“I had only had two hours' sleep, because I knew what was coming ahead of me”: Featherstone couple on tackling Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge twice in two days to raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance

The 25 miles of the Yorkshire Three Peaks route is a daunting challenge for anyone to undertake, but last week Featherstone couple Natalie and Adam Whittell decided to complete it twice in two days.

Natalie said the prospect of the challenge kept her awake the night before: “I had only had two hours sleep, because I knew what was coming ahead of me.”

“I knew it was really going to be tough,” she added.

Starting by torchlight at 4am on Thursday, May 8, the couple began their challenge in cold and damp conditions first up to Pen-y-ghent (694m), then Ingleborough (723m) and on to Whernside (736m).

They completed this in 11 hours and 34 minutes, having just three hours’ sleep before completing the same route a second time and finishing at 7pm on the Friday.

Natalie described feeling “upbeat” on the first day of the challenge, but said the second day was “a different story.”

“My legs were just so tired. My feet were aching,” she said.

Natalie said the hardest part of the challenge was going up Whernside on the second day, which involved a “steep scramble and some steep hills.”

The contrast in the temperature on the second day, which reached around 27 degrees, presented a further challenge, and the couple said they felt thirsty despite efforts to stay hydrated.

“We had gone from quite chilly to really red hot,” Natalie said.

The couple were spurred on knowing the walk was raising money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, having met the crew in person shortly before embarking on the challenge.

Describing how she felt finishing the challenge, Natalie said: “Overwhelmed. I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, go to bed.”

“I couldn’t decide what to do first. It was sort of overwhelming; tiring, happiness, everything mixed into one,” she added.

Already the couple have another charity walking challenge in the pipeline, with plans to tackle a 72-mile route to Hornsea later in the year.

For now, however, the couple said they are “definitely having a rest.”