Last weekend I was back up on Scafell Pike, this time working for Highpoint Mountain Guides.
As me & Joe enjoyed a brew down in the Wasdale valley, the evening was pleasant, with a light breeze, no rain, and mostly clear skies. By the time our 3 Peaks Challenge group arrived, the cloud had lowered, but only a little, looking towards Scafell Pike we thought this might be a nice straightforward night.

This view soon changed as the cloud descended to shroud the Hollow Stones boulder field and everything above. By the time we were at Lingmell Col it was commented on that we were in 'Pea soup' - meaning we could see almost nothing! In these conditions a torch is best carried at waist level in order to reduce reflection back into the eyes, thus giving slight increased visibility. Conditions remained like this for much of our ascent and descent, until we were back on the Wasdale side of Hollow Stones.
The team had experienced some difficulties on Ben Nevis, so were behind schedule, but they managed a 4 hour time for Scafell Pike, so made back some time and were feeling much more on track as they headed off to Snowdon. Hope they did good.

A few notes about ascending Scafell Pike during a 3 Peaks Challenge:

• Spending as much time as we do in the mountains and on Scafell Pike in particular, we see plenty of strange behaviour from fellow walkers, last Saturday night highlighted a few of the more dangerous things we see. One of our group commented to me they had noticed someone without a torch (this was circa 1am). I thought this must be a mistake, but no, they really didn't have a torch, and neither did a number of their friends! To navigate over the boulder fields of Scafell Pike, at night, without a torch is crazy, please don't attempt this. There is a very high chance of injury (minor and major)
• 1 torch per person isn't enough. At the very least have a spare set of batteries, but better still is to carry a spare torch
• A relevant map & compass per group as an absolute minimum. Plus the ability to navigate effectively in poor visibility using these tools. Navigating on Scafell Pike can be extremely difficult during the hours of darkness
• Do not solely rely on GPS systems
• The weather can, and does, change very quickly in the mountains. Whilst the valleys may be warm, dry, and clear. The mountains can become very cold, windy, cloudy, and dis-orientating within minutes!
• If in doubt, hire a guide. This will take away the stress of navigating yourself. There are lots of guiding companies out there, us being one of them whom specialise in Scafell Pike. We are available to discuss your plans and can offer advice regardless of whether or not you use our guiding services

This short info panel has been inspired by the Grough article regarding last Saturday night: www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2016/06/27/mountain-leader-i-felt-like-pied-piper-as-numerous-walkers-get-lost-in-dark-on-scafell-pike
Well done Dave, Andy, Rob and the Wasdale rescue team for helping these people out. For all those attempting the 3 Peaks Challenge as a charity fundraiser, have you considered donating a little to the local mountain rescue team: www.wmrt.org.uk  --  all rescue teams in the UK are voluntary so rely on donations.
 

This weekend was a busy one for us on Scafell Pike. We had 2 teams out on Saturday.
First up was Narrinder and friends on Saturday morning. They were preparing for a 3 Peaks Challenge event in about 3 weeks time. Realising they would be ascending Scafell Pike during the hours of darkness, they had the forethought to visit the mountain ahead of the challenge date in order to familiarise themselves with the terrain and spend the day doing some valuable training.
We ascended from Wasdale and stayed on the Lingmel Col route throughout, as this is the 3 Peaks route. We had a lot of fun and laughs throughout the day. Some knee pain experienced too! Overall a good day which I hope proves very useful for the event.

Later the same day, well close to midnight actually, I was back in Wasdale. This time meeting Claire and her team of 6 walkers completing the 3 Peaks Challenge. Their time on Ben Nevis had been a little over 5 hours, so pretty good. When they arrived in Wasdale, everyone was ready within minutes, clearly a well oiled machine of a team, nice one.
We ascended quickly into the thick mist of Hollowstones. Navigating on the summit plateau proved to be a challenge as the mist became ever denser, but with considered progress we didn't put a foot wrong.
We arrived back in the valley a little after sunrise and bacon butties welcomed us, this was an unexpected and much appreciated treat, thanks to George & Don for this.
Time for Scafell Pike was 4 hours 25 minutes, good going team.

