Welcome to the Three Peaks website.
This website contains all of the information you will require to safely complete the UK National 3 Peaks Challenge - whether you can do that in under 24 hours is up to you, your training, and perhaps a bit of luck with the traffic.
Careful planning should enable you to climb in daylight, drive by night, and avoid most of the congested areas at peak traffic times. Remember that your team will need a driver or two that won't be climbing the mountains, and you will need a competent navigator to avoid getting lost on the peaks in poor weather.
Please make sure you carry all of the kit and equipment as detailed on this website so that if the weather turns - you're fully prepared..! Join our Facebook Group!
Have fun, stay safe, and good luck...!
The Three Peaks Challenge - HOMEPAGE
Do you fancy trying to Peak Three Times in Twenty-four Hours? That is, to climb, and travel between, the highest three peaks in England, Scotland and Wales. Scafell Pike in England, Ben Nevis in Scotland, and Snowdon in Wales. A total drive of some 460 miles, total walk of 24 miles, and a verticle climb of 10,000 feet.
Remember that these are some of the highest mountains in the UK, and you should be fully prepared for serious mountain conditions which may involve steep, rough and rocky paths, temperatures of -40 degrees (with windchill) even in summer, high winds and stormy weather, white-out or seriously reduced visibility, remote locations many miles away from medical help, lack of communications via mobile phone or VHF radio.
You need to ensure that you have good mountain fitness, have a competent navigator, and are carrying enough comfort and safety equipment to safely venture into these mountains. If in doubt, postpone your challenge until you are confident your event will be safely organised.
This website is dedicated to offering help and advice to anyone wishing to attempt the UK National 3 Peaks...
Firstly, you need to know exactly what is involved. You will need a team of walkers, a couple of drivers, a suitable vehicle, some accommodation, some equipment, and plenty of enthusiasm. A successful challenge requires good planning, good training and knowledge, and a fair amount of luck during the challenge itself.
24 hour challenge intinerary:
Friday: Collect vehicle, drive to Fort William, overnight stay.
Saturday: Climb Ben Nevis (5 hours) drive to Wasdale (6 hours)
Sunday: Climb Scafell Pike (4 hours) drive to Snowdon (5 hours)
Climb Snowdon (4 hours) - finish challenge - drive home.
Easy peasy. Or perhaps not so easy. You will encounter some serious driver fatigue, roadworks, motorway accidents, peak hour traffic delays, inclement weather, darkness and thick mist, lack of sleep, lack of food, minor injuries and incidents, navigational errors, etc., etc,. Good luck... ;-)
Please note that the above 3 Peaks itinerary above is for guidance and planning for small independent groups. Teams taking part in larger charity and fundraising challenges will need to follow the event organisers itinerary
Three Peaks Challenge - ORGANISATION
Before arriving in Fort William you will need to do some mountain training, some navigation practice, know the route - both for driving and for walking - have your equipment and food sorted, as well as reliable transport and drivers. Be prepared for all kinds of weather, even in the summer, and don't forget your anti-midge spray.
Use the links above for advice regarding equipment, transport, accommodation, organised events - and also take a look at the forum which has plenty of up-to-date information from other Three Peakers..!
The 24 Hour Challenge - INFORMATION
Use the links for more specific UK 3 Peaks information, help and advice:
Ben Nevis & Fort William
Scafell Pike & Wasdale
Snowdon & Llanberis
Accommodation
Equipment
Transport
Open Three Peaks Challenge Series 2010
Three Peaks Challenge - FITNESS & TRAINING
Anyone who has a reasonable level of fitness, and some good stamina and determination, should be physically capable of completing this 24 hour challenge. However, there is a lot more to the challenge than just being 'able' to complete the distance..! It is hugely important that in the months before your event, you get out into the hills and achieve some 'mountain fitness' during your training.
This is when your legs and body get used to the effort of climbing steep hills, walking on uneven or muddy ground, and get used to the braking effort required on long descents. It's also a great opportunity to get used to walking poles, rucksacks, maps and compasses..! Try out all of your new kit before starting your challenge. This is especially true for new boots. Check out our 'Three Peaks Training' page.
The Three Peaks of Yorkshire is a 25 mile 12 hour challenge that makes an excellent training and preparation event. Climb Pen-Y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough in one day (then have a few pints in Horton-In-Ribblesdale). Click for details: Three Peaks of Yorkshire
Three Peaks Challenge - RECORD
Click here for some record history and images.
Three Peaks Challenge - EVEN MORE HELP
Apart from the challenge information contained within this website, the 3 Peaks Forum as detailed above, and the numerous links found in the links page, we recommend that you also visit the Three Peaks Challenge website LINKED HERE. You may consider attempting the 24 mile Yorkshire Three Peaks first to test your fitness.
The image on the left is the fingerpost pointing the way to the Hollow Stones area on Scafell Pike.
The Three Peaks Challenge
For some other useful information and advice to help you safely climb each of the three peaks, and drive between them, check out our LINKS page for the Three Peaks Challenge, in the navigation tab at the top of this page.
Three Peaks - ORGANISED & CHARITY EVENTS 2010
Some groups may wish to take part in a larger, organised event, either with the aim of raising money for the charity concerned, or just wanting to know other groups are participating at the same time so they can enjoy the camradery with the knowledge a safety net is in place.
Unfortunately many charity events will require a fundraising commitment of some £5000 or more, which can be very restrictive for some groups - especially if they would prefer to voluntarily raise funds for a charity or good cause which is more meaningful to them.
The Open Challenge Series 2010 has a number of organised Training Events, Yorkshire Three Peaks and National Three Peaks Challenge events open to all teams. Just one small, simple entrance fee, then no fundraising at all. Teams are free to use these events to raise money for their own favourite charity, and previously single teams have raised over £100,000...! Other teams choose not to attempt any fundraising at all.
If you are considering entering a team into a private or charity fundraising Three Peaks in 2010, then click the links above for all of the information and advice you could want. For more details, please click the link or image above, or visit the Open Challenge Forum.
Check our Three Peaks videos on YouTube.
Three Peaks - THE CHALLENGE FORUM
The Three Peaks Forum is a free Delphi forum which has been operating since 2001. It is the most active Three Peaks forum on the internet, and during the most popular times will have 200 visitors a day. Messages cover most topics - from the youngest person to complete the challenge to the quickest routes up and down Ben Nevis. Please use the search facility to look for previous discussions on any particular topic.
A number of forum members are veteran Three Peak Challengers, who complete the challenge each year, and also pop into the forum at regular intervals even during quiet periods over the winter.
You do not need to register to read and view posts, but will need to register before posting a comment or question. However, it's free to register. If you have any questions, queries, or need advice - or just want to see what's what in the world of Three Peaks then CLICK HERE or click one of the current topics below.
Are you tough enough to take the challange? The UK's highest mountains. Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scarfell Pike in England, Snowdon in Wales. 3 Peaks in 24 hours. Big mountains, three peak challange. Check your kit, choose your charity, and away you go. Get fit, get training, stay safe. Merseyventure organise a variety of adventure challenges throughout the year, and these include the national Three Peaks Challenge, Yorkshire Three Peaks, West Highland Way, Open Challenges and Charity Challenges, as well as Team Adventure Challenges.Trying to complete your challenge in under 24 hours? We can help with training, mountain guides, logistics, drivers, minibuses, guides.