I’m planning a slightly mad weekend for the summer of 2020, and was wondering if anyone had any experience with the National Three Peaks Challenge?
I will be running each of the peaks, so any advice on routes for any or all of these will be a massive help!
FWIW, I have quite a bit of experience with mountain running but haven’t taken on any of the individual climbs that are involved.
Honest answer … it’s a driving challenge with a bit of hiking in between. It’s really not difficult in any way and i think there are better challenges out there.
I did it with a bunch of mates completely unprepared when we were quite young. It was in the middle of a Met Office severe weather warning (in Sept/Oct time), none of us had the right knowledge, experience or equipment, we didn’t know what we were doing and were lucky to get away with it. Properly stupid, idiot 19 year old boy stuff that could have ended up a lot worse!!! Gale force gusts of winds nearly ripped a friend of mine of Scaffell in the middle of the night with next to zero visibility due to fog. It was like an episode of 999! Idiots!!
All of the routes are pretty much well worn paths, so easy to navigate etc. You’d fly up and down the tracks mate, without any great difficulty. It’s made a lot easier if you have a DES so you can kip between the mountains. Most people go Ben Nevis, Scaffell, Snowdon.
Sorry to be a bit down on the whole thing. I just, personally, think it’s one of those things that sounds a lot cooler than it is.
For Snowdon I think the fastest, shortest (steepest) route is to park in Llanberis and run up the Llanberis path.
I’ve run up Pen-y-pas then up the Miners track then back down the Llanberis path but it is the long way up.
How about if I wasn’t driving, but cycling in between each one?
If i were you i’d look at doing one of the 3 (Bob Graham, Ramsey and Paddy Buckley) rounds instead. Maybe over 2 days to start, and then come back for a go at the sub 24s!
That sounds more like it!!! 
Awesome, thank you. I’ve found an account of where someone has previously done this challenge, but I’d quite like to develop my own route rather than just blindly copy someone elses!
A few years ago someone gave me idea of doing leisurely LEJOG combined with 3 peaks +/- a swim in each country. I’m interested for autumn 2020 but haven’t got as far as a bike that could take panniers etc.
In meantime girlfriend would now like to do the usual 3peaks walk next year after walking Snowdon few weeks ago. Would be good for her after supporting my IM this year. We did standard route of up the Pyg and down Miners track, nothing to concern you running those other than traffic if at weekend/time of day
Swim Loch Leven, Wast Water and Llyn Padarn.
That’ll be a nice challenge, as well as runnning the peaks and cycling between them
Great idea. Any regulations on swimming across any of these? I’ve swam in Wast Water before, which reminds me I have actually already run up Scafell! I did it from the Wasdale side
I think you’re all okay.
Scotland is go where you want, when you want.
Wales would just look at you and think “nut job”
England, some HSE will probably come and drag you out telling you it’s illegal…but it’s not (generally)
So long as it’s public land (like a National Park and not owned by National Trust etc) and you can access the lake via public land, you can swim in it.