National Three Peaks route
Each of the three mountains allows walkers to follow various routes - see our Ben Nevis,
Snowdon, and Scafell
Pike pages for more information.
The National Three Peaks Challenge driving route is 462 miles long, and takes around
ten hours in good traffic.
Show directions or view a larger map.
We advise taking a road map and marking the pages in advance, rather than relying on satnav.
The same applies to navigation while walking. Everyone in the group should have
a copy of the walking maps, and know how to use the maps with a compass.
If travelling to Ben Nevis or Snowdon by train, we recommend thetrainline.com
to save money on tickets booked in advance.
Three Peaks Challenge postcodes
Satnavs are recommended for convienience however. Postcodes for popular start locations
for each mountain are:
- Ben Nevis (Visitor centre) - PH33 6PF
- Scafell Pike (Wasdale Head) - CA20 1EX
- Snowdon (Pen-y-Pass) - LL55 4NY
Start and Finish
Two schools of thought exist on how to start and finish the challenge.
- Begin by touching the sea at Fort William, and complete the challenge by touching
the sea at Caernarfon. This adds only around 20 minutes drive to the end of the
challenge, and certainly helps the challenge feel genuinely complete.
- Ascend and descend all three mountains, finishing the challenge upon returning to
the car park of the third. This is the usual, and perfectly valid form of the National
challenge.