Walker Raising Funds For The Vine Trust

Jonathan Prestage, aged 15, from Kent, hopes to raise sponsorship from the event to support the Vine Trust, a volunteering charity which aims to make a real difference for some of the poorest children and communities in the world.

He is planning go on a volunteering trip to Peru in 2017, with around 30 other students from his school. The purpose of the trip will be be to build and maintain homes for children who have been living on the streets, thus rescuing them from a dangerous and distressing situation. Sponsorship from the event will contribute to the costs of the trip.

Jonathan has taken part in the South Wales 3 Peaks Trial twice before, completing the Bronze Route in 2014 and the Silver Route, which he found quite a challenge in 2015’s conditions!

Jonathan's fundraising page can be found at http://www.vinetrust.org/fundraise/peru3

New Website Being Trialled

We're trialing a new version of the website. Click Here to view the website.

Click Here to let us know what you think!

£8,803 Raised in 2015

Michelle Kelly Award

On 28th June at the Longtown Mountain Rescue Team base in Abergavenny, Cardiff Outdoor Group welcomed Michelle Kelly to present an Award. The Award was to mark Michelle's amazing feat of endurance when, on 28th March 2015 she completed a triple Three Peaks Trial Gold Route Challenge in an absolutely incredible time of 19 hours 50 minutes.

Award Attendees:

Representatives from Cardiff Outdoor Group, Longtown Mountain Rescue Team and Abergavenny Town Council attended the event. In the attached photo, from left to righ, are:

Chris Lewis (Three Peaks Trial Coordinator for Cardiff Outdoor Group);

Jane Ormrod (Cardiff Outdoor Group Committee Member);

Michelle Kelly;

Councillor Nick Tatam (Abergavenny Town Council);

Luke Lewis (Team Leader for Longtown Mountain Rescue).

The Achievement
Michelle's achievement involved climbing over 15,000 feet in 60 miles. To put that in some sort of perspective to climb Mount Everest from Base Camp to the summit involves a climb of 11,500+ feet of ascent in 12 miles. So when you compare a triple Three Peaks Trial to that of climbing Everest you could argue Michelle's achievement was the greater!

The endurance needed was really extraordinary. Chris Lewis, who coordinates the event for Cardiff Outdoor Group said “I’ve completed a single 'lap' of the Three Peaks Trial a number of times and every time have ended the event exhausted almost unable to put one foot in front of the other so I am in awe of what Michelle has accomplished. Its a feat of endurance that went way above and beyond.”

Michelle started at 2:30am on that Saturday morning and with the support of family members who placed a number of glow sticks to guide her in the early darkness, she eventually finished the gruelling feat at 9:30pm in the evening. 

Michelle was asked if she is tempted to try four times and replied “Whilst it would be possible for someone to do the route four times in 24 hours but it won't be me”!

On presenting the award Chris Lewis said to Michelle “You are an inspiration to us all.”

Abergavenny fundraiser Michelle was motivated to undertake this huge challenge in memory of her nephew who died in October 2014. He worked for PGL who help under-priviledged children experience the great outdoors and Michelle raised over £900 for this great organisation.

Definition of Endurance

There are many sayings about endurance which perhaps give us some insight into what Michelle did on that day 28th March 2015. For example a definition often used for endurance is “It’s the power to withstand pain and hardships, it’s the ability to continue despite fatigue, stress or other adversity.”  And the writer JRR Tolkien put it another way and said “It’s not the strength of the body that counts but the strength of the spirit.”

What is the Three Peaks Trial Challenge?

The Three Peaks Trial Challenge Walk was set up in 1963 by local author Chris Barber. The event has taken place every year since with up to 900 people coming all over the UK to tke part and is made up of four different routes. The Gold Route is the original challenge; a circular walk over Blorenge, Sugar Loaf and Skirrid mountains. The Silver Route is a circular walk of about 15 miles with 4,000ft of ascent. The Bronze Route is a circular walk of about 10 miles and 2,000ft of ascent. The Platinum Route is a linear walk of about 17 miles and 5,000ft of ascent from Llanthony Abbey to Abergavenny over Bal Mawr, Pen Cerrig Calch and Sugar Loaf.

Inscription on the Award:

The inscription on the Award reads "Awarded to Michelle Kelly for the Outstanding Achievement of Completing a Triple Three Peaks Trial ‘Gold’ Challenge Walk  on 28th March 2015 in 19 hours and 50 minutes, the only person to have accomplished this remarkable feat of endurance". A photo of the Award is attached.

