What to eat on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge.

If you’ve ever said: ‘I’m as hungry as a horse’ then you should be thinking in terms of a ravenous giant Shire horse rather than a greedy Shetland pony when it comes to keeping well fuelled during the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge.  

At 25 miles, including a whopping 1,585 metres of ascent, the challenge is a biggie and so it will really help if you think carefully about what food and drink you bring with you and how you prepare leading up to the day itself. Here are our pearls of wisdom:

Ditch the diet & bring enough food

You’re going to be burning a mammoth amount of calories (estimates suggest between 2,500 and 4,000) during the day but please don’t think it’s a perfect time to diet. Your body will need sufficient refuelling; if not you’ll feel faint, dizzy and generally unwell.

There are usually opportunities en-route to buy refreshments, but these places are independent businesses, so we can’t guarantee opening times and/or availability. Please make sure you bring enough with you in case these places aren’t open - this challenge is tough enough without trying to do it when you’re hungry!

Fuelling should begin the night before

Don’t underestimate the power of good that devouring a proper meal (without alcohol) and having a decent night’s sleep will do to set you up for the following day’s challenge. 

Have breakfast

Despite the early start of 6:30am for the Yorkshire Three Peaks we would heartily recommend having a good breakfast beforehand, ideally eaten around an hour before we start striding out.

With no shops or cafes at the start of the route, those joining one of our day experiences will need to have eaten en-route or enjoyed their own breakfast at home / at their accommodation.  Meanwhile, if you are staying with Large Outdoors as part of our Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge Weekend, we will have a plentiful supply of breakfast items such as toast, cereal, yoghurts and fruit.

Rucksack food

We’re often asked what food to pack and the simplest answer is: “whatever you want to eat, within reason.” Again it comes back to knowing what works for you when you’re out on a long walk rather than thinking about trying anything new on the day itself – your body likes a bit of routine and it won’t thank you for any sudden changes.  

Don’t deprive yourself. If you enjoy a scotch egg, a chocolate bar or a hunk of cake then bring them, particularly as they’ll act as rewards when you’re getting a bit tired and need a pick-me-up.

Back to horses, but learn the art of grazing – eating little and often. On the day our breaks will be short (with a lunch stop of up to 20 minutes) and it will be better for your body to avoid one large meal.

Mix up the food you bring. Don’t just rely on sugary sweet stuff which is great to give you an instant hit of energy but won’t provide the slower release energy that you need to sustain you. The best plan is to have a packet of treats (jelly babies, wine gums, fruit pastilles or other favourites) and then plentiful supplies of other carbohydrates such as a pasta salad or sandwiches – oh and flapjack is often a winner!

Drink

No, obviously not a gin and tonic, but water as an essential to keep you rehydrated. There are a fair few people who we’ve known to skimp on drinking water to avoid using nature’s bathroom but this is not a good strategy.

Keeping rehydrated is an absolute must and water also helps to convert food into energy. We reckon you’ll need to carry 2-3 litres and perhaps even more if it’s a hot day. There are two locations during the day where you can usually refill or purchase additional water but these places are independent businesses, so we can’t guarantee opening times and/or availability.

It might also be an idea to have two different water bottles or hydration bladders – one containing plain water; while the other contains a hydration tablet dissolved in water that will replace the electrolytes you lose through sweating.  Squash is a good alternative.

Sign up to a Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge with Large Outdoors today:

Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge

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