BHF Lakes Peaks Challenge

How do I select the number of peaks I wish to attempt?

At the time of booking you will be asked to select between either 3, 5 or 8 peaks. Please indicate which route you wish to attempt at this stage.

If you need to alter your choice at a later date then please contact challenges@charitychallenge.com

Which peaks does each route attempt?

Each of the 3, 5 and 8 peaks route have as their principle aim the summit of Scafell Pike. All teams will follow a very similar route to reach Scafell Pike. The number of peaks you are attempting will then alter the exact route.

The exact peaks that you summit may vary depending upon weather conditions. The routes are aimed at including the following peaks:

3 Peaks: Rossett Pike (651m), Allen Crags (784m) and Scafell Pike (978m)

5 Peaks: Rossett Pike (651m), Allen Crags (784m), Ill Crag (930m), Great End (907m) and Scafell Pike (978m)

8 Peaks: Rossett Pike (651m), Allen Crags (784m), Ill Crag (930m), Broad Crag (934m), Esk Pike (885m), Bowfell (903m) Great End (907m) and Scafell Pike (978m)

Please note that the precise order that you attempt these peaks will be at the discretion of your mountain leader and will depend upon group fitness and weather conditions.

What happens if I cannot complete the number of peaks I select?

This is no problem. All of the teams will be in radio contact with each other and a checkpoint will be setup in the mountains to support anyone who needs to join a different team who are attempting a different number of peaks.

Responsible Tourism

At Charity Challenge we are committed to sustainable and responsible tourism. On this challenge in particular, we always liaise with the rangers at the Lake District National Park to make sure that we minimise our impact on the local environment. Our leaders care passionately for the environment and will be keen to talk to you about how you can do your bit to conserve the local area and enhance your experience. We believe that acting responsibly should add to your enjoyment of the challenge so we won’t lecture you about not dropping litter. Instead we’d like to encourage you to support ‘Fix the Fells’ who maintain the excellent footpaths we will be walking on. Fix the Fells have an excellent website that provides information on their fantastic work and allows you to donate to them directly. Their website can be viewed here. We would also like to encourage all our participants to spend a little extra time in the local area. Why not consider booking an extra night in a local B&B, and go out for a meal in one of the excellent local pubs after the challenge? Not only will you be able to celebrate your achievements but you will also be putting more money back into the local area. For extra information, please visit our Responsible Tourism section.

Safety

Charity Challenge considers the safety of all of our participants and staff to be a top priority, and as such we have set up Challenge Safe, one of the most advanced and thorough safety management systems in the industry. Challenge Safe formalises our ethos when it comes to safety, and brings together the procedures and risk management strategies that we use to audit all aspects of our challenges, from vehicles to accommodation to the challenge activity itself. Your welfare is absolutely paramount!

Here are a couple of important points that you should be aware of:

• The terrain on the challenge is often rocky and in wet conditions can be extremely slippery. Please make sure that your walking boots have good grip. Trainers are not appropriate as they lack grip.
• The weather on the summits of the hills can be very different to down in the valleys. Please make sure you carry an additional warm layer, waterproof jacket and trousers and a hat and gloves.
• The ascent of Scafell Pike is particularly steep and does involve the use of your hands to a small extent.
• 12 hours is a long time to be out on the hills. Ensure that you eat lots throughout the day and keep yourself hydrated by drinking lots of fluids.
• The terrain across Bowfell and Crinkle Crags can be very loose and rocky and should be taken with care.

Toilets

There will be toilet facilities both at the start and end of the trek; however during the challenge such facilities will be limited to the great outdoors!

Food & Drink

Breakfast, a packed lunch and a buffet dinner will all be available at the event start/finish point. The drinking of alcohol the night before the challenge is strongly discouraged for your own health and safety during this tough challenge.

Accommodation

No accommodation is provided for this challenge. We would like to encourage all participants whenever possible to book a few extra nights in the local area to fully enjoy their challenge and to put money back into the local communities. However, there are lots of excellent accommodation options to suit all budgets. In the Langdale valley there are several hotels and two campsites. One is the Langdale National Trust campsite and the other can be found at Baysbrown Campsite. There is also an excellent hostel in the beautiful village of Elterwater, this is only a 15 minute drive from the start/finish of the trek. A more comprehensive choice of accommodation can be found in the larger towns of Ambleside and Windermere which are approximately a 30 minute drive away. For a full list of accommodation choices in the Lake District please check out the Go Lakes website.

There are several hostels that are within a 10-20 minute drive of the start of the challenge.

The two closest are the Elterwater Hostel and the YHA Langdale:

http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/langdale

http://www.elterwaterhostel.co.uk/

Alternatively there is the YHA in Ambleside, this is about a 25 minute drive away.

http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/ambleside

If you wish to stay right next door to the start/finish of the trek then you can also stay in the Great Langdale Bunkhouse:

http://www.greatlangdalebunkhouse.co.uk/

Other more expensive options for you would include the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel which is also located right next to the start/finish.

Finally, a whole host of accommodation options can be found at the GoLakes website:

http://www.golakes.co.uk/accommodation/

Getting there

We will confirm the event location at no later than 1 month prior to the start of the challenge. However, we usually use the Sticklebarn pub in Greater Langdale as a base for your challenge. This town is not conveniently served by a nearby train station. the nearest train station is at Windermere and although a bus service does operate to Langdale it does not do so early in the morning.

We will send across all driving details, plus the address of the registration point, at no later than 1 month prior to departure.

