Complete a 3 Peaks Challenge
Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge - Sunday 29th June 2025
I signed up to complete the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge which involves reaching the summit of the tallest 3 peaks in the Yorkshire Dales national park - and the hikes between them! - in under 12 hours. This is a 38.6km round trip trail, with a total elevation gain of 1585m. There is a 4 mile hike between Ingleborough and Pen-y-Ghent peaks, and then a further 8 mile hike on to Whernside. Due to the distance and time constraints, you need to set a relentless pace in order to complete it. Stops are few and far between, and short at that. The longest we stopped was probably 20mins to take on fuel.
I didn’t know what to expect when signing up for this challenge other than it would be exhausting and tough! I hadn’t even hiked up a mountain before joining this! 🙈 But I also tend not to know how to handle these types of things until I do them once, and then I gain confidence.
It was an early start meeting at 5:30am ready to begin at 6am. Ingleborough was the first peak we tackled and I felt good. I was able to keep up with our guide at the front of the pack. There was a very steep section with stone steps that was challenging, but my legs are strong from all those hours training on the stair climber! We had a short break at the summit to enjoy the view and have a quick snack before we began the descent, which wasn’t pleasant. There was a lot of large rocks lining the trail which were prime ankle-breakers if you weren’t careful with your foot placement. It had also rained all day the day before, and so all the rainwater was rushing down turning our trail into a stream with muddy banks. So a lot of care was needed to get down! After the descent, we had a 4 mile hike to the town of Horton-in-Ribblesdale which is where we had our first water stop and were able to take on some proper food before heading for the second peak.
The summit of Pen-y-Ghent, the second peak on the trail
Ribblehead Viaduct
The next peak was tackled was Pen-y-Ghent - while shorter, this one is tougher as the summit is above some sheer faces that require some hands to rock in order to scale. This kind of scrambling is what I was most nervous about, since I have strong legs but my upper strength and particularly my grip strength are lacking. However, this was more like the steepest steps you could imagine that you needed to go up on all-fours, and our guides where very good at pointing out a route. After another quick snack and viewing break, we head down. While less steep, there were still a lot of steps and rocks. I found the descents very difficult - I lost a lot of the pace I could keep on the flats and climbs since I was less sure of my footing, trying not to fall. Descents are also a lot tougher on the knee joints and a lot of pain can build up. The following 8 mile hike through to the final peak allowed my knees to recover though. We had another water break, along with tea and cake, along the route as well.
A zig-zag path up the steep slope of Ingleborough, the first peak on the trail
Reaching the summit of Ingleborough, 723m
Reaching the summit of Pen-y-Ghent, 694m
Reaching the summit of Whernside, 736m
Whernside was the final and highest peak, though it has a more gradual approach to the summit. However after the rest of the days hiking, this smooth ascent is even more killer than you would expect! When we reached the summit, I was so done 😅 This for me was where the challenge moved from physical to mental. My body had reached its maximum but we had to go down - or, y’know, live on the mountain forever! The descent down from Whernside is also the steepest, to the point where the guides positioned themselves to make sure everyone made it safely. This is where my knees really started to give in. I didn’t have anymore “down” to give and I just wanted it all to be over and to take my shoes off. But I had to persevere through the pain and get off that damn mountain! 😅 Again, once we reached the flats and I could recover, I was able to pick up some pace again and make it to the finish within the 12 hours.
A sheep on the slopes of a Yorkshire peak
My completion certificate for the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge
This was definitely the toughest challenge I’ve taken on yet, but it was great to realise that I could do it. And my fitness didn’t let me know, it was just muscle/joint fatigue - and honestly, it was a lot so of course I hurt and was tired! The next day, I could barely put my feet to the floor because my calves were so tight and I had a couple of blisters. I would feel more confident in taking on a similar challenge in the future now.
Posts in this series
- Complete a 3 Peaks Challenge
- Go Horseback Riding
- See an Iconic West End Theatre Show
- See an Orchestra in Concert
- Have a Professional Photoshoot
- Take a Hot Air Balloon Ride at Sunrise
- Go on a Whale Watching Expedition
- Go on a Wildlife Safari
- Go Snorkelling or Scuba Diving
- See the Northern Lights
- Attend the Ballet
- 40 Before 40 Challenge