Next Training Walk - Sunday 5th April

Hello,

We will be holding another training walk for those who couldn't attend the last one.
The walk will be the same as last time, meet at Worth Matravers in the car park at 1030 am.

The walk is on a Sunday - hope most can make it.

This is a good introductory walk to get you started, however there will be harder ones to follow.
You can use all the maps and directions from the emails for previous walk.

Thanks

Three Peaks Team

Pics of the Training Walk at Worth Matravers - 28/03/2009

Hi there! Many thanks to those who came to the first training walk in Worth Matravers today - we had a great time!

We understand that many of you couldn't make it due to work etc but please ensure that all walkers attend at least one walk as the mountain paths when we do the Three Peaks in August are very different to those on grass, normal paths etc.

Myself, Dan, Vicky, Ant, Alexis and Vanessa had a great time and we were all smiles at the end of it even though the aches were starting to creep in! We even treated ourselves to a well deserved drink at the end! Please see pics below of the day!

Special mention goes to Vanessa Targett who attempted Snowdon today - well done!!

See you all soon!!

Thanks - Michelle x

Minutes - 7 March 2009

Thank you to everyone who were able to make it to the meeting. We got a lot sorted and will have our next meeting at 11.00 am on 2 May 2009, again at Key West. If you have any queries in the meantime please email inmemoryofgem@googlemail.co.uk or call/text Michelle on 07779 652282 or Dan on 07921 147342.

Please can everyone note that as the Minutes from the meeting on 7 March 2009 were so detailed and long, they will not be posted on this blog.

If you lose or delete your email containing the Minutes and wish to have another copy please email inmemoryofgem@googlemail.co.uk or call/text Michelle on 07779 652282.

We look forward to seeing you all at the training walk on 28 March - details have already been sent to you all.

Thanks!

Amendment to Training on 20 June!

Hi guys!!

Just noticed that the training day on 20 June coincides with the Race for Life in Bournemouth so we will therefore cancel that date and will reschedule - further date to be advised!!

THREE PEAKS TEAM

Training for The Three Peaks - General

As you all know that crazy idea you all signed up for is looming ever closer! Climbing the three highest peaks in the UK will be tough, especially when we will attempt to complete this in less than 24 hours.

Therefore I have devised a series of training walks.

These are designed to introduce the novice walker and let you progress onto the finale taking place on 21st - 24th August for Gemma.

These training walks are optional, however they are strongly recommended, to give you a taster of the physical exertion and effort needed from yourself for the main event.

It is not expected or realistic for everyone to attend all walks. However it is recommended to attend at least two of the walks and as the bare minimum just one mountainous walk. The reason for this is so you can better prepare yourself and get used to the speed we will be walking across the terrain.

The dates and locations are as follows:

Saturday March 28th – Worth Matravers (Local Walk, just past Wareham – No Mountains)

Saturday May 16th – Snowdonia (Practice route up Mt Snowdon)

Saturday June 6th – Kimeridge Bay (Local Walk, just past Wareham – No Mountains)

Saturday June 20th – Snowdonia (Practice route up Mt Snowdon)

Saturday July 25th - Lake District (Practice route up Scafell Pike)

Information Packs
Information packs will be distributed via email for each training walk three weeks before the event.
These will include details on how to get there and timings for meeting in the local area.
Maps will also be supplied detailing the chosen walking route, suggested accommodation and routes to get there.

Equipment for training walks
Essentials:-

- Walking Boots/Shoes (boots recommended for extra ankle support)
- Walking Socks
- Walking Trousers (could be jogging bottoms or combats)
- Base layer (i.e. T-shirt)
- Fleece or Jumper
- Waterproof jacket
- Waterproof trousers (optional)
- Hat
- Gloves
- Small Rucksack (25 litres ideal)
- Water (approx 2 litres)
- High energy snacks (sufficient for 5 hours per mountain)
- Small first aid kit
- Ankle or Knee support (if you need it)
- Camera (am sure there will be some Kodak moments)
- Sense of Humour (better to laugh than cry)

Most of this can be brought from either Millets or Blacks, some even from Tesco.

