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04:30.

Ugh! After a few hours sleeping on the floor or cushions of the coaches as we headed into Scotland the train’s awake and the onboard volunteers are already serving breakfast. The train’s running 45 minutes late right now and we’re being greeted by the sight of dawn breaking over the Scottish highlands around Tulloch.

We’ll be leaving the comfort of the train by 05:15. Right now, everyone’s preparing themselves physically and mentally for what’s to come. Coaches are clouded in mist – a heady mix of deodorant and midge spray! The midge warning for base camp is at maximum level. There’s expected to be clouds of the little buggers so the first thing I check is to ensure I’ve packed my midge net and spray in the camera bag.

This is the bit of the trip that drags for me. Once walkers are ascending Ben Nevis there’s little for me to do until they return and I start getting the team pictures. So, I’ll probably be stretching my legs with a walk from the base camp into Fort William where I can sit and update this blog whilst editing pictures and sipping coffee in the local McDonalds – which is one of the only places open at that God-forsaken time!

Here are the first pictures from today…

The scene on the train last night aswalkers bedded down for a precious few hours sleep…
Smiles as we leave the train at Fort William to board the coaches which will take us Ben Nevis.
Being checked in before beginning the ascent of Ben Nevis.

07:20.

Well, everyone’s on the mountain. The last few began the climb to the summit at 05:40. Base camp and the finish line are all set up, all there is to do now is wait for the teams to return. No doubt there’ll be a few stragglers who are unable to complete the challenge due to injury or exhaustion. A handful haven’t climbed today for those reasons (and the fact safety’s paramount, so we wouldn’t let them risk themselves). Instead they’re talking short walks around basecamp whilst waiting for their team members to return.

As anticipated, I walked back into Fort William just in time for McDonalds to open, which is where I’m sat typing this. The weather here is a mixture of sunshine and showers, so I’m happy to kill some time in the dry. I’ll be heading back to camp in time to get shots of the walkers as they cross the finish line. We expect the first between 8:30-09:00. We have one team member who’s doing the 3 peaks as part of his army training. He’s been first up and down both Snowdon and Scafell and I expect him to complete his hat-trick!

14:30.

I’m back!

We’ve been reunited with the train and are currently South of Corrour. The team managed to get everybody off the mountain in good time and the train left Fort William spot on time at 13:05. Now the walkers can relax and get stuck into the food and drink on offer. Lunch is a fabulous chili with baked potato and the bar is open. I can’t let my hair down in quite the same way as I’m still on photographic duty, but here’s a few from earlier.

Returnees from Ben Nevis are piped across the finish line by Alex, a young bagpiper from Mallaig.
Some of the Ops and Railway Children team responsible for ensuring everything runs smoothly are seen with Alex, the piper.
Say ‘celery’ (a train catering in-joke, honest). This is the brilliant team who’re taking care of people on board on our return to Crewe. Seen at Fort William, just before we departed.

The money’s still coming in, but at the moment it looks like the event has raised £200,000 plus for the Railway Children to further the work it does.

16:00.

Time for a break. I’ve been busy taking pictures onboard, escorting the team who’re raffling off prizes of whisky, the headboard off the train – or the headboard of the narrow-gauge steam train we used yesterday. The walkers have been incredibly generous and we’ve raised even more money for the Railway Children. Here’s another selection of pictures of life aboard the train

Vast quantities of chili being prepared in the kitchen, ready to feed walkers and crew alike.
We have professional sports physio’s aboard, ready to massage tired limbs back into life.
Some of the prizes available in the raffle, ably sold by volunteers…

20:10.

After a long, painful crawl through Glasgow where we averaged around 15mph we’re now on the West Coast Main Line heading for Carlisle. This year the train’s quite subdued. Last year we had people doing a conga up and down the train. It’s a reflection of how the same event changes every year depending on people and circumstances. Some of the walkers coaches are full of sleeping people, others not – as people (despite the tiredness) party. In our staff coach it’s the same mixture depending on levels of exertion, adrenaline and age.

23:55.

I’m typing this last update from my hotel room in Preston. Do I have some stories to tell – just getting into my room was a saga, but not in any bad way. Right now I’m too knackered to do anything more than fall into a comfortable bed – which feels like a luxury after the past few days. I’ll explain and expound more tomorrow.

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