Weve done it!

Well, thats hill number 3 finished off! It was a tougher climb than I remember, especially the second leg past the halfway cafe, which was fairly brutal after all that has gone before. The sun was out at the top and views once again stunning, a rarity for Snowdon any time of the year! Were back in Betws now having had a lovely hot shower, and getting some good welsh cooking and beer in to us! Thanks for your comments and support everyone, it was much appreciated.

And so to Snowdon

Here we are, one left before a well earned beer. Danny in to bolster the team and get the old fellas up one last hill!

Scafell conquered!

At 07.48 today the intrepid Team-GIS reached the summit of England's highest mountain Scafell. A competitive spirit and lack of hangovers meant the team were breath in great form, closing down 3 teams who started ahead of us, and catching another at the peak!
The sun shone, the views were breathtaking and all returned in good spirits at just gone 10. On the road now to the mighty Snowdon and then possibly a small sweet sherry to round off the day. The ascent on Snowdon starts at 2.45.

Breakfast at 3am

Leaving Southwaite services after a couple of uncomfortable hours trying to sleep in the van in the car park. Got checked out by a police car around 2, probably wondering what the steamed up van was all about! Then a lovely cooked breakfast, dry off the fleeces and top up the water. On the road to Scafell for a 5.20 start. Only about 14 hours left now to a shower!

On the A82 with the beautiful lakes and mountains all around, as the sun sets, and listening to Elgars Enigma Variations. Feeling almost spiritual! Team-GIS all relaxing and Jules guiding us safely through the night.

One down - sort of.

Well thats Ben Nevis ticked off. The good news is we made it in one piece. The bad news is we were turned back before the top because of snow and wind! The amusement was provided by Nick. Both his turquoise boots disintegrated - one about a third of the way up, the other two thirds of the way down! Just as well i brought a spare pair and in his size. Dinner in Fort William now then down to to Southwaite services to wait for our 5 am start to scafell. Here are some pics for you to enjoy!

Ben Nevis.

About to set out!

Were just about sorted and ready to crack on. Ross is going for it so fingers crossed! Still raining here but hoping itll ease as we climb. Will update you about 6.30 when we should be down!

Its raining

Its raining

Heading for the hills

After a good nights sleep and a plate of fried breakfast style content, were off to Fort William. No ill effects from last nights beer and whisky hydration plan. However late fitness test on Ross foot required before we name the final team!

Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone

Settling down discussing tactics

Were having a quiet beer and planning our assault tomorrow. Signing out now but back in the morning. Night all!

Arrived.

Were here in a very pleasant place called The drovers inn just north of loch lomond and enjoying a well earned pint of 80 shilling. Haggis on order and then an early night - maybe!

Were in glasgow scotland!

Just driving through somewhere called The Gorbels! Stopping at this local hostel for a nice glass of house red and nibbles! Splendid!

Carbing up at Seathwaite services Burger King. As you can see we are highly tuned athletes! Technical hitch though. The radio has jammed on a frequency that is just static or my ipod played very loudly! Team has voted for the static, im very hurt! Gareth

Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone

The team at the m6 toll road services

Stocking up on coffee and wine gums.

On the road!

Weve picked up the van and were on the road! Ade first in the drivers seat.
Gareth

Follow progress via live map updates!

Ross has really pushed the envelope and integrated GPS, Twitter and web mapping technology to produce a live map tracking website. It sends updates on our exact location on a regular basis back to a server, so you can see our location. It's very cutting edge, so be prepared for some glitches!

http://www.exprodat.net/GPSTracking/

Last minute preps

A day of hunting for gloves, elasticated bandages and blister plasters! Last minute preparations are under way, and almost obsessive refreshing of the Met Office weather forecast site. It's looking rather wet for Ben Nevis on Saturday, but I have high hopes for better weather on Scafell and Snowdon. We might even see something off the top of Snowdon for a change! I got a rather worrying email from a mate yesterday, relaying tales of 80 mph wind, rain, rescue teams and sprained knees on the 3-peaks last year. And that was in June! Thanks for that Gareth. We head off from London at 9 tomorrow. I just hope the other 6 in the car enjoy my special 400-track playlist I've compiled on my iPod!

Ross is working on a position tracker to go with the blog - watch this space!
Gareth

Preparation is well under way!

Welcome to the first post on the official Team-GIS 3-Peaks challenge blog! We're just a few days away from jumping in to our VW Transporter and starting a 10 plus hour drive up to Scotland, ready for the start of the challenge on Saturday afternoon. We've trained like Spartans over the past couple of months at Box Hill in Surrey, along the aptly named 'Knacker Cracker' 1/2 marathon course, and we're all up for it. We've had a late scare with Ross, who has what looks suspiciously like gout (he says tendinitis) but he's ready to go through the pain barrier nonetheless! I hope to post regular updates and photos as we progress through the weekend, so please keep an eye out for new stuff. And if you can, please visit the sponsorship website and drop a few quid in the fund: http://www.justgiving.com/teamgis_3peaks