a trail from the visitor center map in Keswick before embarking on the hike. We were lucky to have a partly sunny day while we were hiking, as we have witnessed the most amazing views of several points along our trek. We had a pb & j under a waterfall for lunch and met many other backpackers from all around the world who came to hike of the three peaks. After a climb/scramble through rocks, cliffs and waterfalls across the road from the corridor, we started ascension to the top. He certainly lived up to his intimidating reputation. It was a vertical cliff of the shale rock, and it was no longer possible to walk on two feet; Instead, we had to use both hands so literally climb to the top. Almost immediately after scaling, cleared the clouds and a blue sky appeared so that we looked out over the majestic peaks of England who were around us in all directions. After having taken it all in and take lots of pictures, we began the descent. Down is usually more difficult than going to the top in my opinion, and that was certainly the case here. We had to take extra precautions during the descent on the almost vertical way loose and rock rubble to prevent us from free fall to the bottom of the face of the Pike! Slowly but surely, we made our way down the ridge and from 16:30 we were back to our camp. This pic was 9.5 miles round trip and was 3 209 feet in elevation.
Finally, the final Summit haunted and excited our dreams that night that we rested for the third part of the challenge. Note: we didn't rest until after traveling nearly 6 hours to a campsite about an hour from the base of Ben Nevis, the highest peak of each of them, located north of Scotland. We woke up at 06:00 to pack our camping gear and drive to the start of the Ben Nevis path and seriously, I wondered how I would be able to complete the challenge with jello legs. We begin hiking until 09:00 and everything as we began the hike, a group of people came running in front of us and in the parking lot. We learned later that these brave souls were on the 24-hour period and that he had already made up and down the Ridge this morning. Nothing like a little confidence boost before climbing the highest mountain in the United Kingdom. From the beginning, we realized that this would be the steepest peak of all. The trail is essentially vertical for the first hour; It was as if I rode thousands of stairs. Then it turns into a path steep slalom which does not stop until you are at the top. The repetition of the course, the unrelenting pain in my legs and the mental battle that I fought in my mind started to happen to me. The only thing that really me perked up was the first signs of snow. This meant that we were really close to the Summit. After a serious temperature drop and pitch of my friend, I got a second wind and was suddenly on the Summit. I can't say that the views were great, as it has been completely encapsulated in the clouds, but nonetheless it was an incredible feeling. Especially when I was at the top of a monument and was the highlight of l' across the country. After that we got our photos and other kissed several times on occasion, we went down Ben Nevis at a pace that is extremely slow and tired. We did it to our car at 15:00 and after 3.5 hours, 10 miles, and 4 409 vertical feet of elevation, I had officially addressed the challenge of Peak 3. I highly recommend this adventure to all my fellow hiking enthusiasts!
It is mainly on a whim I decided to climb the three highest peaks in the United Kingdom during a visit there last summer. Mount Snowdon (3 560 ft), Scafell Pike (3 209 ft.) and Ben Nevis (4 409 pi) are scattered in the country of Wales, England and Scotland. Fill the r. u. 3 Peaks Challenge ends up being one of the most incredible travel experiences that I've had to date. Maybe it's because I went in with little or no training and always successful (which means that you can too), or maybe it's because I'm me feast my eyes on incredible and one of a kind views. Maybe it's because it wasn't just a long hike to the top of a mountain; He challenged me physically, mentally, and emotionally (in a good way). But probably it's because I'm at the point more high absolute in the United Kingdom and that felt pretty cool to say the least. Here's an overview of what should be expected if you plan to do the challenge.
The view from Mount Snowdon
First of all, it should be noted that technically, the 3 Peaks Challenge is intended to be completed in 24 hours. The challenge of 24 hours is hardly possible and basically requires planning pre minute-by-minute. This means that you will have an amount of time to navigate the mountain, you will need to have a designated driver so that you can sleep between the peaks, and you have an incredible amount of stamina to endure those heights at one time of days. Lunatic me has not been prepared or sufficiently to complete the challenge in 24 hours, I did 3 days instead. Here's how it happened.
