‘3 Peaks by Rail’: how rail helps walkers and charity

Paul Bigland joins the teams of walkers for the annual ‘3 Peaks by Rail’ challenge that raises thousands of pounds for the Railway Children charity.

On June 27-29, the railway industry came together once more for one of the most extreme but worthwhile events in the railway calendar - the annual ‘3 Peaks by rail’ challenge, which raises money for the Railway Children charity.

The event is a true logistical feat that takes a train from Crewe to North Wales, the Cumbrian coast and then the Scottish Highlands and back, carrying teams and volunteers from the rail industry and elsewhere to climb the three highest peaks in the UK.

It has been running since 2004 without a break, bar the worst COVID year of 2020. In that time, the event has raised more than £3.75 million for the charity.

Some people, both walkers and volunteers, are gluttons for punishment and return again and again, attracted by the camaraderie and the special nature of the event, as well as the opportunity to raise money for those less fortunate, making a real difference to young lives. Companies such as Siemens, Hitachi, the Department for Transport, Thales and East Midlands Railway arrange teams every year.

As usual, the event started from Crewe station on the Thursday afternoon (June 27). Some 42 teams assembled, along with the volunteers who would keep the show on the road. The Rail Delivery Group kindly provides free rail travel to participants, to allow them to get to and from the event from all over the UK.

For a few hours, Platform 12 at Crewe is awash with people as 200 souls arrive, register, and are issued with their briefings by Railway Children volunteers and Global Adventure Challenge (GAC) - the events specialists who keep everyone safe on the mountains during the trip.

This is no walk in the park. Teams are climbing the three highest peaks in Wales, England and Scotland respectively, so safety is paramount. On the first - Snowdon - teams ascend and descend at night, so it’s easy to get lost, or to slip and pick up an injury.

As with the past few years, the train was provided by Locomotive Services Limited. This year we had a ten-coach rake of seven First Class Mk 3s, a Mk 3 buffet (10411), and a newly refurbished Mk 1 Kitchen car (1666), plus a Mk 2 brake vehicle, top-and-tailed by regular locomotive 47593 Galloway Princess on the front and 57311 (looking very smart in BR lined black livery) bringing up the rear.

At 1740 the stock arrived, giving the onboard crew time to load the large quantities of food and water needed for the first legs of the trip.

The teams of walkers settled into their coaches, which were soon crammed with people and their kit, all making themselves as comfortable as possible as they would be living and sleeping in them for two (albeit short) nights.

Two other coaches were shared by the onboard crew, the events volunteers and operations team, plus the events specialists.

At 1914 we departed, heading for Chester and the North Wales coast.

No sooner had we left than the onboard crew swung into action, preparing the evening meal. Within 30 minutes of departure, walkers were served steak pie or veggie pasty with hasselback potatoes and mixed veg, followed by New York cheesecake. No one starves on this trip… or runs short of the calories needed to tackle the challenge!

After a brief pathing stop at Llandudno Junction to allow a Transport for Wales operations train to overtake, we headed for Bangor. En route, teams received safety briefings from GAC staff who would be accompanying them onto Snowdon.

At 2126 we arrived at Bangor, where the crew positioned trollies for walkers to grab snacks before boarding the coaches taking them to their first challenge.

As soon as the walkers had vanished, the train left for Holyhead. Here it was stabled in the station to allow the crew to pass over refuse bags to LSL staff, who were waiting with a van which also tanked the train.

Now the onboard crew had time to eat, with another delicious meal prepared by our chefs - the two Nicola’s (Thomas and Garland). While the crew ate, I took the time to blog and edit pictures before we all bedded down on coach floors or seats for an all-too-brief sleep.

I was woken before 0400 by the movement of the train as we headed back to Bangor, to await the walkers.

This year, the weather was kinder and people had been able to safely summit Snowdon and get down in good order, so there were no delays. Everyone was back on-board before we departed at 0437.

A single walker had suffered a fall and gashed their knee. He was patched up by the onboard Doctor and - despite his injury - remained in good spirits.

While the tired teams got some shuteye, the train became a hive of activity with hundreds of sandwiches being prepared in the buffet car. In the Kitchen car our chefs began preparing hundreds of sausages for breakfast baps.

They say an army marches on its stomach. Well, the ‘3 Peaks by Rail’ follows that military tradition!

By 0730 everyone was awake. The aisles needed to be clear for the crew to serve breakfast, and soon the train was full of walkers queuing for the few toilets while the crew darted up and down with tea and coffee, porridge and croissants, and hot sausage baps.

There was just enough time to enjoy the magnificent scenery around Morecambe Bay, where the railway hugs the coastline, before the train became another hive of activity. Food was cleared away and walkers prepared their kit ahead of the next climb.

The weather on Scafell was forecast to be mixed, with wind, low clouds and showers - a marked contrast to the heatwave folks faced the year before.

At 0850 we arrived at Ravenglass. The short platform makes disembarkation more complex, as does the fact that the footbridge across the line to ‘La’al Ratty’ is closed (and has been condemned). Walkers had to be escorted along the road.

