Alan Vicarage headed out west to sample the delights of a 3 dayer round the best of the Lakes… thankfully, he’s survived to tell the tale for us.

The Scarpa GL3 arrived on the 3rd may with an overnight camp on Ennerdale showground with registration and a kit check for a Saturday morning start. Saturday arrived with the clouds and the rain, the spare tent was dispatched to the car and off we went, you have a 3 hour window to start when you fancy, I started the Herdwick course which was 19k and 1034m of climbing taking in Great Bourne,Red Pike,High Stile and High Crag, the decent from there was treacherous in the damp but I survived and down Scarth Gap we went to pop out of the clouds on the way to the overnight camp in Buttermere.

The bottom of Scarth was where plans changed with me taking the last opportunity to fall down a ditch with my leg left behind. Buttermere was achieved and a trip to the medic tent was required, first aid administered meant I could put my tent up, feed myself and make it to the beer tent.

Day 2 dawned and it was clear I couldn’t run, so a power walk was required for the café course, 17k, 876m of ascent, back in the clouds again for a course centred around Fleetwith Pike then back to Buttermere, for food and the beer tent again and a free one as well, bed time arrived with clear skies and hope eternal.

Day 3. 15k, 571m of ascent. We woke up to rain bouncing off the tent ( it’s character building stuff apparently). The tent was packed away to be transported to the start, the rain stopped and off we went, and mercifully the lecture we received at the start on how to evacuated the course if we got caught in the forecast thunder storms wasn’t required, we took in Crummock Water and Gavel Fell, from there we could see the finish about 5k away and that’s when the excitement got to me and I started running, very slowly to be fair, but running non the less and the job was done, then off to Keswick YHA for a night without a beer tent, a shower for the first time in three days, and hopefully a good night’s kip!

So what do you get for your efforts on this kind of event is great camaraderie, a bruised elbow, an almost definite big toe nail loss, and one leg twice the size of the other one, oh and an email from them within an hour of finishing, offering early bird entry for next year!