UKC

me and two mates (im 15 but will be 16 and the others are 17 and 18) want to do the 3 peaks challenge, my parents dont believe we can do it. i know we will have to train but we are un sure on the more legistical side, will we need to contact certain people? also if anyone with experience would like to help/join us then it would be welcome. advice needed.

In reply to RoryT:

Its great fun. You'll love it im sure.

They'll be plenty of advise given on this forum. Take it all in and then do your planning from there.

In reply to RoryT: national or yorkshire? if the former, it isn't worth doing.

In reply to RoryT:

Do the Yorkshire first, it will give you a good taste of that type of walk.

I've done the Yorkshire but not the national, couldnt be arsed with the driving.

In reply to RoryT: google national three peaks and there is a lot of info there. You don't need to sign up with any one. Lots of training required. But you won't get much love from UKC with this, people on this forum tend to disagree with the national 3 peaks.

In reply to cap'nChino: its more that we disagree with the large charities using the mountains for fund raising but never put anything back. apart from all that it's just a driving challenge more than a walking one. the yorkshire 3p is far more impressive as it is continuous 26 miles, the national is about 26 miles with rests inbetween. I know which I'd sponsor first!

In reply to RoryT: The Yorkshire 3 peaks might be easier logistically as well, start at the train station in Horton-in-Ribblesdale, finish at the same train station. Accommodation available in Horton as well just in case you miss the last train home. It really is a great day out, a well trodden path, a tough challenge and three peaks all different in character but great. Do it anyway, either instead of or in training for the national 3 peaks.

In reply to RoryT: I did the 3 peaks a couple of years ago.

You'll need a dedicated driver. We made sure at least one of us had done each of the peaks beforehand so we knew where we were going (Scafell Pike in the dark could easily lead to getting lost).

Regarding fitness/training, I think anyone who isn't completely unfit can do this, it will just be more challenging if you're not used to walking these kinds of trails.

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

I don't dissagree with doing it as part of a large group raising money for charity at all.
You have a point about the organisations not `giving back` but on the one i did the guys came down with sackfulls of rubbish left by 'non 3 peakers'

The OP gives no indication of his/the teams level of experience so it may be safer for them to attempt it within a large group.

OP. Like i said. Take it all in and then make some decisions.

In reply to Darren09:
>

how the devil did they know which rubbish came from which group?

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

They weren't interested in where it came from. They just picked up whatever was seen.

In reply to RoryT: done both years back and use Y3P for training.
Y3P I've found harder than National but depends what time of the year you do them.
Both are a good crack, but as mentioned above if you can give something back to locals. We've always added a percentage of our funds to MR

In reply to Darkskys: giving sum back to mr is a good idea and we will definatly try to incorporate that into our plans

In reply to RoryT:

I did the national one years and years ago

Training is important for sure but at your age you should be as fit as a butchers dog anyway so it'll mainly be the driving challenge. We hired a mini-bus and a mates G/F drove. I highly recommend you do the same....a driver means you can all rest up, eat, and apply compeed if required.

It's great fun, a real challenge and you'll love it. Give no mind to the folks on here who are 'dead against' such things. The mouuntains are for everyone...and they're free.

In reply to RoryT:

Hi Rory

The BMC have a view on all of this , probably worth checking it out.

All the best

Vince

In reply to RoryT: This article is nearly Ten yaers old but probably just as relevant today as when it was written

http://thebmc.co.uk/three-peaks-challenge

In reply to yesbutnobutyesbut:

Only half of the article is showing up on my computer but that's probably a good thing.

Is a footpath able to acertain whether a boot is on a '3 peakers foot' or a common or garden hikers foot? Does the path erode MORE under such a boot?

Erosion is a fact of life...I too (like the Peter in our story) spent weeks and weeks (with the BTCV in Lakes, many years ago) repairing footpaths worn away by booted feet (and water running off too...shall we all get upset with water???) and to my mind its small price to pay for public access to our awesome countryside.

Afraid that, in my opinion, arguments against 3 peaks etc do nothing but create the impression that the BMC (of which I am a member) is a blinkered, elitist boys club.


Free to Roam, free to raom....thank god almighty I am free to roam.

In reply to RoryT:
regarding logistics: how much will the travel cost? Both in cash, time and carbon? This might tip the balance in favour of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks.

In reply to Pinged: Some years ago, some people I know did it by public transport, which covers the environmental concern.

I'm not against a small group doing it independently (and neither is the BMC). I just can't see the point of it. Or anything where you spend more time in a car than on the hill!

It doesn't begin to compare with the Welsh 3000ers.

In reply to RoryT: Just go for it, we didn't bother with any training and did it with over an hour to spare and we are not fit walkers by any means, I hate walking to the crag if its more than 15mins.

The key is having a dedicated driver, if you're driving and walking it can be a killer for the driver.

In reply to Lord_ash2000:


An overtired driver is going to kill more than himself.

