Day 3

So day 3 starts but it begins with consideration of day 4 and going home. We need to make sure Jon the driver taking us the 6 hour drive home is in a fit state. Therefore the rest of us return to Scafell Pike at 4am while he stays at the hotel to lie-in and look after the bags. Little does he know that he has to play hunt the keys at 9:55am in order to hand them in at 10am.

As it starts to get light Foz and I start the climb at Scafell Pike, from Great Langsdale we know it is a longer walk than the normal route for a three peak challenge but this direction saves cycling. Unfortunately the mountain is again covered in mist. Foz has compass, map and GPS but the mist is winning in confusing us. Fortunately as we try and sort out the enigma we hear voices and like all good men, we don't ask directions but pretend to be resting so we can then follow them. It turns out to be a group of students we say hello politely and try to gauge their competency. They get to the same point we do and then become equally confused. We then admit our predicament and Foz has an epiphany and we continue to the top together. If the mist had cleared even a little it would have been obvious.

We come down and it has only taken 8 hours!?!

We return to Jon where more decisions and new plans are arranged. We conclude that the only sensible course of action is to get to Snowdon climb that in the evening and the next day fit some cycling in but starting at Snowdon and return to Scafell.

On the way to Snowdon, though, the van starts misbehaving. We pull into some services and reboot the electronics i.e. switch it on and off, and it seems to work but the doubt is there. However, we continue to Snowdon without mishap.

We arrive at Snowdon at 8pm. This time there is no doubt we are climbing there is no mist and it is a path we know well. In fact we make it in 1hour 40mins even though we had been climbing for 8 hours in the morning. At the summit it is so dark we have to put on head torches, but with Foz's experience we make it back down around 00:30.

Unfortunately, Nicky's injuries have been causing some concern in our absence and with there being no chance of cycling a decent distance in the morning it is decided that the challenge will stop there.