The Challenge

The Six Peaks Challenge is a sponsored mountain walk held annually to raise money for the international charity WaterAid. It is one of the toughest mountain challenges in Great Britain and Ireland, and certainly presents participant teams with the greatest logistical problems.

To successfully complete the Challenge walkers have to visit the summits of the highest peaks of the 6 regions of the British Isles. Peaks are walked from sea level to the summit and back. Travel between peaks is by surface transport.

In order the regions / peaks are:

• Isle of Man / Snaefell
• Wales / Snowdon
• England / Scafell Pike
• Scotland / Ben Nevis
• Ulster / Slieve Donar
• Eire / Corran Tuathail

The Challenge starts from Laxey Harbour on the Isle of Man on a Friday afternoon. 72 hours are allowed for successful completion of the challenge and timing finishes when the walkers return back to Cronin's Yard near Killarney having visited the final summit. In doing so Walkers will have strode almost 50 miles and ascended nearly 20,000 ft. Their Drivers will have driven more than 1,000 miles with hundreds more to do on the return journey.

2012 will be the 13th running of the event. The Six Peaks was founded in 1996 by a handful of staff and friends from Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency. It has been held annually since 1999 (except 2001 and 2004). The event itself is organised by Yorkshire Water staff, WaterAid and the generous support of volunteers.

To date (January 2012) more than 700 walkers in 150+ teams have taken part in the 6 Peaks challenge (the vast majority - successfully) and raised almost £1 million for WaterAid.

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