When we were asked to do some sort of charity walk, this was our first choice. We had already heard about this previously and we were very keen to give it our best shot. The Cumnock Osteoporosis Society came to our meeting in February and asked if we would accompany them for a good charity. After some good discussions we made arrangements that on June 26th and 27th 2004 we would go and try this very difficult task. The ball was rolling and the very thought of this task was enough to whet anyone’s appetite. The mini bus was booked through The Coalfield Community Group and the driver was nominated as Mr Alistair McConnell. The Osteoporosis Society had nominated two ladies to help us along as well. Names 1and 2 were very helpful as they kept us fed and watered during the full 24hrs we had to complete this arduous challenge. So the day had arrived and all the preparation that we endured was about to be put to the test. We set off from Auchinleck at mid-day and made the journey north to Fort William. When we arrived at 3-45 we were then faced with the decision of either starting straight away or to wait for our agreed time of 6 o’clock. The latter had won the votes as we would then be too early at Scaffel Pike in England and it was thought that it would be too dark and we could have wasted a lot of energy for nothing. So we then took a breather and walked around a little to loosen up and then onto the start at the base of Ben Nevis.

Ben Nevis

We were really prepared for this and we didn’t want to let anyone down (not even ourselves) so at 5-50pm we set off on our challenge. Could we really complete this all in 24hrs? All will be tested to the full. The start of the walk was at the Youth Hostel in Glen Nevis where we crossed the bridge over the River Nevis and onto the path. After only a few meters the path then took a steep ascent and this doesn’t stop till you reach the summit. With a very strong wind in our faces we headed upward and onward following the unmistakeable pathway right to the top of Britain’s highest mountain. We reached the summit in 2hrs 10mins and we knew we were well on track to gain some time on our estimated schedules. On our descent we cut out a lot of the Zigzag path and headed straight down at jogging pace. We reached the car park in 3hrs 22 mins we were delighted with this as our estimated time of 5 hrs was slashed by more than 1hr 30mins. It was a blistering pace that was set for the first mountain and we knew the challenge was on. After getting a quick change of sweaty clothes it was all systems go and we headed for the road to England.

Scaffell Pike

We all tried very hard to catch a little sleep but it was all in vain as every sharp turn or quick jerk of the brakes was to keep us awake. We arrived at Wasdale Head at the base of Scaffell Pike at 3-15am where it was still very dark and it became clear that the head torches would have to be worn from the start. So we headed over the style at the car park and across the field to the starting point of the path. Here we stopped to take a bearing and make our plans of ascent. At this point three other walkers met us and they asked if they could join us, as they weren’t sure about walking around in the dark. So we all joined forces and started to climb up the well-trodden path. As I was leading the pack I got talking to the guys and it became clear that they were all from Derbyshire and they were also doing the challenge. After a while I turned around to see the rest of our team and it wasn’t long before I realised they had left the path and headed up the spur of Lingmell. I was on my own and I wasn’t going to look for them as the visibility was down to around 20 meters and I didn’t have the map so I kept to the path, which eventually took a steep ascent. Thinking I would let the team down I really didn’t hold back and I made my way to the summit. On reaching the top I wasn’t on my lonesome as there was plenty other people doing this challenge. I got chatting to a few lads and asked if they would oblige me by taking my photo and I took some for them. I had a few minutes rest and wondered where the rest of the team was so I checked my mobile and as luck would have it I received a signal. I gave Danny a bell and it became apparent that I was at the top first and the others were “mis-placed”. By this time I was really cold and I couldn’t wait for them to arrive, so I then started my descent. I was heading down when 1 of the other lads asked if I would like to accompany them and see if I could meet up with the rest of the team. I thought this was the wisest thing to do as I didn’t have a map and visibility was very very poor. Before long we then realised that we had taken the wrong path and we were really guessing where we were. It took us nearly 25 minutes to find our way back onto the correct path and by this time I thought that I had let the team down. On reaching the path I then said my farewell to the other lads and went at speed to get to the car park. Alistair met me at the car park and told me I was first down I had completed the walk in 3hours 40 minutes. We had allowed ourselves 4 hours but the rest of the team had not arrived. We waited for a little then Davy and Danny appeared through the mist. They were without Tom who took the long path out to the other car park. All in all we took 4 hours 10 minutes so we had not lost too much of our time that we gained at Ben Nevis. Considering the conditions of the weather we really did do well enough to keep to the schedule and we were still on track to complete the task. So after another change of wet and sweaty clothes we then headed for Wales.

Mount Snowdon

On our journey after reaching the motorway we had to make quite a big pit stop to fuel up etc. So we lost about 30 minutes here but we thought we could spare the time. We then headed for Wales. The weather had picked up a good bit and it wasn’t long before we could see our last piece of the jigsaw, Mount Snowdon. We arrived at our starting point Pen-y-Pass at around 12-45 so we got ourselves ready and then went for the last big push. Following the Pyg Track we started to climb almost immediately. It was really warm but we knew this would change the higher we would get. The summit soon came into view and I can tell you it looked a million miles away as the tiredness crept in. The mountain itself was really busy and at times you wanted to shove people out of the way so that we would complete this challenge. We reached the saddle where we could see the rail track and by this stage the weather turned colder and a lot cloudier. Here we turned and headed for the trig point at the summit. We rested and waited for all the team to get our photos together then it our final destination, back to the car park. At this point we knew that we were making good time and it made the descent a lot more enjoyable. We went down the same path until we met up with another path called The Miners Track. We then proceeded to go down this path. It was a lot steeper for a while but once we reached the Lochans it was a comfortable and relatively flat walk back to the car park. We were always watching the clock and we were really going for it, as we knew that we were going to make it. On turning the final bend we could see our unmistakeable bright yellow bus in the distance. All the pain seems to drain away for a while and the last few hundred metres seemed so easy. Reaching the car park Alistair gave us the welcome news that we had completed the challenge in 22hours 5 minutes. The feeling was brilliant but was even better when the ladies broke open a bottle of bubbly as a celebration for this challenge.

I would like to thank the team, Alistair the driver and the ladies for their contribution to make this challenge a success.