In reply to yesbutnobutyesbut:

Even the BMC article manages to refer to 'the three highest peaks in Britain', instead of the (rather arbitrary) 1st, 57th and 176th highest.

In reply to RoryT: Given that this is mainly a driving challenge and you are under the age of 15, how will you get about? It would certainly be a worthy challenge if you did it by public transport.

Welsh 3000's is a much better 24 hour challenge.

In reply to RoryT:

Another voice against the 3 Peaks (national) plan - you'd have to recruit a driver, or one of your lot will have to basically sit in the car and wait for you, which won't be much fun.

You would have a much better time on the Welsh 3000s or the Yorkshire 3 Peaks, and surely that is one of the most important things, even setting aside the fact that the national 3 peaks involves trudging up a fine mountain in the dark, and potentially annoying the hell out of the poor sods who live in Wasdale.

My advice would be get on the train to Horton, set out early next morning, get back in plenty of time for a top notch tea in the cafe, and get bonus points by having a pint in the Crown. If I were your age, this would be a brilliant weekend.

In reply to RoryT:


I would urge any friend who was considering the so-called "3 peaks challenge" to do something else, and I won't sponsor people for this ill-conceived venture.

Of course nothing is zero-impact. Still, there are better ways and worse ways for humans to interact with the hills. The so-called 3 peaks challenge is one of the very worst. It's a media-driven circus: the press and the big charities tell you this is what you do, and everyone just does it, like sheep. It's everything real hillwalking is not.

Don't take it from me though; google around and see what, e.g. Wasdale MRT have to say about it.

In reply to Tim Chappell:


PS A proper 3 peaks challenge is either in Yorkshire, or involves getting between Yr Wyddfa, Scafell Pike, and Ben Nevis with no motorised assistance.

In reply to cap'nChino: So my paps has said haha. Told me he thinks people should take their time and enjoy the mountains for what they are! Not race up and down like lunatics.

In reply to Darren09:

Well that's brilliant then. Picking up that litter sure allows them to be tearing along roads, waking local people up, putting uneccesary pressure on rescue organisations (ask them their view) making virtually no contribution to local economies and gifting the environment with all that unneccesary driving. I'd say anyone trying to do the national one in 24 hours should be strongly discouraged. My vote would be Yorkshire and if you breeze it there are bigger one day walking trips in Wales, the Lakes and Scotland.

In reply to Offwidth:
Driver drove safely.
waking local people up,
Only early walking was scafell, and i distinctly remember being told to use the correct path and make no noise,
putting uneccesary pressure on rescue organisations (ask them their view)
Didnt need to call on the recues services thanfully.
making virtually no contribution to local economies
Accomodation was used in B N and food was provided by a local supplier in N Wales
and gifting the environment with all that unneccesary driving.
30 or so people in one coach has less impact than 30 single occupancy vehicles

Dont tar them all with the same brush please.

In reply to Darren09:

Scafell is the main problem though (night traffic and noisy arrivals at the start) and most likely to lose out on local spend. The explain to me what exactly you got out of climbing these three that you wouldn't have got climbing the same three more slowly or another three closer together.

I would think 17 people in a minibus doing 450 miles would have a similar carbon footprint if they all didn't take part and stayed at home instead. They would all be then driving around in their cars, going to the shops , using their heating etc etc.
As for rescue team members opinions, these vary. Lots of lake district mountain rescue team members work on the 3 peaks and some have companies which run the challenge.
I do think there is a problem with self guided groups having an impact on rescue teams. I have had to help lots of people and groups out on the hill (mainly scafell pike) who are lost when I have been out leading groups
There is a problem with litter, again I think this is mostly from self guided groups. I would never let anyone leave litter and we always clear up, within reason, litter we come across .
There is a problem with erosion caused by, again, mostly self guided groups trying to take short cuts and not sticking to the paths. However just looking out of my window I can see scarring and erosion on skiddaw, grisedale pike and catbells which is worse than on scafell.
And the 3 peaks does provide an income for local people. I can think of at least 30 local people I know who work on the challenge.
I don't think the three peaks is without issues and I can see why some people have the opinions they do.

In reply to Offwidth: who cares, nobody lives in wasdale anyway

In reply to alan r b: I can understand your views to some extent, but I think you are leaping to a few conclusions too easily. Self guided groups being path cutting litter bugs, guided groups causing few if any of the problems. Is it really that simple?

How the damage/litter caused by three peakers can be separated from the general prosession up Scafell Pike is also I mystery to me. On the summit in august I'm not sure how you could tell how many of the 200 people up there are on 3P. As you point out many other places suffer from erosion at least as bad as Scafell Pike. With the night time noise and rescues of the misplaced its rather easier to work out the cause.

As a matter of interest as someone who earns part of his living from 3P what do you do to minimise the impact, do you vary your routes for instance? (genuine question, not a dig!)