Yorkshire Three Peaks

YORKSHIRE THREE PEAKS MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE - 05/07/08

PHOTO: Pen-y-ghent - an hour into the walk

What a walk! 26 miles, three peaks (Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough) and some of the worse summer weather I have ever experienced! The five of us completed the walk in 10.5 hours. In all, over 500 people took part in this event to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. The five of us raised over £1,200, whilst the whole event raised an amazing total of £125,000!

Walking up and across Whenside was the biggest challenge - horizontal rain, gale force winds and a significant wind chill. We were all pretty drained as we reached the summit as we'd walked around 15 miles but also had to tackle the horrendous weather. So we took shelter for 30-minutes in my emergency group shelter, ate lunch and refuelled our energy reserves.

The ascent of Ingleborough was also a bit nerve-racking as forked lightning streaked across the sky. Luckily the storm was a few miles away, but that didn't stop a tropical downpour soaking us on the final mile or so of the walk. All in all, a memorable and enjoyable walk that tested our stamina and resilience to the full. What is happening to our weather patterns...? (the effects of a warming planet, of course - it will only get worse).

Mark Reid

PHOTO: Ingleborough - 8 hours into the walk

ITV Yorkshire walks

ITV Yorkshire monthly walks series - "A breath of fresh air"

This Friday (4th July) will see the 3rd walk in our monthly walks series for ITV Yorkshire. This month we head up to Swaledale and walk from Muker to Keld and back across Kisdon Hill. The highlight are the traditional haymeadows, which are some of the best in the world.

Swaledale is my favourite area to go walking, and has many fond memories for me for it was the place that first grabbed my attention and inspired me to go hill-walking, write guidebooks and generally spend all of my spare time (and now my working time) exploring the outdoors.

Visit the ITV website to see this walk

http://info.itvlocal.com/walks.shtml

Yorkshire Three Peaks

YORKSHIRE THREE PEAKS

This weekend (5th July) myself and two friends are tackling the Three Peak of Yorkshire in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. This 26-mile walk involves climbing three peaks in the Yorkshire Dales - Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough. Last year, we completed it in 10 hours, including an hour at the Hill Inn at the foot of Ingleborough. So this year, we're aiming for 9.5 hours.

The weather forecast is poor - heavy rain and windy - which should add to the challenge. The worst part of the walk is the long stretch from Ingleborough back to Horton in Ribblesdale at the end of the walk. The best plan of action is to keep walking because if you stop for a rest then your muscles start to instantly seize up - it's more painful to stop than to keep on walking.

If you want to sponsor me then visit http://www.justgiving.com/markreid1

The photo was taken from the summit of Whernside during last year's walk.