A walker's guide to the great peak challenges of England, Scotland & Wales
From the moorland ridges of the Yorkshire Dales to the soaring summits of the Scottish Highlands, the British Isles offer a lifetime of mountain challenges for the dedicated walker. Whether you're ticking off your first Three Peaks or hunting the final Wainwright, there is always another horizon to reach.
One of the most celebrated walking challenges in England, the Yorkshire Three Peaks takes in three of the finest summits in the Dales โ Pen-y-ghent (694m), Whernside (736m), and Ingleborough (723m) โ in a single circular route starting and finishing at Horton-in-Ribblesdale. The classic challenge is to complete the full circuit within 12 hours, a target that draws thousands of walkers and runners every year. The terrain ranges from well-defined Pennine paths to exposed moorland ridges, with some steep and rocky ascents. Navigation is generally straightforward, but the weather in the Dales can change rapidly, and the ground can be very boggy after rain. It is a serious undertaking that demands good fitness and proper hill-walking equipment.
The ultimate patriotic walking challenge: climb the highest mountain in each of the three home nations โ Ben Nevis (1,345m) in Scotland, Scafell Pike (978m) in England, and Snowdon / Yr Wyddfa (1,085m) in Wales. The traditional challenge is to complete all three within 24 hours, which requires significant driving between mountains and is typically done as a team event. Each peak is a rewarding mountaineering objective in its own right, and many walkers choose to tackle them independently over several trips, savouring the character of each massif. Ben Nevis demands respect in all seasons; Scafell Pike offers rugged Lake District terrain; and Snowdon provides a dramatic Welsh mountain experience with a range of ascent routes to suit all abilities.
Alfred Wainwright's celebrated seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966, describes 214 individual fells across the Lake District National Park. "Bagging" all 214 has become one of the great long-term walking achievements in England, attracting devoted followers who spend years โ sometimes decades โ working through the list. The fells range from gentle grassy summits accessible to relative beginners, to demanding rocky ridges requiring scrambling skills and a head for heights. Wainwright's hand-drawn maps and dry wit have made the guides beloved classics, and completing the round is a fitting tribute to the man himself. The Lake District's weather, scenery, and the sheer variety of terrain make this one of the most rewarding lists a fell-walker can pursue.
The Hewitts are hills in England and Wales that exceed 2,000ft (610m) in height and have a topographic prominence of at least 30 metres โ enough to stand as distinct, independent summits rather than mere shoulders of higher ground. The list was devised by Chris Croker and named after him using his initials. There are around 520 Hewitts in England, Wales and Ireland combined, making this a serious long-term project. The prominence criterion means that every Hewitt genuinely feels like its own mountain, and the list draws walkers into some superb and often quieter corners of the uplands โ far from the madding crowds of more famous peaks.
Compiled by John and Anne Nuttall in their guide The Mountains of England and Wales, the Nuttalls list all summits over 2,000ft (610m) with a prominence of at least 15 metres. The lower prominence threshold compared to the Hewitts means the list is significantly longer and includes many subsidiary tops and sub-summits, making for a more exhaustive survey of England and Wales's high ground. Completing the Nuttalls requires visiting some wonderfully remote and rarely-trodden ridges, and is a natural progression for walkers who have already worked through the Wainwrights or the Hewitts and are hungry for more.
England has just six mountains that clear the 3,000ft (914m) mark โ all of them clustered in the rugged heart of the Lake District around the Scafell massif and the Helvellyn and Skiddaw groups. The summits are Scafell Pike, Scafell, Ill Crag, Broad Crag, Helvellyn, and Skiddaw. Bagging all six in a single outing is a challenging but achievable objective for a fit and experienced hill-walker, and doing so in a day is a satisfying sub-challenge in its own right. The terrain between Scafell and Scafell Pike involves a short but exposed scramble via Broad Stand or a longer detour via Foxes Tarn.
Wales boasts fifteen mountains above 3,000ft (914m), spread across the Snowdonia massif in three distinct groups: the Snowdon group, the Glyderau, and the Carneddau. Completing all fifteen in a single continuous walk โ known as the Welsh 3000s โ is one of the great British mountain challenges, covering around 30 miles with over 14,000ft of ascent. It demands exceptional fitness and good navigational skills, particularly on the broad, complex ridges of the Carneddau in deteriorating conditions. The record for the round stands at just over four hours, though most walkers are rightly content to take 18โ24 hours for this formidable undertaking.
In Scotland, mountains over 3,000ft (914m) are known as Munros, after Sir Hugh Munro who first catalogued them in 1891. The current list comprises 282 summits, making "Munro bagging" one of the defining long-term challenges of Scottish hillwalking. The Munros range from relatively straightforward grassy walks to genuine high-mountain expeditions requiring navigation in severe weather, winter skills, and remote multi-day expeditions. Completing the full list โ "doing the Munros" โ typically takes dedicated walkers many years and requires travelling to every corner of the Scottish Highlands and islands, from the gentle southern ranges to the remote peaks of Knoydart and the Cairngorm plateau.
Only nine Scottish peaks exceed 4,000ft (1,219m), placing them in a rarefied tier of British summitry. Five of these giants lie within the Cairngorms โ Britain's only arctic plateau โ including Ben Macdui (1,309m), the country's second highest peak, as well as Braeriach, Cairn Toul, Sgor an Lochain Uaine (the Angel's Peak), and Cairn Gorm itself. The remaining four cluster around the Glen Nevis area: Ben Nevis (1,345m), Aonach Beag, Aonach Mรฒr, and Carn Mรฒr Dearg. These are serious mountain objectives, often in remote and demanding terrain, and many of the Cairngorm 4,000ers require long approaches across exposed high-level plateau walking that calls for excellent navigation skills and full mountain safety equipment.
All mountain and hill challenges should be approached with appropriate preparation. Always carry a detailed map and compass, wear suitable footwear and clothing for the conditions, and check the weather forecast before setting out. In winter conditions, many of these routes become serious mountaineering undertakings requiring ice axe, crampons, and the skills to use them. Tell someone your intended route and expected return time.