Page 37 - AMA Summer 2023

LEE’S 3 PEAKS CHALLENGE
Lee Wyatt
WHY I TOOK ON THE CHALLENGE
I had been thinking about doing the 3 Peaks 24-hour challenge for a while and an unfortunate event led me to do it. In September 2022, I was supposed to go to France and complete the Tour du Mont Blanc with The Adjutant General Corps, representing the Military Provost Guard Service at Clive Barracks on adventurous training. The Tour du Mont Blanc is a 107 miles round trip of Mont Blanc through France, Italy and Switzerland. I’d been gearing up for the trip since early 2022, buying kit and doing fitness to get myself ready for the event that spanned over 2 weeks. Unfortunately, 12 hours before we were due to depart, the Queen sadly passed on and the expedition was cancelled.
Whilst understanding why the trip was cancelled, I was left with an itch to scratch as I’d spent months doing fitness and preparing kit, and felt I needed to go do something challenging. I messaged a friend (Liam Stewart) and asked him if he fancied doing the national 3 Peaks Challenge. He agreed, along with his cousin (Scott Gillibrand), and we set the date for 16th September 2022.
PEAK 1: YR WYDDFA
(MOUNT SNOWDON)
We started the challenge at Mount Snowdon, or Yr Wyddfa, the highest mountain in Wales’s Snowdonia National Park, sitting at lofty 1085m. It is the pinnacle peak on the Snowdon Horseshoe that also includes another Welsh 3000er, Garnedd Ugain (1065m) and the dangerously hair-raising Crib Goch (923m).
For many, Snowdon is usually the last peak of the challenge, however we decided to spend the night in Scotland after we had finished. At 2000hrs, from the car park near Pen-y-Pass), we started our ascent of the Pyg Track. The track is around 11.2km there and back, which is approximately 6.9 miles, and the ascent gained is 830m. The official height of Mount Snowdon is 1085m, however you won’t gain that much height as you’re not at sea level when you start. The trail starts on a rocky mountainside track with amazing views of Pen-y-Pass and side views of Crib Goch.
About 1.3km in, we had ascended around 170m and came out near Llyn Llydaw, one of Snowdon’s beautiful lakes. We stayed right to keep on the Pyg Track and, from this point on, we had around 2km of fairly flat tracks with a few slight ascents, so nothing too strenuous. We gained around 200m, but this was gradual.
Our next marker was Glaslyn and this is the lake that sits at the basin of Snowdon.
Liam and Scott aside Llyn Llydaw
The track bends round the bottom right of Glaslyn, then starts a 300m ascent that zig-zags up the side between Snowdon itself and Garnedd Ugain. Now, at the final stretch and pushing against time, we hastened our pace as the sun was setting. Although the views were amazing, the winds were high and it was getting chilly. We followed the rail track at the top for about 1.2km and then veered off to the left, up a sort of ‘hopping stone’ path to the final ascent. The views at the top were mesmerising but slowly faded away with the setting sun. So, we took a few pictures and made our descent – in the dark.
I would recommend STRAVA maps in addition to your trusty OS map and compass to plan your routes, especially if it will run into night-time. You can also use FAT maps (https://fatmap.com). A head torch is also a must for routes that take you close to night-time walking. We finally made it back to the car park at 2208hrs, then made our way to Scafell Pike in Cumbria.
PEAK 2: SCAFELL PIKE
Scafell Pike is the highest and most prominent mountain in England, sitting at 978m. It is located in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria and is surrounded by other great peaks such as Kirk Fell (802m), Great Gable (899m), Sca Fell (964m) and Great End (910m).
Arriving 0245hrs at Wasdale car park (CA20 1EX), we were at the start of our
Sunset over Snowdonia
ARMY MOUNTAINEER / 37