National Three Peaks Challenge in 24 Hours

National Three Peaks Challenge

Climb the highest mountains of Scotland, England, and Wales in 24 hours. It sounds manageable on paper — until you realize it also means hundreds of kilometers of driving, almost no sleep, and no room for mistakes.

We left London at 3:30 in the morning right after a birthday dinner and drove straight north with one essential stop for fish and chips somewhere along the way. By 12:53 we were standing at the base of Ben Nevis, starting the clock.

The first climb felt surprisingly smooth. The weather was clear, the pace was strong, and reaching the highest point in Scotland just before sunset felt like the perfect start. For a moment it almost seemed too easy. We were ahead of schedule and already thinking this challenge might actually work. There was no time to stay long though - two mountains still waiting.

Four hours later we arrived at Scafell Pike.

That’s where things became more interesting. No mobile reception. No map. Several peaks nearby that all looked roughly the same height. It took about half an hour just to figure out which direction to go before we could even start the second ascent. By midnight we were finally moving again, climbing through darkness with only headlamps lighting the path.

Halfway up we reached snow and icy sections. The summit itself was completely invisible — just black sky in every direction. Somewhere up there we reached the top of England without seeing anything at all. At that point the challenge already felt very real. Two mountains done, but energy levels were dropping fast, and it was around 4:30 in the morning.

All we really wanted was sleep.

Instead, we got back into the car.

We knew we had to begin the final climb by 8:30 if we wanted any chance of finishing within 24 hours. Somehow we reached the base of Snowdon ten minutes before the deadline. Starting the last ascent at 8:25 felt like a small victory already. The mood was still good, but the legs were definitely slower than the day before.

About an hour into the climb the rain started. Then the wind picked up. Soon we were completely soaked and not even halfway to the summit. For the first time during the challenge we seriously considered turning around. But then we met hikers descending who told us the top was close.

That was enough motivation to keep going.

We reached the summit after 2 hours and 20 minutes. No views this time either — just fog, rain, and wind. Still, it meant the challenge was possible. Now everything depended on getting back down fast enough.

Descending should have been easy, but wet rocks made the trail slippery and slow. There was no shelter anywhere on the mountain, just steady rain and the clock running. Local hikers passed us looking completely relaxed in the weather while we pushed the pace as much as we could with the last energy we had left.

When the parking lot finally appeared, we checked the time.

12:46.

Seven minutes to spare.

3,000 m ascent
38 km hiking
750 km driving between peaks

1,250 km extra from and back to London
Sleep: almost none

It was chaotic, exhausting, slightly improvised at times — and one of the most memorable mountain challenges I’ve ever done. The kind of experience that sounds unrealistic before you start, and completely obvious afterwards. Just three mountains in one day. How hard can it be?