Mountain Training Walks (general)
Due to the distance involved it is advised to travel up the previous night, however it can be done in a day albeit a very long one. It is also advised to stay the night after the walk as most people will be extremely tired from a day on the Mountain.

Myself and Michelle will be travelling up on the Friday night of each walk, I have three spaces in my car but they are on a first come first served basis. We will split the fuel costs equally. We will also stay for the Saturday night, then travel home on Sunday morning after a good breakfast.

You will need to organise your own accommodation and transport for the training walks.

Michelle and I will be staying at Youth Hostels in the Lake District and Snowdonia.

Snowdonia
Capel Curig or Pen-y-Pass (both will be near to start point and can be booked online at www.yha.org.uk )

There is also a Travelodge and Premier Inn, these are in the towns of Caernarfon and Bangor, about 25min drive from Mt Snowdon. If booked early enough these are very well priced.

Lake District
Wast Water or Eskdale (both will be near to start point and can be booked online at www.yha.org.uk )

These are just suggestions if you want to stay in a more comfortable B&B or even go camping then there are plenty of available options.

Walk Day
We will all meet on the Saturday morning at a point and time designated in each information pack.

The walk should take us most of the day to complete, hopefully enjoyed by all. Then you have the evening free to either drive home or have a drink and a meal, then drive back on Sunday morning.

Final Note
Hope to see you all on at least one of the training events! Then you will all be ready for the main event in August and it will be a doddle!

Any problems or questions give me a call on 07921 147342

Many Thanks

Dan

First Meeting!!! - 11.00 am @ Key West, Bournemouth Pier - Sat 7 March 2009

We were going to make this time a bit later in the day but obviously there will be quite a few of us and we’ll need to get there before the lunchtime rush to ensure that we have enough seats for us all!

We’ll draw up an Agenda so that we can have some sort of organised meeting.

We still need more ideas for fundraising to cover costs so please get your thinking caps on!

Getting there for the weekend of the challenge

We have heard that some of you may wish to fly up to Scotland rather than come in the minibuses. Please bear in mind that getting to Fort William from Glasgow, Edinburgh or Inverness takes at least 3 hours and obviously you will need to ensure that flight times, train times etc coincide with everything else, for example, everyone needs to be together on the day of the challenge (Sat 22 Aug) by midday in Fort William, NO LATER. It is entirely up to you how you get there but please bear in mind it won’t be straight forward. There are no direct trains down from Inverness (it will take at least 3 hours to get to Fort William from here by car). If you fly to Glasgow you will need to get a bus into Glasgow City which takes an hour and then get a train from Glasgow to Fort William which takes a further 4 hours.

We have seen that there are flights from Bournemouth to Glasgow with Ryanair which departs at 6.30 am on Friday 21 Aug if you are interested and wish to do this rather than go in the minibus but please bear in mind the above.

As we need to arrange accommodation for Friday 21 Aug we need to know by this Saturday who wishes to fly up on Friday or fly up Saturday and who is happy to come in the minibuses. Please email back as soon as possible regarding this.

We are currently making enquiries with regard to accommodation as it will need to be booked soon as there is such a large number of us as you can appreciate.

If you wish to book your own accommodation please also let us know by the latest this Saturday. Please note that we wish to have everyone staying in Fort William before the challenge (so we don’t have to keep driving round picking and dropping everyone off) and in Bangor (Wales) on the last night once the challenge has completed.

Those of you who wish to travel up in the minibuses, we are hoping to leave at approximately 6.00 am on Friday morning. We will of course be making stops on the way.

Please also bear in mind the cost of the minibuses and fuel. If the money we get by fundraising does not cover the total cost of this, the remaining balance will be split equally between everyone.

Anyway, that’s it for now – please email back as soon as you can

Everything and more will be discussed in more detail at the meeting on Saturday!! We look forward to seeing you all!!!

THE THREE PEAKS TEAM