Event Report in the South Wales Argus

The SOUTH WALES ARGUS did a report of this year's  event. To read the article, 'More Than 700 Complete Abergavenny Three Peaks Trial', CLICK HERE. 

Runner Michelle Kelly Does the 'TRIPLE' Gold Route!

Michelle on top of Skirrid on her third lap!

Last year Michelle Kelly from Abergavenny amazed everyone by doing 'two laps' of the Gold Route. This year she did the incredible and went round THREE times in an extraordinary 19 hours and 50 minutes!  This is a truly amazing achievement.
Michelle started at 02:30 on Saturday morning and with the support of family members who placed a number of glow sticks (which they removed afterwards) to guide her in the early darkness she eventually finished the gruelling feat at 21:20. Michelle was asked if she is tempted to try four times and Michelle said it would be possible for someone to do the route four times in 24 hours but it won't be her!

Also Michelle said the main reason for doing the challenge was in memory of her nephew who died last October. He worked for PGL and Michelle was keen to raise some funds for this organisation who help under-privalidged children experience the great outdoors and so far she's raised in excess of e£900.

THANK YOU TO THE 716 WHO TOOK PART IN THE 2015 EVENT!!!!!!!!

Many thanks to the 716 walkers who took part in this year’s Three Peaks Trial! Another fantastic turnout!

Cardiff Outdoor Group would particularly like to thank:

• Longtown Mountain Rescue Team – LMRT for marshalling all the mountain top checkpoints. 
• St David’s Hospice Foundationation and North Gwent Cardiac Rehabilitation and Aftercare Charity who  helped marshall the event. 
• Councillor Nick Tatum of Abergavenny Town Council who helped in a number of roles.throughout the day.

The Charities and Fundraisers who supported the event:

• St David’s Hospice Foundation
• Cancer Research UK
• Velindre Cancer Centre
• Charity to Prevent Male Suicide in the UK
• Access Madagascar Initiative
• emmaus Homeless Charity
• Berkshire Lowland Search and Rescue; 

We hope to see you all again at the 2016 event!

The first walkers back on each route were:

Platinum Route Lloyd Rees, 40, from St Albans and Owain Rees from Monmouth who returned at 12:55

Gold Route  The first 'regular' walker back was Richard O'Shea, 57 from Abergavenny who returned at 11:57

Ahead of Richard was Michelle Kelly, 44, from Abergavenny who began an incredible triple 'lap' Three Peaks Trial at 2:30am. Last year Michelle completed the walk then did something which was unprecedented in the long history of the Three Peaks Trial and did a second 'lap'! This year Michelle beat that incredible record and completed an astonishing triple Three Peaks Trial eventually completing the gruelling feat at 21:20 so taking 19 hours and 20 minutes. A truly phenomenol achievement.

Silver Route
Clive Vernon, 60, from Newport returned at 11:40
Bronze Route
Tom and Julie Skailes from Bath both returned at 13:20

Other News

North Gwent Cardiac Rehabilitation and Aftercare Charity

A group from the North Gwent Cardiac Rehabilitation and Aftercare Charity with their own support team entered a group including Chris Breakwell who'd had a triple bypass only last August! 
Longtown Mountain Rescue Team

Team leader Luke Lewis said: “It’s a big event in the team’s calendar and our members were on checkpoints on the mountain tops around Abergavenny for up to 12 hours in the wind and rain. 

“It was fantastic to see so many people taking part and doing so well despite the difficult conditions. However that did mean there was an injury when a woman, from Pontypool, slipped while descending Sugar Loaf. (Cardiff Outdoor Group have also sent their best wishes to the walker for a speedy recovery)

“As our members were there on the checkpoint we were able to give her immediate medical aid and we stretchered her off the mountain and took her to Nevill Hall Hospital in one of our response vehicles. She underwent surgery and is now recovering at home.”

Hypothermia

A Platinum Route walker had nearly completed the event but had to be taken to Neville Hall Hospital with hypothermia caused by the chilling effect of the strong winds  However he made a quick recovery and returned to the hall to collect his certificate.

Gold Route Walkers Check-in at Scout Hall

Please note that when you arrive for registration go to the Scout Hall (the hall on the right end, as shown in the sketch below) and not the Red Cross Hall/St John's Ambulance Hall used in previous years.

