UKH

Hi new here. Long story but basically looking for advice, experiences and training to do the Yorkshire 3 peaks. Read on for full details of how I got to wanting to do them & my on/off training. 
 

I currently attend a brain injury social group that was set up by a man who has completed many challenges from marathons to mountains and Yorkshire 3 peaks. He completed the Yorkshire 3 peaks for first time in summer 2017. He made the mistake of saying I wouldn’t manage them when he noticed I was listening to him on about them. He probably didn’t even think any more about it and certainly didn’t mean anything nasty about me he just doesn’t think I would manage them. He probably thought nothing more of it.

From then I’ve wanted to prove him wrong. so in 2018 he agreed to plan some hill walks to build up to the peaks. We started with an easy 5 mile walk with some hills. 2 who went did struggle and had to go back. I managed fine. Next was a 10 mile at hope valley I couldn’t wait. I was a little over confident as I’m used to long walks and never had trouble before so fully expected to manage this fine. I had a big shock. This was about 4-5 mile up constant hill and back down. I was finding it tough after the first mile but there was no way I was backing out. So I carried on another mile and started feeling dizzy. Drinking water was doing nothing. The man who’d planned the walk was with me.  I said as normal as I could that I was just having a sit down. The man instantly asked if I needed to go back. I quickly said no I’d be ok. He got me to eat a chocolate bar then the next minute or so is a blur. I didn’t pass out but was close the man later said he was talking to me and I wasn’t answering. I vaguely remember one of the other people on the walk talking to him then going to catch the others up. The next thing I remember is the man saying we needed to catch the others up. It was only then I became fully aware of things and to my relief I felt better but made sure to finish the chocolate bar and get up steady as I knew anything else like that happen I’d likely be forced to go back so my full focus was on completing the walk. We sat and ate after catching the others up. I felt fine could have gone further but kept quiet as completing the walk was only thing I was bothered about. After that I did manage rest of walk fine. 
Later the man said he believed it was only cos of eating when we did I managed rest of the walk. Until then I had no idea you could feel dizzy for not eating. I definitely won’t make that mistake again.

After that the man decided no more hill walks like that. I wasn’t put off in the slightest. I learnt from my mistake it will never happen again. So 2019 we did a 5 mile in same place we did the 5 mile before hope valley. I again managed fine and the man knew I could have done more. The following month out of the blue he got talking to me about the Yorkshire peaks and said the following year 2020 we would do one peak. I was delighted and keen to eventually get him to agree to all 3. He insisted it would only be one then that was it. So I decided I’d not mention any more until we’d seen how I managed with 1. I was determined I’d make it clear I could manage more after doing 1. But we never got round to doing 1 cos of covid. But in late 2020 the man agreed if I managed 1 ok we’d try 2 then 3. Now I did wonder if I’d manage all 3 tho never said this to anyone as I was so determined. I am pretty sure I’d manage 1 and probably would manage 2. Then probably train more to manage 3. Well by end of 2020 he’d said he needed to get insurance to do them with me but cos of my balance problems he couldn’t so back to not doing them. With covid still limiting what people could do last year it wasn’t even mentioned again. But now things are getting back to normal I’m thinking about them again. 
The man knows I like to have something to aim towards so has mentioned swimming most lengths I’ve done or something. Thing is I can’t swim fast so normally get bored well before I’m finding it harder to continue. So I’m planning to go to the Yorkshire peaks sometime with a friend and maybe 2 who go to the group that would like to do them. So sometime when the man mentions about working towards something I’m going to keep dropping hints about me training to do the Yorkshire Peaks then mention that I’m going to go with a few friends and see how I get on. It’s just gone on so long if I don’t do them it will look like I just went on for sale of it.

I have been trying to improve my balance on one leg and doing more speed walks and hills.

Apologies, you don’t make it clear but have you got a disability as that may change things?

The Y3P really isn’t that challenging at all, it’s just a long slog with 3 hills in between, just do long walks and you will be fine.

Kmo86 has presumably got a brain lesion/injury, as he is in a brain injury social group. Come on, Keep up!

When you talk of "the man", on the walking trips, are you talking of a friend, or are you talking of a member of your social group, or indeed are you talking of a guide( someone who guides people up hills and mountain)?

