Update - 03/02/08

I keep writing half of one of these updates on my laptop and then forgetting to upload the things. It’s worrying that laziness has set in this close to the new year.

So, the challenges. Things are going well, I’ve been up to Yorkshire to check out part of the route and been walking along the Offas Dyke path fairly regularly to help build up the stamina. Finally I’ve come to realise that I’ll never be able to complete these challenges if I stop every hour for a coffee break. The realisation hit me when it took me 7 hours to walk 10 miles. A pretty dire performance, but to be expected if I spend half and hour out of every 2 sat on my backside drinking coffee and thes rest of the time wondering around looking at the scenery!

The Severn Way Walk is on hold until the floods have fully subsided. I don’t fancy drowning trying to complete these challenges. I’m still short of a team if the Longmynd Hike is to be a possibility. I’ve got one more person to ask and then it’s a matter of searching a couple of 3 peaks websites for similar minded people. I still can’t believe so few people are interested in doing this kind of thing.

Hopefully I’ll be visiting Scafell Pike in the next month to get an idea of how difficult the climb will be. It looks like it’s the navigation that causes the problems rather than the climb itself. Looking at pictures it seems the path just disappears half way up and you just have to make you’re way across a boulder field. Let’s hope I’ve figured out how to use the compass by then.

The date is now set for the Yorkshire 3 peaks. We’re off up to the Dales on May 10^th for a week’s holiday so at some point that week the first part of these challenges should be completed. At least going up on holiday means I’ll be able to meet up with someone half way round and grab some food rather than having to carry everything with me. I’m still quietly hoping I’ll be able to complete the walk in about 9 hours rather than 12. This will mean jogging a fair part of way to make up for any stoppages that may occur but I’m pretty confident by May my fitness levels should be up to the task.