The history of our challenge walks in words and pictures
Up to date financial details and other information about our fundraising activities
Annual financial details of the totals raised from our Walkers and Corporate Sponsors
Information about The Three Peaks Challenge Walk and the surrounding countryside
Information about The Chatsworth Challenge Walk, and the Chatsworth area.
Preparation, Hints & Tips
Handy tips and sound advice for tackling those demanding challenge walks
Some interesting features associated with our walks
Information about us and why we raise the sponsored funds
All the other bits we couldn’t fit in anywhere else
chatsworth challenge
chatsworthchallenge.com
three peaks
challenge
threepeakschallenge.com
chatsworthchallenge.com and threepeakschallenge.com are organisers of sponsored challenge walks to raise money for the Dave Owens and Frank Goodall Memorial Fund in support of nominated charities to fund cancer research, prevention, and treatment.
Total funds raised so far
£197,708.98
including... ThreePeaksChallenge
The four charities we currently represent. All of the money raised on our walks go to the four listed cancer charities to fund the research, prev-ention, and treatment of cancer.
More information >>
June 19th 2004: Our second fundraising challenge walk across the three peaks in the Yorkshire Dales.
After the resounding success of our first event in June 2003 the obvious danger for 2004 was that it might be a case of following
Corporate Sponsors (No / £)
Individual Walkers (No / £)
the Lord Mayor’s Show. To some degree this did prove to be the case, and after the glorious weather of our previous year, the heavy rain which soaked a lot of people to the skin made the walk considerably harder for the less well prepared. To try and gain some shelter from the rain between checkpoints, the support team tried assembling a tent we had brought with us for just this eventuality. After spending the best part of an hour trying to hammer tent pegs into the limestone base which teasingly hid beneath the top one inch of the sparse grassland, there was no mercy for us when we were informed by the Landlord of the Old Hill Inn that we were trying to pitch our tent on private land.
However through it all, and due to the hard work and efforts of all who contributed to the day we managed to raise the sum of £13,640 which was distributed across the four charities we are now supporting. As usual, our Event Organiser Gerard Mitchell shares his thoughts and comments about the day... (PL)
(Gerard Mitchell speaking after the 2003 walk, about a similar walk for 2004).
“Never again! I was one of the last few to make it back to the beer garden at the Crown Hotel in Horton-In-Ribblesdale (11.5 hours after setting out). You had to be there to gauge the mood. Although exhausted, everybody shared the sense of achievement at having taken part in such a demanding challenge for such worthy causes.
Friendships had been struck by individuals who at 5.30 am that morning had never met before. They had just spent a hard day walking together. Even before I could blow the suds of my first beer, attempts were being made to badger me into organising the whole thing again next year. The euphoria must have got the better of me. In the pub afterwards I took a drink and opened my mouth to say “I’m never ever going through that again”, but unfortunately it came out “Yeah, we can’t let a day as memorable as this get away without doing it all again”...
The date for the next walk had already been set for Saturday 19th June 2004
Gerard
“In 2003 I was getting nervous when the numbers (walkers) hit the fifties, but with the experience gained I’m not really concerned about how many take part in 2004” :
Gerard
“My friend Dave Owens died of oesophageal cancer, and the Oesophageal Patients Ass-ociation (a small group based in the West Midlands) were of great comfort to Dave and his wife Rita during their most difficult times.
On receiving our donation Lynne Watson their Patient Support Manager gave me a call to thank all the walkers and sponsors who were involved. She was elated by the fact that the donation would pay their phone bill for a full nine months.
I would like to pass on my personal thanks and also the gratitude of the charities concerned.”
Gerard
2004 Walk : Three Peaks Challenge
chatsworthchallenge.com are organisers of fund raising challenge walks in support of the Dave Owens and Frank Goodall Memorial Fund to raise monies for nominated charities in support of cancer research, prevention, and treatment.
