Step by Step for Door 84: Tackling the Yorkshire Three Peaks

The day had finally come and what a great incentive I had. More than £4000 had been pledged by nearly 50 supporters, so there was no way I could give up. Thankfully I had company as the day was a social event for members of FitClub York, so it was a group of 12 of us who met at 6.30am and set off for the first peak, Pen-y-Ghent.  

Early morning enthusiasm meant we tackled it with vigour, reaching the top around 8am and enjoying the fact we had ticked one off.

Then it was the long walk along the valley, past the Ribblehead viaduct and up the gradual incline of Whernside. It was along this stretch where we were overtaken by a number of fell runners doing the 3 Peaks Fell race. As we trudged along, the distance starting to take it’s toll, we had a bit of a surprise as Yorkshire legend and Olympian Alistair Brownlee ran past looking like he was taking a jog in the park!

At the top of Whernside we celebrated that we were more than half way round with 2 peaks under our belt.

The walk down was nearly enough to finish me off. A seemingly endless staircase of stone slabs to protect the moorland took us down the side of Whernside and eventually to where there was a very welcome chance for a breather and refreshment at a farm just outside Chapel-le-Dale. Everyone was suffering by this point, either cramp, blisters or aching joints were the topic of conversation but after a breather we all egged each other on to tackle the final 13km and up 400m to the top of Ingleborough, the last peak to be conquered. A steep zigzagging scramble gave great views back over the miles we had covered since Ribblehead, and a sense of achievement started to creep in as we knew we were nearing the end.

One thing that made the day more enjoyable was the sense of fun and shared experience amongst all the groups doing the 3 Peaks challenge that day. Lots of charity fundraising was happening, some were just doing it for the fun, but everyone was supporting one another and acknowledging that whatever level of fitness you had it was a tough walk and a day that we would all remember for a long time. This was really evident at the top of Ingleborough. Everybody was relieved to have reached the last peak and know that it was only downhill from there onwards. We celebrated with chocolate and then started the long path down back to Horton-in-Ribblesdale.

By this point we were all looking forward to the meal we had booked in a local pub. However by this stage, our legs were not capable of speed as every step was painful so it was another two and a half hours before we finally made it to the car. What a day!!

A huge thank you to all my sponsors, and to Aviva Community Fund for providing the match-funding.

The Door 84 community will now benefit from the funds that have been raised, and I look forward to seeing the team when I’m back in the office.

Just don’t ask me to run up or down the stairs – please!!