 

We are, of course, keeping an eye on the weather forecast. It currently looks like there's rain passing through on saturday morning and its going to be windy. If the forecast deteriorates then please check this blog for further information.

One final thing, the Crown in Pantygelli have asked that if you have wet, muddy boots then please take them off before going inside the pub.

All Routes Are Now Full!!

All Routes are now full. Thanks again to all those who've entered. 

Walker Raising Funds For C.A.L.M.

Three Peaks Trial 2015 entrant Jon Jones is fundraising on this year's Platinum Route for the charity CALM, the Campaign Against Living Miserably, which works to prevent male suicide which is the single biggest killer of men aged between 20 and 45 in the UK.

Jon says "My brother, Oliver, died last year. He had a lot of problems which got the better of him and things seemed hopeless. Tragically, he took his own life. Every day I wish I could tell him how much he is missed. I wish I could go back and give him whatever help he needed to get past his problems.

Oliver loved to go walking around his local area in Pembrokeshire. His passion for exploring is part of what inspired me to get involved in mountain hiking, and it has become an important part of my life. I always feel closest to Oliver when I am out hiking.

I want to raise money for a charity called CALM, which campaigns to reduce male suicide rates, because I want to help other people who are struggling with the same problems my brother had, and prevent them from resorting to such desperate measures."

If you'd like to donate to Jon's 'Just Giving' web page go to https://www.justgiving.com/Jon-Jones3/ or Click Here

Magnetic North is Changing

Magnetic north is currently estimated to be 1 deg. 17 min. west of grid north. (British National Grid) in July 2014. However during the next 10 years magnetic north will move east of grid north. For further details  Click Here

So for the Abergavenny area, when using your compass to help remember whether to add or subtract 1 deg 17 min the current mnemonic still applies: that is to correct between magnetic bearings and grid bearings , “grid to mag, add – mag to grid, get rid”.

There are of course other ways of finding north. In the January 2010 edition of 'Trail' magazine they had the query "Your GPS has run out of juice, your compass is lost and its dark. How can you identify north?" The Three Peaks Trial takes place in daylight hours but should you ever be in the questioner's position Trail advised:

"Stellar navigation (using the stars) is the original complete direction-finding system used by the Phoenicians in 1200BC, and is still employed as a navigational practice by Special Forces today”, says navigation expert Lyle Brotherton. “Finding north/south using the stars is an invaluable navigational tool. But don’t think this is only something you need to do if you lose your compass (you should be carrying a spare one anyway!); it isn’t. Being able to make reference to north without continually referring to your compass makes you a more proficient, competent and a safer navigator.

“At night the North Star (Polaris) sits almost exactly at the North Pole – true north. Unlike the sun and the moon, and all the other stars, it is always in the same position in the night sky and is therefore a great way of determining the cardinals of the compass. It is not very bright so we use the well-known Plough Constellation nearby as a signpost to point towards it. Drawing an imaginary line from the so-called ‘pointer stars’ in the Plough, continue in a straight line until you get to the next bright star and you have found the North Star. Now you can simply determine eeast, south and west and use this as you compass.

During the day you can use your watch to find south in the northern hemisphere.

1. Point the hour hand directly at the sun.

2. Bisect the angle between it andthe 12 o’clock mark.

3. This direction is approximately south.

“Again you can now determine north, east and west. Hint: if you have a digital watch, draw an analogue watch on a piece of paper, with a stone on the ground or in the sand, set to the correct time.”

There's also some useful information on stellar navigation on the Ordnance Survey website Click Here

Event Report In The South Wales Argus

The SOUTH WALES ARGUS did a fantastic  double page report of the event. To read the article, 'This Welsh Walking Challenge Offers at Least Three Good Reasons To Reach For The Summit', CLICK HERE. 

Event Report in the Abergavenny Chronicle

The ABERGAVENNY CHRONICLE did an excellent write up of the event. To read the article CLICK HERE. 

Runner Michelle Kelly Does the Gold Route Twice!

The ABERGAVENNY CHRONICLE has reported the story of how Shelly Kelly did the Gold Route TWICE in one day in a fantastic time of ten hours and 40 minutes to raise funds for Cancer Research. For the full story CLICK HERE (4th April) and CLICK HERE (13th Feb)

THANK YOU TO THE 818 WHO TOOK PART IN THE 2014 EVENT!!!!!!!!

