Britain's five most epic challenge walks
Here are a few of the most gruelling, exhausting, rewarding and brilliant challenge walks Britain has to offer.
Thinking of upping the hillwalking ante with a challenge walk this summer? We've compiled a list of the most gruelling, exhausting, rewarding and brilliant ones Britain has to offer, plus, some tips on planning your own!
What is a challenge walk?
The point of a challenge walk is quite self-explanatory: it should be challenging! Challenge walks typically follow a pre-defined (and often well-trodden) route, to be completed within a specified time period, often in aid of a charity.
A prime example of one of Britain's most popular challenge walks is the National Three Peaks - the task of trying to walk up the three highest mountains of Scotland, England and Wales in just 24 hours. In recent years, the popularity of routes like the Three Peaks and subsequent high footfall upon them has caused a number of problems in terms of litter, erosion and disturbance to local residents. You should be mindful of these issues when choosing a challenge, and if necessary, opt for one of the less popular routes which will provide equally engaging terrain and probably be considerably more peaceful!
How do I prepare for a challenge walk?
You've chosen your challenge - now what? If you've never done any long-distance walking before, you'll need to get into the swing of things. Setting off on your challenge without any prior 'dress rehearsals' is a big no-no, blisters from brand-new boots, lack of hill skills and logistical hiccups can cause you to have to tap out early - and then you won't raise all those important pennies for charity, right? So, be prepared!
The level of fitness required will depend very much on the route itself. For first-timers, choose one of the challenges known to be a 'beginner' walk, and prepare by walking sections of the route for training. Whilst some of the challenges listed are well-trodden and way marked in sections, you will need to be confident navigating with a map and compass and have a sound understanding of mountain safety. Check out the BMC TV YouTube channel for how-to's and tips on staying safe and making the most of your adventure, and if in doubt: join in with an organised challenge or hire a qualified guide.
Some of the challenges in the following list are feasible alternatives to the national Three Peaks Challenge; others will require considerably more fitness and mountain awareness.
Yorkshire Three Peaks
Length: Between 23 – 26 miles/37 – 42km depending on route
Total ascent/descent: 5202ft/1586m
Time: To be completed in under 12 hours
Info: Yorkshire Three Peaks App
Before the dawn of the tri-national challenge, when people spoke of the ‘Three Peaks’ it was understood to refer to this Yorkshire Dales-based challenge. First invented by the schoolmasters J.R. Wynne-Edwards and D.R. Smith in 1887, it involves bagging Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough in one go. Why? Well, you’d probably have to ask them, as it’s not like they’re situated conveniently close to each other – Pen-y-ghent and Whernside are a soul-destroying 10 miles apart. But then again it’s not supposed to be easy, is it? Entrance into the Three Peaks Club (achieved by clocking in and out of the Pen-y-ghent Café in Horton-in-Ribblesdale in under 12 hours) is a rite of passage for any hill walker.
Before you settle on the Y3P as your challenge of choice, consider this: maintaining the paths along the 42 kilometre route of the Yorkshire Three Peaks costs on average £35 per metre. Check out the Three Peaks Project and consider chipping in to support vital restoration work on this popular path.
2. Welsh 3,000s
Length: 24 miles/39 km
Total ascent/descent: 9,786 feet/2,983m
Time: To be completed in under 24 hours
Info: The Welsh 3000s on UKhillwalking.com
Never mind three peaks; how about 15 or 16? The Welsh 3,000s is the audacious challenge of tackling all the mountains in Snowdonia above 3,000 feet in under 24 hours. Participants usually begin with a bivvy on top of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) before making their way across the mountainous spine of the region to the final peak of Foel-fras in the north, overlooking Conwy Bay, before descending feeling appropriately terrible. The inclusion of the knife-edge ridge of Crib Goch, scrambling on Tryfan and plenty of steep and problematic terrain makes this one for experienced hill walkers only. The record, set by runner Finlay Wild, stands at an inhuman-sounding 4 hours and 10 minutes. So that’s something to work towards, at least. Check out this article for more on how to RUN the Welsh 3,000s.
3. The Lakes 3,000s
Length: 44 miles/71km if you attempt it in one; a lot less if you arrange transport between them
Total ascent/descent: 7,479 feet/2,279m
Time: To be completed in under 24 hours
Info: A relevant chapter is contained within Ronald Turnbull’s Cicerone Guide ‘Three Peaks, Ten Tors’
Want to climb three epic peaks but put off by all the driving involved in the national Three Peaks? The Lake District 3,000s originated as a continuous walking challenge – a 44 mile epic thanks to the huge distances between Skiddaw, Scafell Pike, its neighbour Scafell, and Helvellyn – but for the less experienced it’s possible to arrange transport between the relevant mountains, making a superb localised alternative to the tri-national challenge. You can even bike between them if you wish, cutting out the need for motorised transport altogether.
4. Lyke Wake Walk
Length: 40 miles/64km
Total ascent/descent: 5,000 feet/1,524m
Time: To be completed in under 24 hours
Info: The New Lyke Wake Club
What is it with Yorkshire and gruelling long-distance challenges? The Lyke Wake Walk seems purposefully designed to prove the mantra that it’s grim up north, revelling in its difficulty by cheerfully theming the whole thing around the topic of death. A 40 mile crossing of the North York Moors from Osmotherley to Ravenscar following the line of the watershed across the widest point of the moors, it takes its name from the Lyke Wake Dirge, a traditional Yorkshire song describing the soul’s passage through purgatory, a very deliberate analogy for how you’ll feel crossing the seemingly endless seas of heather. Completing it earns you entry to the Lyke Wake Club; male finishers are called Dirgers, woman finishers are called Witches. We don’t know why either.
5. Rowbotham’s Round Rotherham
Length: 50 miles/80km
Total ascent/descent: 2,624 feet/800m
Time: To be completed in under 16 hours
Info: Rotherham Harriers
When: October
You can imagine the conversation at work. “Oh, you’re doing a massive challenge walk for charity. Is it the Three Peaks? Kilimanjaro? Land’s End to John o’ Groats?” You shuffle awkwardly. “Not exactly…”
The Rowbotham’s Round Rotherham is a running and walking event that does more or less exactly what it says on the tin. Devised by striking steel worker and secretary of the Rotherham Harriers Athletic Club Ralph Rowbotham in 1980, it takes you on a huge 50 mile orbit of the South Yorkshire town famous for the Chuckle Brothers and no less than two of the three Top Gear presenters. It may not have the mountainous glamour of some of the other challenges on this list, but it encompasses a huge swathe of the South Yorkshire Forest (more pleasant agricultural land than actual forest), and is certainly an epic in itself. The round is run as an organised event in October, although you can of course do it yourself as a runner OR walker.
And finally...
Devise you own challenge!
What's stopping you from devising your own challenge walk?
Not everyone will be able to complete all the challenges on this list – but all of us are capable of thinking creatively about what could constitute our own challenge. What makes a ‘challenge’ is subjective and there are limitless possibilities to put your own individual slant on them. With a bit of research, expert advice and guidance from organisations in the know, it's totally possible to plan a challenge to suit you and your teammates.
So when next spring rolls around and the hordes descend on the Three Peaks again, challenge yourself to be different!
When attempting any walk or challenge event in the mountains, please consider its impact on the environment and the potential for disturbance to local residents and other users. Ensure all participants have the the right equipment, knowledge and fitness for the mountain environment.
Follow the Countryside Code and advice within the BMC's Green Guide to the Uplands.
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