He’s the member of staff who is responsible for service users at the group. Yes I have a brain injury was involved in a bad car accident in 2012. My balance isn’t brilliant but apart from that I’m fine. By not brilliant I mean I struggle to balance on one leg more than a few seconds so not really something that effects me. 

This. I really enjoyed the day; my wife and I walked it in about 9.5 hours but we weren't going hard plus had many picnic stops. The ground is mostly good but can be squidgy in places after rain. Some great scenery and the best few pints enjoyed afterwards.

Well i thought that but didn't want to presume as it wasn't explicit hence the question.

As someone else has said, it's mostly a pleasant, reasonably flat walk with 3 lumps. 

The 'challenge' is to do it in 12 hours, which is plenty of time.

Are you happy on big, long, mostly flat walking days? Is it just when things get steep that you find yourself struggling?

Taking from another thread recently (especially as you say you have balance issues), do you use hiking poles at all or have you tried them?

One important thing is to go at your pace and not someone else's.  Personally I can go all day with a big heavy pack and as many hills as you can throw at me but if I'm trying to keep up with someone who is walking even a tiny bit faster than I would on my own, this can totally write me off in short order. The person you're walking with- are they letting you go at your pace or are you generally following them? They might be nice company and even supportive but if they are dragging you around then you might have to consider if they are the best choice to walk with. Hike your own hike.

Something no-one's mentioned yet... If you don't check in at the Cafe before you set off, you can't send off for your badge

I can recommend a pint and a meal at the Crown afterwards though you'll likely fall asleep with your face in a steak pie. 

Unfortunately you'd have to have checked in to the cafe before they closed in 2018.

well bugger me!   Mind you it's been 6 or 7 years since I was last up that road. Is the three peaks club no longer a thing then?  

No idea I'm afraid, but I did hear that their first rule was that nobody talks about the 3 peaks club.

The two things that precipitated the biggest number of (successful) adventures in the history of human endeavour are:

1. people being told that they couldn't do something
2. after many drinks in pub getting challenged, then not being able to back down the next morning

The combination of 1. and 2. virtually guarantees "death or glory". Since you have been primed by the first one of these magical factors, your chances are high - if you are a stubborn person I can guarantee it !  (although not yet which I am guaranteeing out of death / glory. Hmmm..   where is my magic 8 ball again?)

Don't know if walking poles will help you or just be a nuisance, but there's one way to find out.

B*ll*cks to the swimming, you are posting here because you want to walk the 3 peaks, don't settle for second best. Find a good walking companion, get the miles in your legs, this takes time to accumulate, like regular walking over a period of time and yes... eat when out on the hills!!!!   not only chocolate bars mid walk, but real solid calorie rich gut-luggage when you are out on the hills a solid cooked breakfast (veggie or meaty, up to you)  before you set off will help greatly.

Find a walking partner, start getting miles into your legs, you don't need all the latest fancy kit as long as it is sensible/appropriate clothing so don't think you need to waste money. Start accumulating those miles into your legs and build up the distance slowly over regular walking

GO FOR IT!

Appalling customer service, I recommend the Golden Lion.

If you're not already using walking poles then personally I'd really recommend them. Take a lot of impact out of the downhills and give a bit of a hand going uphill, but possibly most beneficial to you is they can help you balance and stay stable on uneven ground.

My general advice for training would just be to build up slowly. Try to keep up a general level of fitness during the week doing whatever you can be it walking places locally, running, swimming, whatever. Then when you get a free day try gradually doing longer and harder walks in hilly terrain ideally with the friends you plan on doing the 3 peaks with. This will help you build navigation and decision making skills etc, get you familiar with your limits, and help highlight any kit problems (eg is your clothing comfortable etc)

There's nothing uniquely hard or risky about the 3 peaks, but at the same time if you get caught out in bad weather without the right clothing, get lost in mist on a summit, or just turn an ankle on a rocky or slippery path then there's the potential for things to go badly. Maybe the riskiest thing about things like the 3 peaks is that having an ambitious target can push people to keep going even when they should probably cut it short and head back due to tiredness / bad weather / whatever (which to be fair could apply to basically any day in the hills where you want to get to the top of something), and it can attract people to give it a go without having the skills or experience to realise what risks they're taking and when they're out of their depth. 

Something else that's changed in the past 7 years then. Hardly seems worth visiting Horton anymore

I'm surprised it hasn't been sold (or nobody has set up a replacement), it should be a very profitable endeavour.