Who do you think keeps our highest peaks spotless and pristine? It’s certainly not the trash trolls! If you’ve ever enjoyed the views from the summits of any of the UK’s mountains, give something back and join in the Real 3 Peaks Challenge on 8 October.
“The Real 3 Peaks Challenge was an awareness concept that was born four summers ago, after spending a day with my clients on Ben Nevis,” says Rich Pyne, founder of the Real 3 Peaks Challenge.
“I had a brief look around the summit area and was appalled at the amount of human debris kicking and blowing around. So, whilst my clients were eating lunch, I bobbed about and filled two carrier bags in as many minutes.
“I was pretty unhappy about the state up there and got a little bee in my bonnet. Someone said, ‘Why don't you do something about it?’... so I did!”
The idea is to deep clean the UK’s three highest peaks before the winter snows come, removing as much as possible with the help of volunteers. At first, Rich thought he’d handle everything himself, but quickly realised that forging ahead alone wouldn’t be effective – extra help was needed.
Efforts would need to be coordinated across Scotland, England and Wales, and that’s when Kelvyn James and Ross and Kate Worthington stepped up to the challenge. Kelvyn looks after Scafell Pike, while Ross and Kate look after Snowdon. These guys have been with Rich since day one and are part of the backbone of the campaign.
Clean up in action in Snowdonia. Photo: Real 3 Peaks Challenge
Kate Worthington says: “If I were to take anything from this year’s Real 3 Peaks Challenge, it’s the ‘win’ that we feel more and more Leaders and Instructors are ‘proactively’ educating about litter awareness, as well as picking it up on their journeys around certain hills.
“If the average Mountain Leader is able to engage with around 250 people in one year, that’s a lot of good word spread to future mountain users, their friends and families. It’s an ongoing process, and not just about this one day a year.”
The Real 3 Peaks Challenge
This year’s event will be the fourth Real 3 Peaks Challenge, but this time they’re hoping for less and not more than their previous litter picks as a sign that the process is working.
Here’s what the army of around 100 volunteers has managed each year so far:
2013 – 265kgs removed from the three peaks’ main paths.
2014 – 423kgs taken from the seven different routes.
2015 – 513kgs, more than half a ton! They must know where to look.
EVERYTHING they can find has been taken. This includes the more regular items such as banana skins, orange peel, plastic and glass bottles (inc. tabs and lids), tissues, chewing gum, fag ends, and bags of all descriptions, but they’ve even found tents, a duvet and incredibly a catheter bag!
This year on Saturday 8 October, we’re hoping that the haul will be less than previous years, but to make this happen, we need volunteers to help us scour the areas. All we ask is that you're available for a full hill day, be an independent hillwalker (please note this is not a guided walk – mountain professionals are very welcome too) and be fully prepared for a long descent with lots of banter. If you'd like to join us, then please get in contact using the links below.
Ben Nevis – Rich Pyne
Scafell Pike – Kelvyn James
Snowdon – Kate/Ross Worthington
It’s all down to the volunteers
All of this is only possible with the help of the volunteers, many of whom return each year to help out and give a little back. There are far too many to mention here, but a few noted folk (From Ben Nevis) spring to Rich’s mind:
Hazel Strachan, now on her ninth Munro Round, took time out to join us last year, concentrating on chewing gum on the Ben Path: the lump she came down with was the size of your head! She's back again this year to beat her previous best.
Dee, the Post lady from Skye, even helped out the other day with an impromptu litter pick on her Ben Day, filling a bag as she went. She said: "You all do a great job and people should be grateful. I cannot be there on the 8th so I did a bit for you last Friday much to the amusement of passing walkers. Cheers for now. "
But let’s not forget the pros
The outdoor Professional community do a huge amount throughout the year (Client Education, litter picking, etc.) regularly picking as they go.
Snowdon is benefitting from a third year running of the Volunteer Warden Scheme – which could always do with more volunteer members if local mountain folk are keen to support safety and sustainability messages on their ‘local mountain’. This year, a few more locally based Mountain Leaders join the scheme.
Mountain leader Chris Littlehales says: “My love of my work environment left me determined from the start to leave a positive impact from my activities. I firmly believe that the huge majority of the litter that we collect is unintentional or accidental. My weekly litter competitions have collected a colossal 132.5kgs since the end of May and the season is not over yet. These competitions not only help to keep the mountains a little bit cleaner but also help to educate all of my clients and in turn, they educate others, sometimes on the mountains themselves.
“It's a small thing that I and a few others do that has a huge impact on our environment, especially this year. I have to say that our office has never looked so good.”
And, of course, the local Trusts, Societies and Landowners must not be forgotten as they pick throughout the summer.
The Real 3 Peaks Challenge is without doubt most certainly having a positive impact, as we can genuinely say that the 3 Peaks are looking cleaner, and healthier. Maybe one day, we can stop organising litter picks as the will no longer be necessary.
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