The importance of training and preparation:
This weekends teams highlight the importance of proper training over a prolonged period. Narrinder and friends are taking the event seriously and spending time and effort to prepare for what is a tough event. With sufficient training good results can be achieved. Claire's team have clearly worked hard to prepare and that hard work has paid off, with good times for the mountains. But they have also considered their route and schedule carefully and tried hard to minimise faff time at the beginning / end of each mountain, thus saving much time.

Lovely to meet you all

​Mark 
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A belated post from last Sunday !

The early hours of the monring is a lovely time to be in the mountains especially in June when it's light at 4am.  It had rained for most of the night whilst Mark was out guiding another group on Scafell Pike but luckily for us as soon as we set off the rain kindly stopped, making it a very pleasant morning out.  The dampness provided atmospheric views with lovely cloud formations in the valleys and clear views of many of the Lake District fells.

The group of ladies I was guiding up Scafell Pike were from Alsager - Jo, Corinne, Tiz, Charlene, Franca and Jacqui - who were all raising money for Alzheimers charity.  They had put in lots of training, which showed as they easily did this section of the National 3 Peaks Challenge in 3 hours 35 mins, after having done Ben Nevis in 5 hours.

They completed the whole challenge in 23 hours and 22 minutes. Well done all!

Kate

We have a lot of people contact us specifically about Scafell Pike as it's on their 'to-do' or 'bucket list'.
As it's the highest mountain in England, and a mighty fine mountain too, it makes a lot of sense that many want to stand on its rocky summit and soak up the views.

On a clear, calm, summers day reaching the summit is pretty straightforward, but as Andy & Simon witnessed yesterday, those benign conditions can rapidly change and the landscape quickly becomes disorientating.

We set off from the Wasdale Head Inn and followed the Brown Tongue route to Hollow Stones. From here we decided to head for Mickledore, this allowed to us watch the rock climbers high up on Scafell crag. The ground on the approach to Mickledore is loose and makes for tiring progress, once in the gully it's possible to use hands to help with the ascent as the ground is still loose and requires care. Whilst we were in there a walker took a tumble, we were able to assist and ensure they made it safely through the gully.

Once at Mickledore col, we rested and soaked up the extensive view over the Great Moss and into Eskdale. Soon cloud began to build and Scafell Crag disappeared as did the summit plateau of Scafell Pike. Even though I know the terrain up there vey well, I took the precaution of setting the compass and kept a close eye on the bearing as we progressed towards the summit. A number of other walkers had decided to follow us to the top as they didn't know where they were!

Andy & Simon didn't need to worry at all about that, rather they could enjoy the experience, safe in the knowledge that a local guide would take care of all the navigation on their behalf.
The summit remained shrouded in thick cloud and we had torrential rain for a while (this was quite pleasant). The distance rumble of thunder caused us to keep moving in case a storm should come our way.   

Soon we were back out of the cloud, in warm sunshine and enjoying wonderful views of Wast Water. The thunder occasionally rumbled, but wasn't nearby and if anything was moving away from us, this allowed us to relax and take a steady pace back to the Wasdale valley, chatting about geology, farming, lakes, and flowers as we went.

Thanks Andy & Simon and good luck with Ben Nevis

Mark  

Over half term week I’ve been out walking in glorious sunny weather with a mother and her 9 year old son, firstly up Helvellyn via Striding Edge and secondly up Coniston Old Man.  I’ve loved seeing this young lad enjoy something I have such a passion for.  Over the past 2 years we’ve guided him and his mother up two other mountains, Scafell Pike and Crinkle Crags and we've also taken them on a scramble up Jacks Rake, which he has a natural talent for, hence the request to do Striding Edge this year! 

This got me thinking about other children we’ve taken out walking in the Lake District mountains over the past years and also my own experiences which have eventually led to me doing the job I love doing, guiding others up mountains…and so the reason for this blog.

Climb Scafell get many requests for guided walks with children up Scafell Pike in the Lake District, simply because it is England’s highest mountain, but we have also taken families up many other Lake District mountains including Helvellyn via Striding Edge, Blencathra, Coniston Old Man, Cat Bells and Crinkle Crags.  When choosing a route up a mountain we take into account age and experience, as one route is often easier or shorter than another, as in the case of Scafell Pike for which we usually advise on using the Wasdale route for young children, this being the shortest.  But whatever mountain is chosen, we love to inspire children to experience the mountains; to achieve that feeling of elation and achievement on reaching the summit.  

