If you are wondering what to do next year, BMC has suggested you try one of Britain's nine most epic challenge walks, all chosen as alternatives to the Three Peaks Challenge. The top three of their suggestions are:

The Yorkshire Three Peaks (as once done by your esteemed magazine editor)

Length: Between 23 – 26 miles
Total ascent/descent: 5202ft/1586m
Time: To be completed in under 12 hours

This was the original 'Three Peaks' before the tri-national challenge came about and was invented by schoolmasters J.R. Wynne-Edwards and D.R. Smith in 1887. It involves bagging Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough in one go. BMC call it a rite of passage for any hill walker, and your editor can vouch for that. Magnificent.

Welsh 3000s

Length: 24 miles
Total ascent/descent: 9,786 feet/2,983m
Time: To be completed in under 24 hours

This challenge means tackling all the mountains in Snowdonia above 3,000 feet in under 24 hours. That's fifteen or sixteen peaks. Participants usually begin with a bivvy on top of Snowdon before making their way across the mountainous spine of the region to the final peak of Foel-fras in the north, overlooking Conwy Bay. The inclusion of the knife-edge ridge of Crib Goch, scrambling on bristly Tryfan and plenty of steep and rough terrain makes this one for experienced hill walkers. The record, set by a runner, stands at an inhuman-sounding 4 hours and 19 minutes. We look forward to hearing all about GOC North Wales's attempt.

The Lakes 3000s

Length: 44 miles; less if you arrange transport between them.
Total ascent/descent: 7,479 feet/2,279m
Time: To be completed in under 24 hours

This originated as a continuous walking challenge – a 44 mile epic thanks to the huge distances between Skiddaw, Scafell Pike, its neighbour Scafell, and Helvellyn – but for the less experienced it’s possible to arrange transport between the relevant mountains, making a superb localised alternative to the tri-national challenge.