From Ravenglass, the teams were loaded aboard a special train to Dalegarth, hauled by River Mite - one of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway’s powerful 15-in gauge steam locomotives.

The trip gave walkers a chance to relax and enjoy the scenic beauty of the area, before beginning their five-mile trek across country to the start of the climb up Scafell. While the walkers were en route, the events crew and I went by road to the base camp at Wasdale, giving me time to get up onto the mountain and position myself to take photographs of the teams ascending.

This year, Scafell was difficult due to the weather. The summit was swathed in cloud and showers soaked the walkers (and me) several times. Descending when you’re heading into driving rain is a real test of endurance.

Even so, the vast majority of walkers made the trip, including the chap who’d fallen on Snowdon. After a trip to a local hospital, he had returned to finish the challenge.

Getting everyone back to Ravenglass involves a fleet of minibuses ferrying folk a couple of miles down the road along Wastwater, to a point where they can be transferred to coaches. This year, problems with the coach company led to a less than smooth operation, leaving walkers in the pouring rain at Wasdale Head until minibuses arrived.

Back at Ravenglass, the soggy teams were greeted by sunshine and several kind residents who, every year, take people to their homes so that tired walkers can have a shower. The rest headed to one of the two local pubs for some liquid anesthetic!

We had a couple of hours to relax and dry out (on the outside at least), before the train was back to pick us up for the next leg.

At 1930 the train reappeared, having been stabled and serviced at Barrow-in-Furness (this involved running from Ravenglass to Sellafield to reverse), allowing the weary walkers (some of them barefoot) to collapse into their seats before being served a hearty meal of lasagne and garlic bread followed by lemon meringue pie - all while enjoying the stunning scenery of the Cumbrian Coast line as we made our way to Carlisle.

By the time we were on the West Coast Main Line, most people had bedded down to grab a few precious hours’ sleep. Meanwhile, the onboard crew worked behind the scenes, using the time to prepare breakfast and our arrival at Fort William.

Unlike last year, when the line was closed and the train was diverted to Kingussie, this time our paths were clear. Overnight the train made steady progress, passing through Glasgow Central low level just before midnight - much to the bemusement of Glaswegians on their way home after a night on the town.

Unbeknown to the slumbering walkers, our train lost time on the section from Helensburgh to Crianlarich, which we left 45 minutes late.

By the time the lights were turned back on and the train returned to life, dawn was breaking over desolate Rannoch Moor - a surreal sight to wake up to after the hustle and bustle of the South.

Bleary-eyed walkers prepared their kit for the final mountain, while the onboard crew fed and watered them, boosting people’s energy levels for the last challenge.

At 0510 our train arrived at Fort William. The catering crew immediately swung into action on the platform, dishing out sandwiches, fruit and cereal bars to the walkers as they streamed off the train to board coaches for the short journey to the foot of Ben Nevis.

Our late arrival hadn’t created any problems as we had a later departure this year, allowing plenty of time for walkers to complete their climb. Conditions on the mountain were also predicted to be better than for many years, which helped. Even the midges weren’t as bad as forecast!

Well before 0600 all the teams were climbing Ben Nevis, with the first ones crossing the finish line just after 0900. They were greeted with applause, medals and the skirl of bagpipes from our lone piper - a sound that some told us encouraged tired legs for the last half-mile as the pipes could be heard on the mountain.

By 1100 the trickle became a flood, with team after team returning. This year, all descended well before the deadline, giving us ample time to rejoin the train for its 1305 departure.

While the walkers were on the mountain the train had been cleaned and serviced in the sidings, and the tables laid out with pre-ordered drinks and food prepared for the final, celebratory meal of jacket potato and mounds of chilli, followed by banoffee pie - if you weren’t too tired to eat it.

As we headed south the atmosphere became a party one, as teams relaxed and let their hair down. The bar was opened, and an air of celebration reigned.

Mary Grant, CEO of Porterbrook, which has been the event sponsor for several years, joined us to congratulate some of the teams and staff. And prizes were handed out to some teams, including top fundraiser East Midlands Railway, who had managed an amazing £24,606.

Food wasn’t forgotten. The onboard crew, who had worked like Trojans throughout the trip, served up another hot meal followed by the legendary cheeseboard along with biscuits and pickles.

During the nearly 1,000-mile round trip they had prepared three-course meals, served hundreds of teas and coffees, made swathes of sandwiches and sausage baps, and doled out a vast quantity of flapjacks, chocolate bars and fruit.

The bar, which had been stocked with donated drinks, had also done a roaring trade in beer, wine, and miniatures of whisky bottled especially for the occasion - FIB Whisky produced Royal Braclka, a 13-year-old single malt (61.9%. All money made was added to the Railway Children’s coffers.

So far, this year’s event has raised over £202,000 for the Railway Children, with money still coming in to swell the grand total of £3.8 million the trains have raised since 2004.

The challenge will be back again in June 2025. If you fancy joining us to take part in such an amazing event, why not enter a team? Details will appear on the Railway Children’s website (https://www.railwaychildren.org.uk/).