Young children have natural and boundless energy which helps a lot and they just need the encouragement to help them succeed – you only have to go up Scafell Pike on a sunny day during the half term holidays to see how busy it is with parents and children of all ages making the trip to the summit.  However, a degree of fitness does help (for adults and older children in particular) - either from walking (not necessary mountains) or playing other sport – and definitely makes it much more pleasurable.

Don our border collie often helps out – in fact he is often booked by clients for walks with children as he has a magical way of helping take children’s minds off the hard work of walking uphill, and at times even helps out with a bit of gentle pulling here and there – not guaranteed I’m afraid!  Having a guide to take you and your children up a mountain keeps your day free from worry and therefore more enjoyable;  we navigate you, advuse you on kit;  do the decision making, and encourage your children.

Having grown up in a family who were keen on mountain walking I can't help but encourage others to do the same and of course when I had my own children I wanted them to experience the same from a young age. I enjoyed that feeling of ‘being on top of the world’ and have vivid memories of it.  I also loved the peace and quiet of the mountains – a million miles from the hustle and bustle of the town where I grew up.  

Children can get used to the idea of mountain walking even before they can walk.  I was taken out as a toddler, carried on my father’s back using an old rucksack frame which he had adapted into a seat.  My own children were lucky to be carried in a purpose made back carrier as babies and toddlers, a very basic one as there was little choice 30 years ago…no padded seats, headrests and hoods to protect from the sun and rain like the super models available now, but they were snug and comfy and it was a great introduction to the mountains…just being in the great outdoors becomes second nature, part of life.

Depending on their age, expectations for days out walking in the mountains usually need to be lowered, starting with short walks, small summits and if possible only in good weather.  I clearly remember the first summit my daughter walked up when she was 3 1/2 years old - Swirl How in the Lake District.  My son was just 7 months old and in the back carrier.  It was a glorious sunny day and we started from the top of the Wrynose Pass so that the amount of ascent was halved and we could take our time.  I was lucky, she took to mountain walking easily with little complaining.  However not all children are the same.  My son would complain the whole way up the mountain; he would sit on the ground and refuse to go an inch further.  However I didn’t give up, I found ways to encourage him – sweets and other food treats were useful bribes ‘you can have one when we get to that rock up there’.  We also sang songs and even played ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ when he was small.  I’m sure this was amusing to other walkers but it worked.  As he got older games of ‘I Spy’ and the like worked well too. Above all I was patient and it took as long as it did.  You may well think, why did I keep doing this if he didn’t like it…well, when we reached the top of the mountain my son became a different child, he became the ‘King of the mountain’ and completely forgot about the ascent. The downhill too was a doddle to him!  So when asked what he would like to do the following day of the holiday, much to my amusement I would hear him ask ‘to go up another mountain’ – memory is a funny thing! 

Walking up a mountain is a challenge for most people, if it’s easy then many of us find a way of making it harder – bigger peaks, more peaks, adding scrambles to the route etc.  The sense of achievement is what makes us feel good about ourselves.  Children will also feel this, although at the time they won’t necessarily think of it in the way that we do. 

So why not give it a go.  If you have mountain walking experience yourself then find an achievable mountain and put the day aside to climb it.  Or book a mountain guide for the day and let Climb Scafell help you achieve what you might not have though possible!

Kate
June 2016

It's that time of year again, when 3 Peakers take to the slopes of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon for this demanding challenge.
Last night I was guiding Alice, Rachel, and Chrissy on Scafell Pike. They were self-guiding the other peaks, but decided to hire us for Scafell Pike as this would be a night time ascent. 
The girls arrived at Wasdale Head bang on schedule and were organised to set off for Scafell Pike pretty quickly.

The night was clear and calm, the forecast was excellent. Our target time was 4 - 4.5 hours and we actually did it in 3h 57 mins, awesome. Even though the mountain was busy, with some massive groups up there, we enjoyed the summit to ourselves and managed to have a few 'torches off' moments to stargaze.

Nights like this are unusual, but wow, when they do come along the mountain scenery is mind-blowing.

Driving home as day begins to break on another beautiful Lakeland day rounded off a pretty amazing, if tiring night out.

Alice, Rachel, and Chrissy are doing this challenge to raise funds for 'Hearing Dogs' and are already on around £1500 - good effort!
Thank you

​Mark