Guided Hill Walking day. Scafell Pike. October 5th 2013.

On occasion, Iain gets asked to assist other businesses who run outdoor events and activities with the smooth running of their courses. Only three days after visiting Wasdale to work with Steve Smith on Pillar Rock, he was back again working as a walking guide for employees from The Co-operative Pharmacy who were taking part in a National 3 Peaks Challenge event to raise money for The Carers Trust.

This event was attended by Co-operative employees from all over North West England. Other teams from The Co-operative society were, at the same time, ascending Ben Nevis and Snowdon in order to raise money for this good cause.

Iain was given a team of eight persons to guide from Wasdale Head. Photo one shows them starting up the steepest section of their ascent of Scafell Pike - Brown Tongue at around an hour after starting at around 10:15.

After another two hours and a break for some food & drink, Iain took this photo of his team on the summit of Scafell Pike.

Unfortunately  views on the upper part of the mountain had been completely obscured by cloud but our party made good progress. A real shame they didn't get to see the fantastic views from the summit though!

We were probably surrounded by 100 or so other people many of whom would be undertaking the same challenge. The top of Scafell Pike used to be relatively peaceful, these days it is positively heaving on most occasions!

As we left the summit the temperature dropped and this gave Iain the opportunity to try out a new acquisition - a Mammut Plano Hoody Softshell Jacket currently on test for Myoutdoors.

Mammut describe the Plano Hoody as a cozy winter softshell jacket with a detachable hood. The comfortable material and good heat/weight ratio make it ideal for a wide range of winter sports activities. Features include

• comfortable elastic softshell fabric
• ruffled fleece inside
• Wind & water repellent
• Pre-shaped sleeves with Velcro cuffs
• Detachable hood made from warm, brushed SOFtech material
• 3 Zip pockets
• Adjustable hem width
• with membrane

On the descent, this jacket certainly kept Iain warm and repelled the rain well. We look forward to giving you a more in depth report towards the end of the year as to how this jacket performs in Winter conditions.

Our final photo from this guided hill walking day in The Lake District sees Iain's team emerging from the clouds as we return towards Brown Tongue and distant Wasdale. Wastwater could be seen in the distance and as we descended further, the weather improved and we even got some blue sky & sunshine!

We arrived back at Wasdale Head at around 15:15, so, it took Iain's team only 5 hours to do the round trip to the summit of Scafell and back which was good going indeed.

We trust that all of the Co-operative Pharmacy's  teams achieved success on each of the three peaks and that they raised plenty of money for The Carers Trust. Our congratulations go to all concerned.

If you would like to know more about our guided walking days or weekends in The Lake District then contact us here.