Over the weekend of 26/27th September, a group of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award team took on the national 3 Peaks Challenge to raise money for Cancer Research. Read the full report by Mr Bede to find out how they got on.

Over the weekend of 26/27th September, a group of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award team took on the national 3 Peaks Challenge to raise money for Cancer Research. The basis of the challenge is to climb the highest mountain in each of Scotland, England and Wales within a 24-hour period. Read the full report by Mr Bede to find out how they got on.

The team, comprising of Miss House and her fiancé, Mrs Creasey, Mr Soochit, Mr Day, Mr Jackson and his wife and myself (logistical support and driver) left the academy on Friday evening at 3:30pm to drive the 300 miles up to Glen Nevis, staying overnight at the youth hostel before a 5am rise to begin the challenge.

Ben Nevis is the highest of the three mountains at 1344m (or 4406 feet in old money), and to make it harder, the climb begins just about at sea level - no starting part way up here! The team set off on their journey at about 6am for a six-hour traverse of the mountain, a walk of around 16km or 10 miles. Making excellent progress, the summit was reached at 9:10am and messages relayed to me back at the base of the hill. Progress down the mountain was slowed by the masses of people in ascent, but the first of the team arrived back at about 11:30am. The weather was kind, and conditions on the summit were reported to be calm but cloudy and very cold! The minibus departed with everyone on board and set off for England and the Lake District with an ETA of 6:30pm.

Scafell Pike is the smallest of the three mountains at 978m (3209 feet), but probably the toughest. Part of this is down to the terrain which is very rough going, but also because it is usually tackled in the dark. The team started the climb from Wasdale Head at 6:40 as the last glow of the sun glinted on the high peaks. Although the round trip up Scafell Pike is less than 5 miles, progress is slow and steep, and the climb was completed in a shade over four and a half hours. There were a number of other groups out completing the same challenge, and reports were filtering through of navigational difficulties in the dark caused by the myriad of paths and cairns. Groups were arriving at the wrong carparks, and in one case, the wrong valley on the opposite side of the mountain! Fortunately, no such misfortune befell our team and we were back in the bus and heading to Wales before midnight. This leg of the journey through the South Lakes proved quite eventful as it seems that whilst cars use the roads in the daytime, the local sheep and cows make extensive use of them overnight!

The journey to North Wales and Snowdon was a tough one; almost everyone was asleep in the bus and the long drive down the M6 proved tiring. Eventually, we arrived in the village of Llanberis and began the final drive up the pass to the car park at Pen-y-pass for the final climb - Snowdon, 1085m (3560 feet). Beginning once again in the dark at 5am, the team set off along the miners' track which is very flat, but does leave a brutal climb right at the end. Fortunately, starting at Pen-y-pass means you are already 360m up the mountain before you begin, so reducing the overall height gain needed for the summit.

The delays on the roads due to sheep and general traffic, as well as slow progress on the mountains meant that we were a couple of hours behind schedule. Fortunately, this resulted in a moment of perfect timing which would otherwise have been missed. The team arrived at the summit of Snowdon just in time to watch a magical sunrise over Moel Siabod, rising above a temperature inversion where the cloud had settled below us in the valley leaving a crystal clear sky above.

The team finally trudged wearily down to the carpark to claps, cheers and hugs, the challenge completed. Blisters were tended to, tired legs rested and thirsts sated. All that remained was a 230-mile drive home after a well-earned Sunday lunch!

This is a momentous achievement and is in every way Imaginable a challenge - tiring mentally and physically, not only for those climbing, but also those supporting on the ground. Walkers sleep between mountains, drivers try to sleep while others climb, but sleep comes infrequently and unsatisfyingly. All who took part over the weekend (including all those others who were out on the mountains from other teams) took on a massive challenge and won. I know I am immensely proud of them - and they should be too.

The numbers:

• 1015 miles driving
• 21 miles walking
• 10000 feet of climbing
• 3 mountains
• 3 countries
• 15 achy knees (including one belonging to the driver!)

Thank you to Mr Bede who wrote this report