‘The best training for hillwalking is hillwalking,’ mountain guide Andy Rowe tells me, as we embark on the rocky footpath heading up Ben Nevis.
And what training had I done? A twice-daily dog walk through an urban park. Oops. This is going to be difficult.
I’m climbing the first mountain of the national Three Peaks Challenge, just minutes into what was shaping up to be a painful attempt to bag a sub 24-hour time for the climbs of Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in England’s Lake District, and Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) in Wales.
Only 40 per cent of those who attempt this tough hiking challenge manage to do it within the coveted 24 hours. And that’s understandable: ‘This is a hard challenge,’ stresses Rowe.
Just the 23-mile walking part of the challenge is timed. The challenge allocates 10 hours for driving – whether you do the 462 miles in a minibus with ten or so others on one of the many organised trips or, like us, on a private trip in a five-seat electric car.
I am with my daughter, Ellie, a hospital doctor and significantly more ‘mountain-ready’ than her father. I imagine I might well need her medical skills by the end of the challenge.
There’s no set starting mountain or time: you choose which peak to tackle first, and which one you’ll be clambering up in the dark.
Most people start with Ben Nevis. We go with the hive mind and, blissfully, the Friday we choose for our attempt turned out to be hot and dry.
Led by guide Andy Rowe, left, Carlton Reid and his daughter Ellie, right, attempt the Three Peaks Challenge: climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in under 24 hours
As Carlton explains, only the 23-mile walking portion of the challenge is timed. You’re allotted 10 hours for the driving portion of the trip
We’re shepherded to the base of our first mountain by chauffeur James Nixon, who picks us up the day before in Glasgow, before driving us to Glencoe.
Too early for even a spot of breakfast at the hotel, we meet Rowe just before 6am. He’s just one of the three guides we’re due to meet over the course of the challenge – one for each mountain.
As Rowe explains, guiding the 30,000 annual participants in the Three Peaks Challenge has become something of an industry.
‘Ben Nevis is my office,’ said Rowe. Out of choice, he’d prefer to hike on a quieter peak. ‘I only walk on this hill if I’m getting paid,’ he reveals with a smile.
In truth, we likely didn’t need guiding up Ben Nevis: for the most part, the route is obvious.
However, the importance of intimate mountain knowledge becomes evident as we approach the summit and are warned of the sheer drops to avoid.
The peak is cloud-covered, obscuring any scenic vista, and the sky is grey. We don’t linger – eager to escape the cold.
When Carlton and Ellie reach the peak of Ben Nevis, they don’t linger – every second counts on this race to the finish line
But, truth be told, there’s no time to linger on any of the mountains. To complete the challenge from the base of Ben Nevis to the peak of Snowdon within the allotted walking time of 14 hours requires almost constant forward motion.
‘It’s faff that kills the challenge,’ says Rowe. ‘If you’re spending 10 minutes faffing about in the car park before starting the walk, that’s 10 minutes you’ve not got on the hill.’
There’s no stopping for snacks either; food is eaten on the go, and we drink from Camelbak rucksacks to avoid critical time wasted by ‘faffing’ with water bottles.
Photography is also rushed – but luckily, I’ve planned ahead. I take quick snaps on my iPhone, rather than a bulky SLR, and snatch brief moments of footage with an Insta360.
Car journeys become critical for calorie loading: during the six hours from Ben Nevis to the Lake District, and the four hours from Scafell Pike to Snowdon’s base, we’re refuelling at an intense pace.
Unlike on Ben Nevis, we have a glorious view from the top of the Pike – which is surprisingly desert-like on the day of our climb.
Indeed, it wouldn’t have seemed out of place to see lizards flitting from dusty rock to dusty rock – although the only actual wildlife we spot is an altitude-loving sheep, slow-roasting in its fleece near the peak.
Again, we likely didn’t need a guide for Scafell Pike, but as we happen upon an active mountain rescue mission during our descent, it’s a stark reminder that even in perfect conditions, bad things can still happen.
As Carlton learns quickly, this is not a challenge for the faint-hearted; the steep trails are rocky, and there’s limited time to stop for food and water
None of these three climbs is a walk in the park. The steep trails are rocky, and tackling Britain’s three highest peaks is not for the faint-hearted.
‘It’s a 24-hour mountain now,’ says our third guide, the appropriately named Dawn Stanworth. ‘There’s always someone walking up or walking down.’
Indeed, ahead and behind us, we can see pinpricks of light as other hikers approach on the same steep trail, the Pyg Track. It’s one of six routes up the mountain and usually regarded as one of the toughest – but also the shortest, hence our use of it.
We summit just after 5am, basking in a glorious sunrise. We aren’t alone; many people are dotted on and around Snowdon’s summit.
It’s been worth the struggle (and the jolts to my janky knees) to get here in under 24 hours – and I doff my cap to the many who do the same while raising for charity.
That said, for my next trip into the mountains, I think I’ll stop the clock – and allow more time to savour these unbeatable views.
TRAVEL FACTS
Orange John’s 24-hour ‘Three Peaks Challenge’ is available from £449pp, which includes a guide, accommodation, transport and a training plan. These trips are open to all, regardless of fitness, and are available for up to 10 participants.
Private trips with like-minded, known-to-each-other participants cost £475 per person, with a minimum group size of eight.
Doubles at the Glencoe Inn are available from £250 a night.