Challenge Timings

Your challenge begins early in the morning and you will need to arrive in Greater Langdale for around 6.30am in order to maximise the time available to complete the challenge (precise arrival times and instructions will be sent out 1 month prior to the challenge) When you arrive you will be able to register and then enjoy a hearty breakfast whilst meeting your leaders and listening to their safety briefing.

You will be walking for approximately 12 hours, which makes your trek a very long day. You can expect to arrive back at the finish at around 19.00. Delays can happen, and the return time will all depend on the speed of your group, so please do try and book flexible return arrangements. At the finish there will be a hot buffet dinner available before you depart.

Why book with Charity Challenge

• Everything included from the moment you arrive. Breakfast buffet, packed lunch and then a glass of champagne and a buffet dinner to celebrate at the end.
• The very best Mountain Leaders, who are fully qualified, highly experienced, knowledgeable and fun. They will do everything to help you complete the challenge and have a great time doing it.
• Ethical consideration. For every participant we donate money to ‘Fix the Fells’ in order to protect the beautiful route that we use. We also do our best to use local suppliers, which helps us to put money back into the local area.
• The highest quality Lake District charity trekking experience on the market!

Terrain

Despite its location in the UK, the difficulty of this trek should not be underestimated as it includes one long day of hiking, with tough ascents and descents. The route is predominantly on good paths, but it's the variation of rugged boulders, scree and bog that makes this challenge a unique and fun experience. In particular terrain on the approach to scafell Pike, and on the paths around Bowfell and Crinkle Crags can be loose and very rocky.

Climate

As you know, the weather in the UK can be highly unpredictable and at times erratic, so being prepared is the key! We will run UK challenges between April and October, and although the summer months of June-August should be, in general, warmer, sunnier and more stable in terms of the weather conditions, we all know that this isn’t always the case. Please check the weather forecasts up to ensure that you bring clothing suitable for warm sunny walking weather and also sudden wind and downpours should they occur.

Leadership

We employ experienced and fully qualified mountain expedition leaders to accompany and lead you. The mountain leaders are first aid qualified and have extensive experience in leading expeditions throughout Britain and overseas. They will be ultimately responsible for the running of the itinerary and the safety of your group. They will be carrying full safety equipment and mountain first aid kits with them at all times.

How does the team concept work?

Once you have selected the number of peaks you wish to undertake then you will be allocated a team of between 10-20 people who are also attempting that number of peaks. Teams will be allocated to you when you arrive at registration.

We encourage everyone taking part in this event to view this as a team challenge. Everyone taking part will be raising fantatsic amounts of money for BHF so we hope that everyone will support each other to complete the challenge.

This event is not run as an event, and is not suitable for people wishing to test themselves to see how quickly they can complete the route.

If it becomes necessary for people to move between different teams during the trek then the leaders are all trained to help facilitate this. Please just communicate this to your leader.

Insurance

We don’t offer insurance for our UK trips, as any medical emergencies would naturally be covered through the NHS. If you wish, you could look into your own policy that covers cancellation for travel within the UK.

Money

During the trek there are not any opportunities to spend any money. At the end of the trek there are several very nice pubs next to the finish area. We would advise you should need no more than £20.00, excluding your joining and returning home travel costs.

Training

The Lakes 8 Peaks Challenge is a long, sustained event over 12 hours and covering mountainous terrain with steep ascents and descents. Therefore it requires a good level of fitness. The ideal training for this challenge is, naturally, hill walking. However, if you do not have the luxury of living near the hills, then the stairs at home (or an office block) are a great place to start. Most training should be part of an ongoing lifestyle, but if this is not the case then you should begin training 2-4 months prior to the challenge and gradually build up as suggested. Remember to use the walking boots that you will be wearing on the challenge in order to get them worn in, and take the daysack that you will be using during the challenge.

There is no substitute for walking in the hills so try if possible to get out on a weekend and train in an area with steep hills. You should progress to training with your boots on from week 4 at the latest, but preferably from week 1. The more you exercise before the expedition, the more you will get out of it. Also see your Charity Challenge Fitness Training notes.

Clothing and Equipment

Equipment of good quality and durability could make the difference between a fantastic challenge experience and an uncomfortable one. For this challenge, waterproof and well-worn in boots will be indispensable. The terrain is uneven and can be very rough, so it is vital that you use a strong pair of canvas or leather boots with good ankle support for this challenge, coupled with a pair of good quality walking socks. Sports trainers are not suitable. The benefits of a comfortable day sack cannot be underestimated - so make sure that you train with this. Other essentials are high quality gore-tex waterproof and windproof jackets and trousers, as well as technical/wicking t-shirts rather than cotton shirts. We would like to emphasize that jeans should not be worn on this challenge. A full kit list for this challenge can be found here. Once you book you will have access to kit discounts with our partners The Outdoor Shop, Outdoor Hire and Cotswold Outdoor.

Level of Difficulty

The Lakes Peaks challenge is graded as tough. This is the perfect challenge for participants who are of an adventurous spirit and an open mind, who have taken part in other trekking challenges and now wish to test themselves in a slightly more wild environment. You can tell your supporters that on your Lakes Peaks Challenge you will be:

• Trekking for around 12 hours in a single day.
• Covering 14 miles of undulating mountainous terrain, in a remote area of the Lake District.
• Ascending over 1600m in a single day. That’s more ascent than Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain!
• Summiting some of the highest hills in the Lake District, Rossett Pike (651m) Allen Crags (784m) Ill Crag (930m) Broad Crag (934m) Scafell Pike (978m) Great End (907m) Esk Pike (885m) and Bowfell (903m)