Many thanks to the 818 walkers who took part in this year’s Three Peaks Trial! Another fantastic turnout!

Cardiff Outdoor Group would particularly like to thank:

Longtown Mountain Rescue Team – LMRT for marshalling all the mountain top checkpoints.
Welsh Warrior (The Richard Hunt Foundation ) – Who marshalled the Llanbedr checkpoint.
Councillor Nick Tatum of Abergavenny Town Council who helped out on the event throughout the day in a number of roles.
Madam Mayor Sheila Woodhouse of Abergavenny Town Council who we welcomed to the event before the start to see the walkers set off and wish them well.

The Charities and Fundraisers who supported the event:

• St David’s Hospice Foundation; 
• Berkshire Lowland Search and Rescue; 
• RSPB; 
• Alzheimers Society; 
• Water Aid; 
• British Heart Foundation; 
• The Noahs Ark Childrens Hospital Charity; 
• Hospice of the Valleys; 
• Lighthouse Club; 
• Royal Gwent Hospital Special Baby Care Unit; 
• Bobath Childrens Therapy Centre 

We hope to see you all again at the 2015 event!

The first walkers back on each route were:

Platinum Route
Chris Griffiths, 33, from Hereford returned at 12:16

Gold Route
Michelle Kelly, 43, from Abergavenny returned at 12:33 After Michelle completed the walk she did something which is unprecedented in the long history of the Three Peaks Trial, Michelle went and did a second 'lap'!  The double Three Peaks Trial took Michelle 10 hours and 40 minutes.

Silver Route
Paul Freeman, 57, from Bicester and Richard Brunsden, 53, from Cwmbran both returned at 11:25

Bronze Route
Tim Davies, 51, and Morganna Davies, 12, from Newport both returned at 13:27

OS Getamap - Summit of Blorenge

For the Gold and Silver Routes shown on the OS Getamap please note that the waymarker for the top of Blorenge is shown at the Cairn (grid ref. 272121) and not the trig point (grid ref. 269118). The Checkpoint is at the Trig Point, not the Cairn. 

Canal Path Closed At Llanfoist Between Bridges 93 to 97

The canal towpath at Llanfoist is closed during the Three Peaks Trial (Click Here).  The canal embankment started settling in early January 2014 due to the heavily saturated ground following this winter's intense period of wet weather. Embankment stabilisation work to the embankment will involve installing over 500 soil nails through the slipped embankment soil into the bed rock below before repairing the towpath and reinstating the embankment slope. So the canal towpath at Llanfoist is closed until this work can be carried out. 

However this closure can be avoided when doing the Gold and Silver Routes. The main path up the Blorenge from Abergavenny goes through the tunnel under the canal at Llanfoist. We've been advised by the Canal and River Trust that this tunnel remains open. Also when coming off Blorenge go to the west of the woodland to come out on the B2426 at grid ref. 265129. Take care to cross the road to join the bridleway opposite and follow to grid ref. 262133. Continue into Govilon and onward to the Glangrwyney Bridge Checkpoint.

All Routes Are Now Full!!

All Routes are now full. Thanks again to all those who've entered. 

Gold Route Full!!

Gold Route is now full. Thanks to all those who've entered.

Walker Raising Funds for Joe's Jumpstart

Three Peaks Trialer Ben Lewis plans to use the event to fundraise for Joe's Jumpstart.

Ben writes "Joe’s Jumpstart was set up by David & Shelley Lewis following the death of their middle son Joe in 2012. Joe had no previous signs or symptoms of any heart disease but on the 7th June 2012, whilst on a family walk, Joe had a cardiac arrest. Both David and Shelley have medical training and resuscitation was immediately commenced, ambulance crews arrived within eight minutes and Joe was transferred to the local hospital but could not be saved.

Joe’s death was attributed to Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome, a condition where seemingly fit and healthy young people suddenly collapse and die.

The aim of Joe’s Jumpstart is to raise money so that we can get defibrillators into schools in the UK, each school week seven children collapse and die in our schools. We also want to raise awareness of the condition, lobby Government to make defibrillators in school mandatory and we want to provide free, basic first aid instruction so that people know how to react in an emergency.

At Joe’s Jumpstart we believe defibrillators should be considered in the same way as fire extinguishers, that is, they should be readily accessible, mandatory in public places, businesses and schools and there should be free, readily available training for all."