This evening I was working for our friends Kate & Ross at RAW Adventures. Kate had a full 3 Peaks Challenge event organised and was guiding all 3 peaks herself, with the help of an additional local guide for each mountain.

After a very early start on Ben Nevis, I think just before 6am! The team arrived at Wasdale Head a little before 6.30pm and were raring to go. The weather was set to be good until around 9pm, so we had luck on our side.

I summited with the lead group at around 8.30pm and in full daylight, so views we quite incredible. The wind chill stopped us staying up there too long though, a real biting North-Westerly was blowing!

A few minutes into our descent and another member of the team appeared, a short way ahead of Kate, and asked if i'd take her up to the summit. Why not, summiting twice in one evening is quite a rarity for me, and besides it was much quieter second time around.

We beat a hasty retreat from the windy summit as the cloud began to swirl. Soon the drizzle came, but who cares, we were on our way down and soon enough back in the comfort and shelter of the valley having completed most of the walk without the need for a head torch - bonus.

Big thanks to Kate at RAW Adventures and the great team she brought along. Hope you all did well on Snowdon.

Mark

Tuesday was one of the better days this week and we had a last minute request from the Draysey family for a guided walk. Choices were given - Scafell Pike was a top contender but Helvellyn won the day.  We started from Swirls on the shores of Thirlmere and headed up the path to Brown Cove.  It was a busy day with everyone making the most of the good weather and we set of in t-shirts but as we got higher we met a very cold wind so warms tops and hats were on!   
We opted for the quiet route off the summit via Whiteside and then down the beautiful grassy shoulder back down to the valley. I love this route down as it's rare to meet others on the small paths, and the only sounds we could hear apart from the odd jet flying low over Thirlmere, were the gorgeous Skylarks. 
Thanks for a lovely day Chris, Gerry, Georgie and Zak.
Kate

The photo above shows the scene in Wasdale this weekend! No panic, just a motor-home trying to make it to the campsite at Wasdale Head, all pretty normal and a common enough sight.
Being a busy weekend though, it didn't take long before the traffic piled up and in the region of 100 car were waiting to get through. Some drivers were finding it difficult to stay calm, others relaxed and enjoyed the view, after all there's worse places to be stuck in a jam right.

Driving on the small, twisting, narrow, and often steep roads of Cumbria can be very challenging, particularly so for those in large cars, vans, and motor-homes.

We absolutely adore driving on the twisty lanes and often look forward to the next drive over the Hardknott Pass. This is the steepest road in the UK and even during good weather is quite something, add a splash of rain and things will get very interesting!!

A few things to bear in mind when driving on the Cumbrian lanes:
1) There are a lot of pot holes - so be careful and avoid punctures
2) Farm animals often choose to sleep on the road, try not to drive too fast, especially when going around corners
3) If you encounter animals lying in the road, a very gentle nudge is usually enough to wake them and send them on their way
4) Passing places are just that. They are not for parking in! For a more relaxing drive let other motorists passed by pulling into a passing place, this allows everyone a more pleasant journey
5) The Wrynose and Hardknott passes are the steepest roads in the UK and not to be under-estimated. Even after hundreds of drives over these, during poor weather we always emerge exhausted after the crossing. These roads are not for the faint hearted! They are also the absolute best driving roads in the UK
6) If not used to narrow lanes, it's a good idea to have a practice at a quiet time, then when faced with oncoming traffic on a narrow section of road you will feel more comfortable with the situation.

Having said all that, we firmly believe the Cumbrian roads offer some of the finest driving experiences in the UK, with scenery to rival anywhere in the world. So don't let us put you off, if you enjoy a driving challenge these roads are for you.

3 Peaks challenge season is well and truly upon us and things are getting nice and busy again.

During the early hours of Saturday morning Kate led a group of 4 guys to the summit of Scafell Pike. Weather conditions were excellent so a glorious sunrise witnessed by all, lucky people.

Late on Saturday, I was also on the mountain, working for our friends at Highpoint Mountain Guides, leading a 3 Peaks group. They were a very speedy group of guys from Liverpool, so speedy we were almost back down to Wasdale before darkness fell, a good night indeed.

Our guides were out again during the early hours of Sunday morning. Neil & Verity were leading a group from 'Car Benefit Solutions'. They experienced the full force of mountain weather during their overnight ascent. Heavy rain and some strong winds gave very challenging conditions.

Sunday morning brought brighter conditions again, as I head out onto the slopes of Scafell Pike once more. This time with mother & daughter team Florence and Emma from North Shields.
We enjoyed a steady ascent to Lingmell Col. From here, Emma made the choice to continue to the summit, whilst I led Florence back to Wasdale. It was a very busy day up there, certainly 100's of people. Good to see so many enjoying the beautiful Lake District. Views were glorious, and as far reaching as the Isle of Man!

Our guide Neil was also back out on the mountain. This time with the Crisp family. They followed a route to Mickledore, then traversed over the plateau of Scafell Pike before descending to Lingmell Col then re-ascending to Lingmell before calling it a day and heading back down to Wasdale. I think they ran quite a bit of the route and were only out about 4 hours, top effort.

Thanks to everyone for being a part of this weekend, we really appreciate it. And a special thanks to guides Neil & Verity for their hard work during some very poor weather conditions.

Mark & Kate

Yesterday’s walk up Scafell Pike was part of a last minute weekend away for Alysha and Sergio and as it was their first visit to the Lake District they were keen to walk up to the summit of England’s highest peak. 

We started from Seathwaite, at the head of Borrowdale and had some clear views to the snow covered mountain tops from Styhead Tarn despite the cold sleety rain, then as we headed up the Corridor route the weather got progressively worse and the cloud descended over the tops. There was a strong, cold wind so warm clothes, hats and gloves were on all day – it felt like winter had returned!  Even so our route up the Corridor route was very busy with a couple of big groups heading for the summit, along with the usual walkers – groups of friends, families with children and dogs and quite a few fell-runners.  

We found an excellent sheltered spot near Lingmell Col for a quick bite to eat and then headed to the summit – the path joins the route up from Wasdale at this point and there were now crowds of people on their way up and down the mountain.  The ground covering of snow started to increase and with the cloud down conditions were slowing many walkers down.  However the snow was soft and although slightly slippery in places Alysha and Sergio were sure footed and managed without any problems.  We managed a brief stop on the summit for photos but didn’t linger due to the cold wind, then back to Lingmell Col and another quick stop for a sandwich behind the same rock before heading back down to the valley.

All in all a very wet and cold day but still a lovely day out, with great views and in very enjoyable company.

Thank you Alysha and Sergio!