Page Acknowledgements
Text : Philip Lynskey : Gerard Mitchell
Images : Philip Lynskey
© www.chatsworthchallenge.com
2. Aqueduct over the Settle-Carlisle Railway
1. Pen-y-Ghent Summit.
Of the thirty seven who started the walk shown here are fifteen on the summit of the first peak of Pen-y-Ghent. At 07.15 hours there's still a nip in the air. It’s very often too cold to hang about waiting for the rest of the trailing group to catch up and because of this the other walkers have already bagged the peak and kept moving. In line with our tradition the ladies who make up the support team have tackled the first climb. Shown on the photo are Stella Mitchell wearing a smart light blue jacket and a
4. Train over Ribblehead Viaduct
cheesy grin; Margaret Mackie wearing a super thermal white vest that must have been developed by NASA if it can keep you warm when everybody else needs at least a fleece; Ann Mitchell who couldn't decide whether the occasion called for a white fleece or a green
jacket and so as women often do took and wore both; Pat Burton who we plucked straight out of the Famous Army Stores shop window; Wendy Lynskey in her Summer 2004 multi-coloured Aztec collection; and Louise Mitchell just peeping out from behind some bloke in all blue who's trying to hog the whole photo. (Doesn’t he always... Ed.) (Oh well, it’s his camera). They'll soon be hotfooting it back down to Horton to meet Phil Lynskey and get the mini-buses and people's equipment moving down the valley to the
check-points. Shown also on the far right are Colin Dingley and John Williams who travelled up the previous evening from Warwick as they had booked two night's accommodation in Settle.
2. Aqueduct over Settle-Carlisle Railway. After following the path alongside the Settle to Carlisle railway and signal box the walkers are about to start the climb up Slack Hill to the second peak of Whernside. At this point the aqueduct and the footpath pass over the railway just before the trains enter Bleamoor Tunnel. Bathed in some of the only sunshine of the day are Mathew Ackroyd, Phil Hemingway (2004 top fundraiser) and Vanessa Proctor representing the members of Gawthorpe St. Mary's Cricket Club. Also
shown are Pete & Margaret Mackie (wearing her walking jacket now the sun's come out) and John Mitchell.
3. Whernside Summit. With the climb of Whernside conquered it's now two down with only one to go. At the summit we found early pace-setter Steve Orme (far right) wandering around aimlessly so we allowed him to join our group. Colin Dingley (2nd left) almost missed being photographed due to receiving an urgent phone call. We weren't sure whether it was his stockbroker or bookmaker. It turned out he was placing a large bet that the rug-headed kid on his second left would nick-off with his sponsor money. (Explanation: at the time of writing there was a ‘rug-headed kid’ in the photo [between Phil Hemingway and Vanessa] but as with any participants of threepeakschallenge.com who collect money from well wishing sponsors, and then don’t hand over the money I’ve digitally cropped his head off... Ed).
4. Train over Ribblehead Viaduct. As we were heading off Whernside and down through Bruntscar, we were lucky enough to spot a steam train crossing the Ribblehead Viaduct. Whether or not it was a well recognised Engine or not is unknown to us, but it certainly cut an impressive dash.
The little railway station at Ribblehead is well used by the walking fraternity and is easily reached from West Yorkshire by a regular service from Leeds station. This section of the line is very handy for anybody only wanting to do two peaks. After parking the car in Horton you can catch the train to Ribblehead, walk Whernside and Ingleborough before arriving back at your original departure point. 100 metres from Ribblehead station, under the shadow of the viaduct is the aptly named Station Inn. This typical dales pub serves decent lunches and also has the timetable of trains to and from Leeds and Carlisle chalked on a black board above the bar. (GM)
If you took part in this year’s walk, and want to take the challenge again, OR...
If you’re reading this for the first time, and wish to take part in our annual walk, click on the following links for more details.
Follow these links to the main areas associated with this page
‘‘ Your challenge is to turn up, have a great day out, and raise valuable funds in support of our supported cancer charities ’’
Ribblehead Station - Leeds Platform
Ribblehead Station - Carlisle Platform
Ribblehead Railway Station is located at the southern end of the famous Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire, England. It is operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services.
It was re-opened in 1986 with only one platform (the southbound one) in place - the northbound one having been demolished after the station's original closure in May 1970 to allow for the construction of transfer sidings for a nearby quarry (these still exist, although they are currently disused). A replacement second platform was opened in 1993 a short distance south of the original site
This station is now leased by the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust who have completely restored and refurbished it. There are resident caretakers, a small shop selling memorabilia, and its Visitor Centre includes exhibits about the history of the line and the fight to keep it open.
One exhibit in the Visitor Centre is the original station sign and a small exhibition about the Midland Railway company, builders of the line and originally the train operators.
Favourite Places - Ribblehead Railway Station
(fund total raised to date after current walk year)