Safety teams of fully qualified, professional Mountain Leaders ready to respond.

A modest prize pool.

Water stations.

A pre-walk registration and briefing, along with the route guides that you need.

A goodie bag at the end.

On 25-100km routes, drinks and snacks from our checkpoints on the way round.

A stew supper on completion.

Kit guidance and advice, a fundraising guide and sponsor forms if you choose to be sponsored.

A scenic and challenging route, and all pre-event planning.

A cash discount voucher to spend with the event organiser, Wilderness Development. This can even be redeemed in advance on any navigation training or walking courses that you take to prepare for the event.

Finishers Packs are available to pre-book at additional cost, which contain an event t-shirt and medal in addition to your goody bag.

Safety
2020 will be our eighth year of organising the Peak District Challenge. Our staff are experienced, qualified professionals.

Quality
From our guides, to our food, and our safety management to our mapping. We take great pride in providing a superb event.

Fair and Ethical
Our pricing is fair, transparent, and represents the real cost of putting on a great event to ethically-led; professional standards.

Gold challenge
Minimum age 20 (to comply with UKA rules)
20-year olds must be part of a team including at least one person 21+. (on TRA guidance).
21-year-olds + can enter as solo entrants.

Silver challenge
Minimum age 18

Copper Challenge
Minimum age 12
12 – 15 year olds are permitted as part of a led group, but not in self-navigating teams. They must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian.
16 – 17 year olds must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian, or join a led group with a guide, they are not permitted as solo entrants.
18+ can enter as solo and/or self-navigating entrants.

Bronze Challenge
Minimum age 16
16-17 year olds must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian, or join a led group with a guide, they are not permitted as solo entrants.
18+ can enter as solo entrants.

On the way round, checkpoint crews monitor teams' safety and provide drinks and snacks along with motivation and encouragement! Water stations are provided, and for 25-100km routes refreshments along with a stew supper on Saturday evening are included in the price of your entry.

The Bronze Challenge starts at 7.30am (Extra-time wave) or 8.30am (Main Wave) on Saturday, so the 12 hour finishing target is at 7.30pm or 8.30pm. You can decide on the day which wave you’d like to join.

The Silver and Gold Ultra routes start at 9.00pm on Friday evening, 18 September 2020, so their 24 hour finishing target is 9.00pm on Saturday 19 September 2020.

The Copper challengers starts at 9.30am (Main Wave) or 10.30am (Runners and Fast Walkers wave) on Saturday morning. Challengers can chose which wave they’d prefer on the day – there’s no need to decide in advance.

In past years, the last trains home from Hathersage on Saturday evening are at 22:41 to Manchester, 23.15 to Sheffield (and we expect they will be at similar times again in 2020!)

You are encouraged to enter is a team of 3-5 people. Solo or duo competitors are only allowed on the longer (25-100km) challenges if they can show they have navigation experience or are willing to attend a navigation training course in advance of the event.

Gold
To be successful, you’ll need to maintain over 4kph to complete the Gold Challenge inside your 24 hour target. If you fail to meet a cutoff on the Gold challenge, you will be able to continue on the 75km Silver route, which follows the shortest, flattest distance between checkpoints.
Featuring 3300m of ascent, the 100km Gold Ultra route is the ultimate Peak District Challenge, and should be attempted by teams of fit and experienced trekkers or runners who want to see the best that the Peak District has to offer. You’ll visit high points and viewpoints on your way between checkpoints, and there is a lot of climbing involved. You’ll leave Hathersage at 9pm on the night of Friday 18 September 2020. Night navigation experience is essential.

Silver:
Take on 75km (47 miles) with a 24 hour target and 2,235m of ascent, the Silver Challenge is shown with silver lines on our route schematic. Not to be underestimated, this route follows the easiest and flattest routes between approximately 8 refreshment checkpoints, but still covers a huge mileage. During the initial overnight leg, you can chose to join a led group walking with a guide, or navigate yourself. During the daytime, you’ll navigate yourself.

Bronze:
The Bronze challengers starts at 7.30am on Saturday morning. Confident fast walkers and runners have the option of joining a fast wave that starts at 8.30am.
You will leave Hathersage in the Hope valley and walk up the Hope Valley on good paths past Hope and Bamford until you reach Castleton. From here, you will turn south to join the Limestone Way past Peveril Castle and trek through the valley nature reserve of Hay Dale.
Leaving the Limestone way you will meander through idyllic White Peak villages and the Derbyshire Dales nature reserves on your way up to Middleton Moor. A tracked section through the Peak District’s working landscape brings you to pretty Baslow and the final climb up to the Eastern Edges.
You pass above Baslow, Curbar and Froggatt edges with iconic Peak District views until you reach Padley and Grindleford, from where you will rejoin the Derwent Valley heritage trail, and follow the course of the river back home to Hathersage. The total ascent is approx 1300m over the 50km.
Will you make it inside your 12 hour target?

Copper:
The Copper challengers starts at 9.30am (Main Wave) or 10.30am (Runners and Fast Walkers wave) on Saturday morning. Challengers can chose which wave they’d prefer on the day – there’s no need to decide in advance.
The route follows a circular route from Hathersage to Baslow along riverside paths and back along a hilly route via Curbar and Frogatt edges.