The Three Peaks Challenge

Overview

The 3 Peaks Challenge is one of the UK’s best known mountain challenge event, which attracts thousands of people each year, it involves climbing the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales. These are Snowdon – 1085m, Scafell Pike – 978m and Ben Nevis – 1344m. The aim is to complete all 3 mountains within 24 hours.

Why Attempt The 3 Peaks Challenge?

There are many reasons for attempting the Three Peaks Challenge, whether it be to raise funds for deserving charitable causes, to test yourself against the mountains or simply for the sheer enjoyment of being amongst some of the most dramatic scenery in the world. Whatever your reason for rising to the challenge it will be one of the most memorable experiences you will have.

Many underestimate the true scale of the 3 Peaks Challenge, and finish outside of the ’24 Hours’. However with some basic training, and with the right equipment and support, it is achievable by any reasonably fit person. We will send you a training programme to help prepare.

Challenge Provisions

We offer this challenge to small and large groups. You will be guided by highly qualified mountain instructors who will provide support and assistance to you, on and off the mountain. We have a maximum instructor/client ratio of 1:8.

We offer a full organisation and planning service, with our in depth knowledge of the event and locations, you can trust us to deliver the logistical support that you deserve.

The majority of our events are run on an all-inclusive basis however if you would like us just to provide mountain instructors and equipment then let us know.

We can run this challenge all year round, thus giving you the option to do it in Winter conditions.

We can run this challenge either North to South or the other way around. It may be worth considering doing the challenge South to North if you live in the South of England and then flying back from Glasgow as most of our groups do.

Challenge Options

There are a number of ways you can complete this challenge. The following needs to be taken into consideration before deciding which option is taken:

We know that the average times for each mountain are: Snowdon 4 hours, Scafell Pike 5 hours and Ben Nevis 6 hrs. This gives you a challenge time of 15 hours to complete all 3 mountains. The total time driving from Fort William to Snowdonia is 10 hours, without stops, at the legal limit for minibuses/coaches. This gives a total time of over 24 hours – without stops, road works or any other issues! It should be noted that all vehicles, which have more than 9 seats, are now limited to 62mph, by law.

Please note, one night of accommodation, dinner, bed and breakfast is optional, at £75p.p.

At UK Challenges, we can offer you the following:

Option 1: The 24 Hour Race – you need to be very fit to do this, as you need to beat the average mountain times. The road times can’t be beaten, legally! The clock starts when you start up Ben Nevis and stops when you return from Snowdon, so ascent and descent are taken into account, how it should be!

Option 2: The ‘sensible’ challenge – completing all 3 peaks up and down in under 15 hours. The average times for all 3 peaks adds up to 15 hours. You need to have a good fitness level to successfully complete it. You will not lose any hill time if you are stuck in traffic, road works or need to stop en route. So, the clock starts when you start walking up each mountain and stops when you return. All 3 times are then added to give your overall time. Seeing as the total, average drive time is 10 hours, this option makes sense!

Option 3: 3 Peaks Over 3 Days – Take your time to enjoy the outstanding British mountain scenery, one peak a day! Please call or email for full details and costs.

If you really want to challenge yourself – The Winter 3 Peaks is a Must! – Click on our Winter 3 Peaks page.

Why Attempt with us?

We are one of the few 3 Peaks Challenge organisers who actually guide our own groups, in fact we are often booked by other outdoor challenge company’s to run the events for them! All of our staff are full time Professional Outdoor Instructors.