What is the Three Peaks Challenge?

A few times since setting up the blog i have been asked 'What is the three peaks challenge?' or 'who runs the three peaks challenge' etc so i thought it best to write a post on the history and give a bit more information on what the actual challenge involves.

The National Three peaks challenge at its heart is an event in which an individual or team attempt to climb the  highest mountain in Scotland (Ben Nevis), England (Scafell Pike) and Wales (Snowdon), usually within 24 hours including driving time. 
Overall it is approximately 23 miles of walking and over 10'000 feet of climb with 11 hours of driving.
A common mistake is that people think they are the three highest peaks in the UK, but there are over a hundred peaks higher than Scafell pike in Scotland and over 56 peaks higher than Snowdon.
There is no 'official' Three peaks challenge and nobody really knows who first attempted to see if they could do it in under 24 hours but 'the challenge' is now attempted by more than 30'000 teams and individuals each year!
Some people complete this challenge in 24 hours; others prefer a more leisurely alternative, taking two or more days to complete. It does not have to be completed in 24 hours neither does it have to be attempted in June.

Timings.

As we are attempting the 24 hour challenge, an approximate timing for the challenge looks like this.

5pm - Start Ben Nevis (5 hours walking)
10pm - Finish Ben Nevis and begin drive to Scafell Pike (6 hour drive)
4am - Start Scafell Pike (4 hours walking)
8am - Finish Scafell Pike and begin drive to Snowdon (5 hour drive)
1pm - Start climbing Snowdon (4 hours waking)
5pm - Finish Snowdon - complete.

Total time 24 hours exactly. (not a lot of room for error!)

The Mountains.

Ben Nevis

Ben Nevis, the highest of the three peaks at 1344 metres (4409 ft), has one main path.Unlike Snowdon and Scafell Pike, the path to Ben Nevis starts close to sea level, meaning much greater vertical ascent.Popularly known as The Pony Track, this route is 10.5 miles long, 17km, up and down, and includes 1352 metres of ascent.

Scafell Pike

While Scafell Pike has several paths, most Three Peaks Challengers will begin at Wasdale Head, to the North of Wast Water.The Wasdale Head route is six miles long, up and down, and includes 989 metres of ascent.

Snowdon

While Snowdon has many paths with varying difficulty, most Three Peaks Challengers will follow either the Pyg Track or Miners Track, leaving from the Pen-y-Pass car park, on the A4086.

The Pyg track includes a distance of 7 miles, 11km, up and down, and an ascent of 723 metres.The Miner's Track also ascends 723 metres, and is 8 miles, 13km, up and down.