24 hours, 3 highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales, 9,800 feet of ascent, 27 miles of walking, 492 miles of driving and minimal hours of sleep in an overcrowded minibus!

An early flight from Heathrow got me to Glasgow airport just after 8am on Thursday 15^th October, from there I waited for my other companions to arrive and eventually set off on our drive to Ben Nevis and the start of the challenge.

The Challenge

At 1515 we started our ascent of Ben Nevis, Scotland.

The initial scenery was a lovely green valley with a rolling river flowing at its bottom. As we eventually traversed the first hill we entered another valley at the foot of Ben Nevis, the summit was shrouded in cloud, never a good sign for a goal orientated person!!

First impressions were that this was going to be tough on the body; this was due to numerous factors (early wake up, the flight, long wait at the airport and then the drive to Fort William). My body was particularly unresponsive and so the early inclines took its toll even though the pace didn't feel electric! For me and throughout the challenge the more we walked the easier it got.

As we meandered along the valley with the cloud covered Ben Nevis in sight we finally got a clear view of the route we were to take to the top. Looking back from where we had come from the scenery became more spectacular and with each step we took it unveiled almost never ending valleys, lochs and undulations as far as the eye could see!!! The views were truly wondrous!

The temperature was very pleasant until we reached the 1000 metre barrier which is when we started walking through the drifting cloud. The temperature then dropped and the vegetation became less colourful and more grey like a scene from the planet of the apes with more rocks and boulders.

As the sun began to set behind us, the views were amazing with the opposites of landscapes being bathed in sunlight or shadow with lovely silhouettes.

The final ascent was a bit of a slog and had become drastically colder but eventually at 1805 we reached the highest point in the British Isles

After a brief survey of the surroundings, some food and the mandatory photos we started our descent with the aid of head torches!

The light began to fade pretty quickly and it wasn't long before we were traipsing down the same path that we used for our ascent but this time in darkness with less picturesque views! I now believe that the descent is always harder on the body than the ascent, a feeling I did not get to experience at Everest Base camp due to the intervention of a helicopter (one might as well do it in style!). By now there was an aching in the thighs; knees and worse still were the feet.

Ben Nevis was the first opportunity we got to chat to each other, as the walking pace varied from person to person you would often catch snippets of conversations or have a series of brief chats depending on the ability to multitask!

It then dawned on me that we were only just approaching the end of the first third of the trek, and that wasn't even taking into account the tortuous mini bus journey with our aching bodies, which was to be our abode and bed for part of the night!

The descent in darkness was to be the first real test of everyone's mental strength, as this was our first experience of feeling like we were walking for the sake of walking, rather than for the sense of wonder and beauty!

On our return to the minibus we were greeted with hot drinks and some food, all very civilised!

We had completed Ben Nevis in 5 hours 40 minutes, a good pace.

At 2200 we left Scotland and headed to Scafell Pike in the Peak District, fortunately I managed to get the best seat on the minibus, which I soon gave up and decided to sleep on the floor! This was far more comfortable and better suited to my body length! Total sleep was probably between 2-2 1/2 hours.

I was concerned at how the body would feel after the first climb and the long journey in cramped conditions, but just after 0300 we arrived at a small farm in the middle of nowhere which we were told was our starting point for the second leg of the challenge!! We could have been anywhere, for all I knew, as I was half asleep, it was pitch black and everyone kept blinding each other with their head torches!

We were warned that Scafell of all the peaks, even though the smallest in terms of altitude was the most difficult due to the terrain and also making the ascent in total darkness.

The snaking line of head torches commenced, each person's view consisted of a metre square of light which usually included some rocks, a pair of legs, and a set of buttocks belonging to the person infront!

Fortunately for me my body felt good, especially my legs, which I put down to my newly adopted sleeping technique. People quickly started to question why on earth they signed up for this as it was tough, there was no scenery or warmth to encourage you to keep you going. Mental toughness is definitely a term which came to mind, even more so when we hit the cloud, the temperature dropped and the mumble of conversation diminished. I could hear a river and the odd sheep and that's all of the stimuli I had (still not sure if they were sheep at that point or just Graham Napier losing his mind!!)

