On the 4th of April we gathered at the foot of Ben Nevis along with many other teams of walkers, ready to begin a 24 hour ultra-hike of quite epic proportions.

It had taken months of planning to get us all here with a plethora of equipment, clothing and snacks as well as arriving on time. We had 4 walkers, 2 drivers, 2 cars and 3 peaks to conquer and it would be an experience none of us would ever forget.

Thankfully, I was just turning up to take part. Matt Wintrip had taken on the arduous task of rounding up people just as enthusiastic as he was to trudge over 25 miles of footpaths and mountain trails.

The idea to walk all three of the highest peaks in the United Kingdom was inspired by Matt reading the auto biography of British adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. In hindsight I suppose we should be grateful that Matt didn’t make us all march off to the North Pole.

He also found two drivers who would drive us the 450 miles between the bases of all three peaks. Meanwhile, it was up to the walkers to organise their own clothing and equipment for the climb. We were all giving a very specific shopping list and left to it.

For the uninitiated, the Three Peaks Challenge is a tour of the three peaks, the three highest points in the UK, which consist of Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in the Lake District and Snowdon in Wales. The aim of the challenge is to drive up to each peak, walk up it and have a quick celebration at the top before walking back down. You then get back in the car and drive to the next one, repeating the process until all three peaks have been conquered –and all in 24 hours.

Doing the whole thing in 24 hours is the hardest part. When you’re driving 450 miles and walking over 25 miles of steep mountain trails without any sleep, it’s very hard going.

As soon as we arrived at Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis in Scotland, all of our equipment had to be checked before we would be allowed to climb. Every time we arrived at a new peak to climb, our equipment was checked again. And if you didn’t have the full list of kit, they wouldn’t let you walk.

The first thing on the marshals’ check lists were always a tough pair of walking boots with good ankle support. We’re talking proper hardcore hiking boots. Any regular pair of outdoor shoes would not be up to the task of walking 25 miles.

Also on the check list was waterproof trousers and a waterproof (preferably Gore-Tex) jacket, moisture wicking base layers, gloves, back packs, head torches, first aid kit with Compeed and a pair of strong walking poles. You name it, we had to take it.

After a thorough equipment check we were on our way. Matt had prepared all manner of maps and means of navigation, but finding the path wasn’t so hard as we have been led to believe. There were marshals everywhere, pointing to the next bay station.

It was only later when we were finding our way through thick mist and pitch darkness that the head torches and maps really came in handy. Even then there were marshals up on the mountain.

When I started the challenge at the foot of Ben Nevis, I felt an overwhelming sense of space as if I could just leap up into the sky. It was incredibly exhilarating at first, but as time went on, the trek got harder and we call got gradually more tired, my focus was to simply keep walking. But one we got to the top we were treated to stunning views of misty mountains as we stood on a clear patch of ground which seemed to float above the clouds. It was a real life experience that I will never forget.

Celebrating that we’d got to the top we broke out the hip flasks to keep us warm, took out the cameras for some photos and then began our descent back down Ben Nevis.

Tired, we arrived back at the base of Ben Nevis where our drivers had prepared some super noodles and a mug of coffee for us. Due to the lack of time, we had to load up the car with our equipment before piling in, sipping coffee and eating our super noodles out of a mug on the way as we drove towards Scafell Pike in the Lake District.

It was 5am when we arrived at Scafell Pike. We strapped on our head torches to navigate through the darkenss and began our ascent up England’s largest mountain peak.

The sun rose over the mountains as we climbed. At 10am we reached the top and fuelled ourselves with another quick pick me up from the hip flasks at the top before munching on Mars bars as we spent another 5 hours walking back down. We threw our kit into the boot and got straight in the car, eating crisps, chocolate and whatever else we could find as the drivers took us to Snowdon. By this point we were all very tired and fell asleep during the journey.

A cold blast of air woke everyone up as the car doors opened, announcing that it was time to get up, get our kit and start walking up Snowdon in Wales. During the ascent is when we all feel the blisters we’ve been rubbing inside our hiking shoes and when the feeling becomes quite numb, it’s testament to just how physically and mentally tired we all are.

I can’t even remember climbing up and walking back down Snowdon. I was half asleep and just kept my feet moving. I do remember being at the top and feeling a strange sense of celebration with everyone. It gave me the extra surge of energy I needed to make it back down, by knowing that it was the third and final peak and that home, sleep and a nice warm bed were only a few hours away.

We came back down the mountain to more hot food and a celebratory beer and recounted our adventure before packing everything back into the car and falling asleep as our drivers drove us home.

The Three Peaks Challenge was a real life experience. Looking back it was brilliant, but also extremely tiring. The best part was being together with a great bunch of people who are sharing the task with you. Because there’s lots of you working towards the same goal, you get this wonderful sense of comradery and so when you experience success by completing the challenge you get an enormous sense of satisfaction and achievement. Perhaps the achievement is made even better by a slight sense of euphoria due to being so physically and mentally drained by exhaustion and lack of sleep.

So if you are thinking about taking part in the Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for charity or for your own personal goals, I can wholeheartedly recommend the experience. But just remember that it will take a lot of planning, dedication and lots of high protein foods to keep you going.