3 Peaks Challenge – Part 1 - Scafell Pike

The last weekend saw the first part of the S. Anselm’s 3 Peaks Challenge. A group of year 8 pupils, accompanied by Mr Watt and Mrs Taylor travelled up to The Lake District to attempt to climb Scafell Pike, standing at 3209 feet, the highest mountain in England.
We travelled up on the Thursday and early signs were not good as we passed through an enormous storm. Arriving in the Lake District, many of the roads resembled rivers and thoughts could only turn to what was awaiting us at the campsite. We managed to find an area that was not too sodden and pitched our tents. We then went for a meal to the Wasdale Head Inn where each member of the party tucked into their food with gusto ready for the challenge that lay ahead the next day.

That night there were some incredibly strong winds that blew through the valley. Our tents did well to remain standing. The same could not be said for many tents around the campsite as we woke up to find many completely flattened by the wind. Windspeed was still an issue in the morning but as the early part of the walk was not exposed we started the walk. As we got higher the strength of the wind picked up but not to levels that were going to turn us back. After almost 4 hours we all reached the top of the mountain and were greeted with some spectacular views of the surrounding area. After returning to the campsite everyone felt pretty tired and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening we had a barbeque courtesy of Chateau Watt (the highlight of the weekend for many apparently!).
That night was far quieter with very little to no wind. This was probably very fortunate as everyone needed their sleep. Waking up in the morning we headed over to the Glaramara Outdoor Centre and were taken to Stoneycroft Ghyll where we all did some Ghyll Scrambling. This really was a highlight for everyone as we made our way down the ghyll sliding down rock slides (sometimes head first!!)and jumping into plunge pools. After this a hot shower was the order of the day followed by a hearty lunch. In the afternoon Mr Watt took the group rock climbing where everyone pushed themselves to the limit. The weekend was topped off by a truly wonderful evening at the Screes Inn in Nether Wasdale. All pupils were impeccably behaved and were an absolute joy to be with. Well done to all for completing the first part of our challenge, next comes the best that Wales has to offer – Snowdon!