Frequently Asked Questions

I'm planning to do Ben Nevis late May, solo, and I have never climbed a mountain before; my level of fitness is A1. Is it that much of an impossible task?

It should be no problem at all! Just make sure you choose a sensible time of year (May - September) and have all the correct equipment. You will know if you have taken enough care with your preparation. A few reccie walks up smaller mountains/hills may be a good idea though. Don't test out all your new equipment on the top of a mountain in a gale...test it beforehand.

Are there any mass events planned for our chosen date as we would prefer to avoid heavy "traffic" if possible?

I have no information on the dates of any organised mass events. If it is a popular time of the year or a bank holiday expect a lot of people to be out there, whether they be smaller groups or mass event participants. Do a few searches on the 3peaks on Infoseek, Yahoo etc. to see if anything major has been organised. Unfortunately there so no central organisation which documents such events.

I am designing a website for the 3 peaks challenge. Can I use your images such as maps etc.?

Fine, as along as you return the favour and provide a link to us somewhere on your site.

Would it worth buying the book on the 'Three Peaks Challenge' that you quoted on your web site or does your web site cover most of the essentials?

It would be nice to have a book for reference, and be able to look at a greater number of colour photos at your leisure, which you just can't do on the web! We bought a couple of general mountain books which incorporated the three mountains, but I think most of the technical things you need to know are in my website. If you can spare the time to go out and buy a book then that's all well and good, and with most things, you'll probably get a lot more out of the trip if you have seen more photos of it and have a better understanding of what you may encounter along the way.

Do you think it is advisable to attempt it in March? Also do you think I would expect extreme weather conditions and need such equipment as ice axes and crampons etc??

We took on the challenge in April 3 years ago. It was on the Bank Holiday Easter weekend, and we were blessed with great weather. We were incredibly lucky though. The best time to be doing it has to be from May onwards, as then you will have more daylight hours, a better chance of nicer weather, and less snow!! We had to use crampons and ice axes for about the last 1/3 of all 3 mountains.

We plan to approach Scafell Pike from Seathwaite. Is the saving in time on the road greater or less than that on foot?

Starting at Seathwaite has its advantages in that it's easier to get to from Scotland, and saves total driving time, but the walk itself takes a lot longer. Also navigation from this side is more difficult in low visibility conditions or at night.

What sort of training did you do in preparation for the challenge and what would you recommend?

It's difficult to say really. Having tried to find out the same advice when I was planning for my trip, I know what it's like getting some info on the subject. I now realise however that it really doesn't matter what you do as long as you enjoy it, whether it be cycling, running, walking, or a bit of weight training (to carry your pack, and for your legs with all the climbing). I was still at University and had a fair bit of natural fitness anyway, so I didn't really have to start from scratch. Some people could turn up and do it without any training whatsoever while others might prefer to do a bit of extra exercise so that they enjoy the whole thing that much more, especially if you have to start rushing at the end, (if you at all interested in doing it under 24 hours). Don't under-estimate it though. Just because the 3 peaks has become a household name it doesn't mean that it is any easier or less dangerous to do. It still involves 3000m of vertical climbing and a walking distance of nearly 24 miles!!

How did you go about the event and did you stop on the road between mountains?

We'd planned our trip quite thoroughly beforehand, so we knew the road routes we would have to take, and what paths we would use to get up and down the mountains. We stopped when it was necessary, remembering though that every stop means less time for slogging up the hills. Saying that what's the point of getting caught for speeding or worse. It's worth getting 2 or 3 of you insured on the car/van though, or better still have somebody who just does the driving for you just in case.


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