Third time’s a Charm - Highlights from this year's Three Peaks
This June we led THREE incredible Three Peaks, one week after the other, which saw four Choose a Challenge team members take to the mountains and explore the best of what Britain has to offer. Find out how Lydia, Stephen, Felix and Sam fared on Britain’s hardest challenge, including our favourite moments, our pearls of wisdom, and what’s next on our bucket lists.
Role in CaCH:
LS: Sales & Business Development Coordinator
SC: Customer Service Coordinator
FB: Challenge Events Coordinator
SJ: Senior Operations Coordinator
Fun Fact about yourself:
LS: I have just this week qualified as a Yoga teacher... and won’t keep going on about it!
SC: I’ve visited 95 countries (and counting!)
FB: Ran an ultra-marathon! Or mum is the woman in the Take on Me video
SJ: In primary school, I was a respected gymnast.
Favourite Mountain related song?
LS: Miley Cyrus It’s the Climb... JUST. SO. DEEP.
SC: Travis: Why does it always rain on me?
FB: Biffy Clyro - Mountains
SJ: When I was an ICO we re-wrote Cheap Thrills by Sia to be ‘Steep Hills’
What was your favourite mountain?
LS: As a morning person I really enjoyed Scafell Pike; it was a lovely time of day and there were loads of sheep.
SC: It was my first time doing Scafell, and I’d never seen such clear views atop the Ben, but Snowdon absolutely kicked ass!
FB: Scafell without a doubt, nothing can beat that sunrise.
SJ: The mighty Ben!
Did you feel you Stepped Outside of your Comfort Zone?
LS: Yes -Britain gave us an eclectic mix of weather and through it all there was a smile on my face and a snack in my hand.
SC: Yep. The lack of training really paid off! A week on and my knees still haven’t forgiven me.
FB: For sure. The challenge is tough, you’re always having to think on your feet and get a move-on quickly to ensure that everyone is getting up and down in time.
SJ: Absolutely. Three Peaks is a tough, tough challenge. It’s long hours, lots of travelling, and tough peaks - you couldn’t really ask for more.
What was your magic moment on the trip?
LS: After 3 hours of walking on Ben Nevis seeing the Peak sign through the mist of the cloud cover.
FB: Sunrise at Scafell!
SC: Having the clouds completely clear on Ben Nevis summit was pretty sweet (and rare!)
SJ: After finishing Snowdon the ride back to Manchester is just two hours of watching the sunset over beautiful countryside as you depart Wales after a job well done. That’s always very special.
What was your snack of choice for the challenge:
LS: Chocolate Protein Pulsin bars - and enough bananas to feed an entire chimp family.
SC: Jelly
FB: I discovered Nakd bars and they are the actual dream.
SJ: Jelly babies. Always.
Any special shout outs to anyone in your team?
LS: Shout out to Leo and Ollie our ICOs, true heros!
SC: One has to go to Marcus from Bucks New for headbutting Ben Nevis (that was a fight you were never going to win!). Another one has to be Andrew from Loughs summiting Snowdon on 1.5 legs (and making it look easy) - Well done pal!
FB: Shout out Berkan and Elisha for being sick ICOs. But also man like Ben Hargreaves for being a great sport after potentially having too many pints at the Ben.
SJ: Zaide from UEA! Absolutely smashed Snowdon summit despite our (very) late arrival.
Biggest piece of advice to future Three Peak-ers?
LS: Take a change of clothes for the journey - I had fluffy socks, trackies and a travel pillow and it was lush!
SC: Pack for the four seasons, complete a handful of walks or hikes before you go (if possible), but just enjoy the experience… It’s tough but so rewarding!!
FB: Take it slow on the Ben, then ease into it. Always be swift with eating and drinking, and find things to distract you from the mountain, e.g. chat, podcast.
SJ: Take every opportunity to sleep. A lack of sleep makes everything feel harder than it is.
What’s next on your challenge bucket list?
LS: Machu...or EBC...or Machu - can I choose two please?!
SC: Kili!
FB: Kili!
SJ: I’m off for more marathons in the Autumn and Spring, but trekking-wise I’ve got my eyes firmly fixed on Everest Base Camp!
As you can tell, the team is absolutely smitten with the Three Peaks. It has everything a challenge should have with the extra brucey bonus of being right on the doorstep - not even Brexit can put you off. You can read the full Information Pack here and if you want to speak to the team to hear more X-rated stories drop us a message on Facebook. See some of our favourite highlights below, or check out our bangin’ Instagram.
Want to read more about the Three Peaks Challenge? Well, it’s your lucky day son:
Five things I learnt from the Three Peaks Challenge