She'll be coming round the mountain...

Another mountain conquered - this weekend we ventured 'up north' to Cumbria to climb the highest peak in England; Scarfell Pike.

I am not one for camping, even in nice sunny weather, as the whole communal toilets and showers (normally worked with 20p pieces and the plugholes full of hair - ugh!) and generally 'roughing it' for days is not my idea of fun. However, the most recent camping experience in Snowdon was enlightening to say the least. I think the glorious sunshine and spectacular views sold it to me, that plus the fact it was only one night!!

So, with the 'fun' camping experience under my belt I was eager to see how I fared on a four day, three night tent mission. Well...I am not sure the people of Cumbria have ever seen the sunshine as I certainly didn't when I was there! The sky was mainly grey, quite misty and it rained, serious downpours for hours at a time!

The actual climb was incredible - hard work but well worth it. 1000m up and around 2.5 miles to get there, including steep pathways, stepping stones, a mountain river to cross and finally an almost vertical rocky face (which Reg, the dog, bravely shot up with a little help up the rear!)

So, Lion's Head, Table Mountain, Snowdon and Scarfell Pike all conquered - what next, Everest? On the basis that Snowdon took one night of camping and Scarfell Pike, three (plus investment in some walking shoes, breathable shorts and a base layer), I think Everest may require significantly more nights, not to mention kit and I doubt the campsite facilities on base camp one would include communal toilets and hairy showers! Perhaps I should ensure any future adventures include sunshine and limited amounts of 'roughing it'!