Escalation of Snowdon
A friend and I left London by car around 09:00, headed to the National Park of Snowdonia. Note: there are several ways to get the 3 tops without a car, but you will need to plan a few extra days in your schedule of hiking for the extra travel time. The drive took 5 hours up to what we finally arrived at the start of the overcast, very wet, Pyg track trail, located in the parking lot of Pen-y-not. We leave at 15:04. The Pyg track takes you upward to a ridge, at the wire, looking at valleys and lakes which lie at the foot of Mount Snowdon. Ascension began immediately, during which I asked myself what I myself in. The weather conditions get worse because we won elevation. Not only it was foggy and wet, there were gusts that felt like 50 mph. about an hour after the hike, we decided to stop to refuel (pb & Nina are a necessity) and found that we could not even put our packs down without them blowing off the nearest cliff. Out here on ascension offered little to no visibility. Every person we passed that went down was to give us detailed instructions on how to reach the top, we couldn't even see our hands in front of our face. Do not forget, that the wind was always present, so the idea out of our trail map was simply a joke. We managed to reach the final ascent. It is essentially a large mound at the top with a spiral staircase leading up to the Summit where there was a plaque indicating that you were really at the top of Mount Snowdon. I climbed those stairs on my hands and knees for fear of literally be swept off the coast at the top of the mountain. Quickly after hitting the plate, we began the descent, taking care of is not to take a single step in the wrong direction. We intend to take the track down the mountain but rather found Pyg track of minors. This track took us down into the Valley at the same level with the lakes that we had admired and looked down on from above, on the Pyg track. After entering the past most of the mist and wind, the rest of the hike has been quite amazing. We reached our car at exactly 7:04 and after 4 hours, 7 miles, 3 562 vertical feet of elevation gain, it collapsed to the ground.
Then, highest peak of Scafell Pike, England
Was up to top of Scafell Pike, England. This peak is probably the most difficult of the three, as it gets fairly technical upward. The drive to the trailhead of Snowdon at the trailhead of Scafell was about 5 more hours. There are several different starting points, while ranging in difficulty. The easiest route to the top is the beginning of the trail from Wasdale. We decided to remove the starting point of Seathwaite especially because Seathewaite farm at the base is a large campground with shower and toilet, and we desperately need to shower. We set off on the trail of Seathwaite about 10:30 (I recommend to start earlier), which began in a beautiful valley, surrounded by the gills and full of sheep. From there it was purely vertical ascent. At some point, we decided to take what looked like a shortcut, but after consulting our trail map, we realized that we were very wrong and he could have to end up in a totally different mountain. That being said, I highly recommend buying a trail from the visitor center map in Keswick before embarking on the hike. We were lucky to have a partly sunny day while we were hiking, as we have witnessed the most amazing views of several points along our trek. We had a pb & j under a waterfall for lunch and met many other backpackers from all around the world who came to hike of the three peaks. After a climb/scramble through rocks, cliffs and waterfalls across the road from the corridor, we started ascension to the top. He certainly lived up to his intimidating reputation. It was a vertical cliff of the shale rock, and it was no longer possible to walk on two feet; Instead, we had to use both hands so literally climb to the top. Almost immediately after scaling, cleared the clouds and a blue sky appeared so that we looked out over the majestic peaks of England who were around us in all directions. After having taken it all in and take lots of pictures, we began the descent. Down is usually more difficult than going to the top in my opinion, and that was certainly the case here. We had to take extra precautions during the descent on the almost vertical way loose and rock rubble to prevent us from free fall to the bottom of the face of the Pike! Slowly but surely, we made our way down the ridge and from 16:30 we were back to our camp. This pic was 9.5 miles round trip and was 3 209 feet in elevation.
Of climbing Ben Nevis
Finally, the final Summit haunted and excited our dreams that night that we rested for the third part of the challenge. Note: we didn't rest until after traveling nearly 6 hours to a campsite about an hour from the base of Ben Nevis, the highest peak of each of them, located north of Scotland. We woke up at 06:00 to pack our camping gear and drive to the start of the Ben Nevis path and seriously, I wondered how I would be able to complete the challenge with jello legs. We begin hiking until 09:00 and everything as we began the hike, a group of people came running in front of us and in the parking lot. We learned later that these brave souls were on the 24-hour period and that he had already made up and down the Ridge this morning. Nothing like a little confidence boost before climbing the highest mountain in the United Kingdom. From the beginning, we realized that this would be the steepest peak of all. The trail is essentially vertical for the first hour; It was as if I rode thousands of stairs. Then it turns into a path steep slalom which does not stop until you are at the top. The repetition of the course, the unrelenting pain in my legs and the mental battle that I fought in my mind started to happen to me. The only thing that really me perked up was the first signs of snow. This meant that we were really close to the Summit. After a serious temperature drop and pitch of my friend, I got a second wind and was suddenly on the Summit. I can't say that the views were great, as it has been completely encapsulated in the clouds, but nonetheless it was an incredible feeling. Especially when I was at the top of a monument and was the highlight of l' across the country. After that we got our photos and other kissed several times on occasion, we went down Ben Nevis at a pace that is extremely slow and tired. We did it to our car at 15:00 and after 3.5 hours, 10 miles, and 4 409 vertical feet of elevation, I had officially addressed the challenge of Peak 3. I highly recommend this adventure to all my fellow hiking enthusiasts!