The ascent seemed to be never ending, due to the various ups and downs and the variation in the terrain, most difficult of which were the slippery boulder fields which were present when we were in the clouds.

At some points there was a concern that we were walking in circles, possibly as far as to say maybe lost!!! But after a couple of visits to the OS map we rediscovered the path!!!

Then we started our final ascent to the summit, but no one really knew when it was coming!!! The mood varied within the group, but the odd person always lightened the mood intentionally or not "I felt like a ballerina hopping between boulders!"(Charlie 'Hugh Grant' Mulraine 16/10/09).

The final climb was over the bare rocky terrain, and we were met by a slight orange glow above the clouds as the sun slowly started to rise, a glimmer of hope! Unfortunately this lasted all too briefly as the clouds drew in again, similarly removing our joy!

At 0642 we hit the summit, which I celebrated with a Diary Milk chocolate bar and a lucozade; the breakfast of champions!

As we descended the light slowly increased unveiling a view over the gorgeous peak district which up until now had been shrouded in a dark mystery!! That moment put the previous 4 hours in perspective and made it all worthwhile and with this our spirits rose.

The descent took its toll on the body, but was easier on the mind, as the suns morning glow changed my initial negative view of Scafell.

At 0900 we walked through the farm and past those who were just starting what we had conquered.

We then climbed aboard the increasingly messy and pungent minibus and set off for the last peak of Snowdon. We had 6 hours to get to the summit, and thus needed a clear run on the road. Which of course we didn't get, the M6 traffic scuppered our attempts of completing the challenge in 24 hours…

I managed to get a couple more hours sleep in a variety of body positions still sticking with the minibus floor approach.

My body was better than I expected and I felt I was getting stronger and stronger with exception of my sore feet.

After the problematic traffic we finally arrived in Wales and were greeted with more impressive views.

At 1400 we arrived at Snowdon and started our ascent just afterwards.

Snowdon was truly amazing, it started with a gentle climb along numerous lakes and skirting around the various hills and then we saw the pretty intimidating peak, a typical mountain summit with one ridge leading up to the top. The climb looked steep and taxing to the dismay of many of our group! But generally our spirits were high, probably a combination of excitement at nearly finishing and the possibility of getting the train down!!

Summit 3

At 1620 we reached the summit and were rewarded with spectacular views over the Welsh countryside. From the South West to the North West you could see the coast, to the North as you looked back down the ridge we had just climbed and you could see for miles, to the East we surveyed the route we had taken and past that a horizon which kept on going through valleys and the pockets of lakes which shimmered in the bright orange sun! Definitely not a view you would associate with the UK in mid October! It was awe inspiring.

We completed the three peaks in 25 hours and 5 minutes. This again was celebrated with team photos, the odd sigh of relief and a magnum of champagne. Yet there was still a twist in the tail!!! This so called train ride back had left 3 hours previously, oh how I laughed!!! Others did not!

So we started our final descent, for me I looked forward to a warm bed, food and a cold Guinness … but first a swim. Where better than in a lake in the shadow of Mount Snowdon….somewhat refreshing!

Conclusion

I really didn't know what to expect from this challenge, and a challenge is what it was. It was great to meet new people and catch up with old friends.

The Three Peaks challenge for me was very different from Everest Base Camp, and in many ways it was harder due to the high intensity and the relentlessness of the challenge. It was both mentally and physically testing and it made me more aware of the wonder of the scenery of the British Isles, something I have to admit I have taken for granted.

We got to challenge three things;

1) Mother Nature

2) Father Time (the M6!)

3) Ourselves

It was a truly rewarding, enjoyable and worthwhile challenge.

Thank you for your support.

http://www.justgiving.com/Ryan-Cummins