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Just got back from the 3 Peaks Challenge in Yorkshire in aid of the E.A.C.H.

All I can say is WOW!

WOW! as in what Countryside we have on our own doorstep and...

WOW! as in I don't think I have ever ached quite so bad!!

The Challenge is to do the three peaks in under 12 hours it is around 25 miles and has the following peaks

Pen-Y-Ghent at 2277ft
Whernside at 2415ft
Ingleborough at 2372 ft

The Ascent to Pen-Y-Ghent was tough (made tougher by the 5 pints of Black Sheep consumed the previous night), it was a gentle climb to begin until we reached nearer the top where it turned in to a rock climb to reach the summit - but what a view from the top!!

Summit of Pen-Y-Ghent

We all thought that getting to the top of the first peak was rather hard work to say the least! Little did we know what was to come.

The Descent down from was great , nice gentle slope across fields, marsh and bog. One unfortunate chap (not a member of our party) decide to take a shortcut and ended up to his waste in the said bog , very amusing but we took things a little more carefully now.

A couple of hours and we were seeing the second peak coming closer and closer, past The Spectacular Ribblehead Viaduct and we started to climb, and climb and climb. It was never ending and with a sheer drop of a 1000 ft or so down one side things were a little hairy! At last we made it to the top - this was without a doubt the hardest climb I had ever done but it felt great to make it to the top and in the knowledge that it was all downhill from here ,little did we know that the worst was to come and on the same peak! The Descent was horrendous, it was walking down a vertical drop with steps made out of the moutainside that were precarious, uneeven and loose. Every step was immense pain caused by the 16 miles we had just done. 

We moved on hurting with everystep but with knowledge that a pub was about 3 miles up the road ahead!! After resting, eating and necking some pain killers we headed off to the last peak. A nice gentle walk to start past a huge sink hole and up some stone slabs and some more stone slabs, I hate to think how many slabs there were but I think all of us had quite enough of them. Once all of the slabs had passed we looked up in terror at shear scramble that was to come. This part was like climbing a wall of rock going higher and higher, zig zaging left and right toward the top, at moments I felt like I was toppling backwards and grasped on to the cliff face for reassurance. It was terryfying.

Finaly we made it to the summit Summit of Inglebourghand it was beautifull, the wind had dropped and there was an eary stillness across the rocky plateau at the top, you could see for miles and miles we could see the 1st and 2nd Peaks as well as more importanly the pub in the village we were staying at!! A rocky descent for 3 miles or so to the bottom and past a Bull that decided to attack two of us ( I think it may have been the red of my sun burnt face that angered it)!

We were home and made the challenge in 11hours and 58 minutes!! (which was a bit close to call) 

A big thank you to Galloway Coaches and all that made it possible, what do you reckon K2 next??

All Photos can be viewed in better quality on my skydrive found here...