On Friday, three of us from the library team took part in the gruelling Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge to raise funds for the George Eliot Hospital Charity. Rayanne, Zoe and Nathan joined a group of 15 colleagues and friends of George Eliot to tackle the 24-mile route with 5,200ft of ascent over Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, three of the highest peaks in the Yorkshire Dales.
Meeting in the 4am darkness at the hospital, we napped as best we could on the three-hour minibus journey to Horton-in-Ribblesdale, where we met our trained guides, Chris and Zack. After a short briefing, we headed out into the morning mist toward our first checkpoint. Peaks one and two, Pen-y-Ghent and Whernside, remained stubbornly shrouded in low cloud as we reached their summits, but we didn’t let that dampen our spirits. Between peaks and hail showers, we enjoyed breath-taking views of the Dales, including sights such as the impressive Ribblehead Viaduct. After a much-needed breather, we finally summited Ingleborough at sunset. The light was fading fast, but the views in the twilight were simply magical, with a panorama of the Dales, and mist rising in the valley below.
The final stretch back to base was character-building to say the least! We pushed on through the darkness, head-torches doing their best to light the way, with our last milligrams of sheer determination to keep putting one foot in front of the other, when energy levels had reached rock bottom. Knees and feet were making their feelings about the situation very clear. A massive shout-out to our guides, Chris and Zack, who used every trick in the book to boost morale, keep us all safe and moving forward. At last, all that remained was the three-hour minibus journey home…
We’re so glad to have had the opportunity to take part in this challenge. If you’d like to donate in support of the George Eliot Hospital Charity, there’s still time to do so via our JustGiving pages:
Rayanne: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rayanne-byatt-1695277590881
Nathan: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/nathan-y3p
Zoe: https://www.justgiving.com/page/zoe-wilkin-1695303257353
