Would YOU take on one of the most exhilarating adventures in the UK? Would I?! The Three Peaks Challenge calls on all adventurers to conquer the highest mountains in Scotland, England, and Wales. I wanted to know much more about it, so I spoke to our London Programme Manager, Sarah Atkinson, after learning she had completed the challenge whilst at university.

What exactly is the Three Peaks Challenge?

It’s a stunning trek that will see you walk 25 miles, climb over 5,200 feet and summit the highest mountains of England, Wales and Scotland - that’s Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis - back-to-back, over two full days.

What inspired you to take on the challenge?

At university, I was already involved with the Raise and Give (RAG) society, and they are well known for doing all kinds of fun and crazy challenges to raise money for worthy causes. At the time, they were raising money for Young Lives vs Cancer. The Three Peaks was a challenge that I wanted to do.

How did your experiences as a university student prepare you for the physical and mental challenges of the trek?

I didn't properly realise what I was signing myself up to! My lifestyle during the first year of university was a bit chaotic. I wasn’t eating healthily, I was having late nights and drinking. But I was running so I did some preparation. But I could have done much more.

Can you share a memorable moment from the trek that stands out to you?

The second mountain we climbed was Scafell Pike. We began with Ben Nevis, then did Scafell and then finished with Snowden, but we did Scafell Pike during the night. That was an unforgettable experience, climbing a mountain in the dark! But we had torches and guides with us.

By the time we got to the top, it was sunrise. I still have that image in my mind, of a beautiful sunrise and no one else around - because no one else was that crazy to climb the mountain in the middle of the night! It’s such a picturesque memory.

What training would you recommend people do to prepare for this challenge?

You need to mimic what the actual trek's going to be like, so plan to do lots of hilly walks, with consistency and discipline. And start at least a couple of months before the trek, to build up your stamina and resilience.

Did you gain any unexpected insights during the trek?

I hadn’t expected strangers to be so lovely and kind. The people on my trek were students from other universities. I think there were 40 of us. So the team morale was amazing, but also, I wasn’t expecting such kindness from strangers who weren’t involved in the challenge. It was the summer and there were lots of people and families around. They could tell we were doing a challenge because we had the guides and charity tops on. We were clapped and cheered, especially once we reached the top and people were genuinely interested in the charities we were raising money for.

So that was unexpected. People can be so nice and that gave us so much energy to keep going.

Well done on completing such an incredible challenge! For anyone interested in taking the Three Peaks on, further information can be found here: https://www.chooseachallenge.com/three-peaks-2025

Please note:

Participants are required to pay the registration fee of £ 195 at the time of booking, and you'll then need to raise a minimum sponsorship amount of £ 790 for CoachBright Charitable Trust.

Once you hit that all-important fundraising target and your place on the challenge is confirmed, we will use the funds to cover the remaining costs.

The remainder of your fundraising (never less than 50% of your fundraising target) stays with us as a donation to our vital work. In addition, 100% of any Gift Aid and every single pound that you raise above your target will stay with us.