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Photography:
Date Completed: 25th March 2017
Official Challenge Website: Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge
Equipment: Camera, Drone, Hiking Clothes, Water, Food & Gloves
Photo Copyrights: Photos can be download for personal use only.
Difficulty: 7/10 - for casual hikers
Time: 8:30AM - 8:15PM

Minor preparation: Downloaded below.
Map 1 had some minor descriptions here and there which was helpful.
Map 2 is from the Yorkshire Dales website and had some minor description.
Google Maps Area - The real lifesaver was pre-downloaded Google Maps of the Three Peaks area onto our phones .

I had less than 2 hours sleep, we both had new walking boots and we hadn't walked a really long way for over six months.

It's not like I wanted to make the walk difficult for myself - it was just an 'on impulse' walk that I didn't think would be as hard as it was. I didn't realise that there was some technical areas at the end, that setting up the drone and flying it around would take at least an extra hour, and that by 7pm it would be absolute darkness.

Google Maps Area Download really saved us. The dark caught us at 7pm, and we only had a small flashlight and one phone with battery. No internet signal, no roads, no lights, and a near invisible path at times when crossing fields. Having the area downloaded in Google Maps allowed us to use the GPS to find the trails again, using it as our eyes.

First Peak: Pen-y-ghent 2hrs to the top from Horton. This was quite an easy one, with quite a few kids climbing up, although there was a minor technical ascent near the top. It is only a 694m ascent, and most people climb it as the first peak of the trial. We found the top of the Pen-y-ghent quite typical; nice - but nothing special.

Second Peak: Whernside 5:35hrs to the top from Pen-y-ghent. Whernside was the second peak, and getting there took a long time. It was more of a test of patience, as everything was pretty downhill or straightforward, with some road walking too before we reached the viaduct. After the viaduct, it was a very slow gradual half-loop to the summit with some nice scenery. The view of Ingleborough from Whernside was probably the most impressive view of the day.

Third Peak: Ingleborough 2:50hrs to the top of Ingleborough from Whernside. This was the hardest of the three peaks as it had a very steep ascent, up through ziggzagged stone which was partly covered in snow. My amazing husband carried both of our backpacks up this bit, so I could focus on the climb ❤❤❤

The track back to Horton was easy, but once we got caught by the dark, it was hard to find the path. Fortunately, we had one small emergency torch and the Google Maps area downloaded and ready for GPS. Unfortunately, the neither the torch or GPS could help us differentiate between solid ground and knee-deep mud.

We took the drone with us and really enjoyed the hike, being able to see the Peaks from a different perspective. The day was beautiful and it felt great to accomplish such a long walk on such a nice day.

If you do the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did. You can also get a certificate printed out for yourself at the Yoskshire Dales Website.