I know its not wine, but it deserves a glass!

The Three Peaks was certainly a challenge, and I have an extremely sore knee and aching muscles to prove it — stairs are currently my nemesis. We were a group of seven, and I walked mostly with Dave, who had done three triathlons the previous year. A very brave man.

Ben Nevis

We set off climbing Ben Nevis at 7am Saturday morning. Long and tough, with a steep path. We didn't linger at the top — just long enough for a photo, then back down. There were traces of last year's snow still on the peak. My gloves were useless against the cold so I went gloveless. Not nice. The descent brings its own stresses, especially on the knees. Crossing people going up on the way down, you feel very smug dispensing words of encouragement. Up and down in about five hours. It rained for most of it. No time to rest — straight onto the bus, changing out of wet clothes while moving. I took my fluffy slippers. A little piece of heaven.

Scafell Pike

Six-hour drive to Scafell Pike, via a detour because the driver was new. A rest stop for the driver, no gloves to buy in the services. Cold hands.

We started the climb at 7pm with head torches, as we had about 30 minutes of daylight left. We crossed streams and marshland — feet very wet. Our estimated time down was midnight to 12:30. The rain kept coming and it kept getting darker. A rocky path turned into no path, just more rock. Our guide Guy found a short cut — we had to cross a gap on a small ledge. Cold, dark, raining and windy. This was my biggest challenge. The only consolation was that you couldn't see the massive drop below. We made the top by about 10:30pm. The descent was slow. We got down at 2:30am. Seven hours on the hill. One lady felt it necessary to sing on the way down. It did not help.

Snowdon

A four-hour drive to Snowdon with a driver change at Chester. I may have slept.

We didn't start Snowdon until 7am, having already missed our 24-hour target. But we had 29.5 hours allowed (EU driving law mandates breaks for the driver). Only five of our group could take on Snowdon — two were unable to continue after Scafell Pike.

The tarmac path at the start was bliss. Beautiful scenery — the best of the three. Then the rock face. Wind picking up, rain arriving. At the top ridge: 40mph wind, rain stinging your face, bag straps flailing. Another 20 minutes to the summit along the ridge. I saw two mountain bikers up there. For my last section I ran to the trigg point — then had to hold on to avoid being blown off. We got down at 11:50. I made Dave run the last 100 yards to the gate with me.

We were walking like the tin man crossed with John Wayne. Dave said: "This is the hardest thing I've ever done." After three triathlons. I think we earned our glass.