When August 16th came round this year, I thought I would be nervous and start to wonder why I had signed that form but I didn't, honestly! I was weirdly excited and wished it was a year down the line so I could go right there and then! Probably just as well it wasn't really, my boots are not worn in yet!
So with less than a year to go, my thoughts drifted to my training walks that I want to complete before I go. So below are my top five walks that I am aiming to do before August 16th 2013....
1 - Scafell Pike, Lake District
We are climbing Scafell Pike next Friday and will travel the 6-7 hours up to the Lake District and then stay overnight before we head out early Saturday morning.
> Scafell Pike is the highest peak in England
> It is 978m / 3209ft above sea level
> Kilimanjaro is 6.5 times taller than Scafell Pike......yikes!
> 4 main routes, vary in difficulty and distance. One route will take you 7 miles, while another will take 15 so choose wisely.
> It's part of the "Three Peaks" challenge, which is where you compete to climb the highest mountain in England,Wales and Scotland in 24 hours. It is do-able, amazingly!
As we are doing this next weekend, i'll let you know how we get on and put some pics up!
2 - Ben Nevis, Near Fort William in Scotland.
Locals affectionately call it 'The Ben' and it is the highest peak in the British Isles. It's popular with the locals and tourists and attracts 250,000 people a year. As this is the tallest of the 3 peaks, I will probably be leaving this one till last!
> Highest peak in the British Isles
> It is 1344m / 4408 ft above sea level
> Kilimanjaro is 4.5 times taller than Ben Nevis
> The simplest and most popular route up Ben Nevis is the Tourist Path , also known as the Mountain Route.
> The three peaks challenge normally starts at Ben Nevis and then heads south
3 - Snowdon, Gwynedd, Snowdonia, Wales
I am going to be climbing Snowdon in March 2013 as part of a training weekend with Discover Adventure who I am travelling to Tanzania with.The Welsh name for Snowdonia is Yr Eryri which translates to Eagle's Nest.On a very clear day at the peak, you can often see Ireland, Scotland, England and the Isle of Man.
> Highest mountain in Wales
> It is 1085m/3560ft above sea level
> The summit can be reached by foot or by jumping on the Snowdon mountain railway
> It was first climbed by botanist Thomas Johnson in 1639
> The easiest, but longest route up Snowdon is the Llanberis Path. It is also the route used in the annual Snowdon Race. The most demanding route is the Watkin Route, this route has also been used in many films including Carry on...up the Khyber.
4 - Exmoor/Dartmoor, Devon - England
We visited Dartmoor and Exmoor this summer. Although the summits aren't necessarily high, the terrain's are vast and we encountered everything from woodland to cliff walks to coastal areas.
Our top places to visit were:
> Tarr Steps - A bridge made of stone slabs, which you walk over to get to the woodland. It dates back to the tudor times and is the longest of it's kind in Britain.
> Lydford Gorge - Deepest gorge in the South West. It's a national trust property, in fact most of the walks in Exmoor and Dartmoor are so it might be worth taking out a membership. Visit the Devil's cauldron, a little on the scary side as it's a narrow ledge at the end but definitely worth visiting it.
> Clovelly - A historic fishing village which is famous for it's steep, cobbled high street. No public transport is allowed on the high street so the only way up and down is to walk, and believe me it's a long way up! Fantastic view from the top and it was a great workout on the legs! If you really can't face walking, you can pay a small fee and the village land rover will take you up and down.
5 - Old Man of Coniston - Lake District
The Old Man of Coniston is a fell in the furness fells in the Lake District.
> It is 2634ft/803m above sea level
> It is the 12th most prominent mountain in England
> On a clear day, you can see the Isle of Man, Morecambe Bay and Blackpool tower from the summit
> Routes can vary, but you can do it at an easy pace in about 5-6 hours
> Lots to see on the way up, including copper mines and waterfalls
So that's it, these are my 5 top walks that should hopefully break me into hiking, and prepare me for Mount Kilimanjaro.
I will update after Scafell Pike next weekend!
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