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Finally the day has arrived of the three peaks challenge. After 4 months of hard training since that first time up Snowdon the princess, two giants and mountain goat were finally ready to take on the highest mountain in each of Scotland, England and Wales and all in one day. The flight to Glasgow was a nervous one you could feel the tension in the air as everyone worried about whether they could do it, would they let the team down, would they fall and get injured and for me would I have a tantrum, start screaming and shouting like a child and push my boss off the side of a mountain in a fit of rage and then spend the rest of my life in a prison cell. We arrived at the hostel in Fort William - bunk beds just what everyone needs before they embark on the biggest challenge of their lives, a sleepless night sharing a room with a complete stranger snoring in your ear. Dinner and bed and a 5.30 start and we were off. Ben Nevis first and as we arrived at the foot of the mountain the light rain felt refreshing on our faces as we commenced the climb. It was half an hour before the hail stones started - it was time for the waterproofs - officially the most unattractive attire known to man which would make any super model look at least a size 24 and that's before the wind catches the trouser leg and bellows through turning them into a parachute. Two hours into the uphill slog and the chat is over complete silence fills the air around our group of 9 challengers, every ounce of energy is being used just to keep our legs moving up and up the relentless rock face. I'm concentrating only looking at the ground immediately in front of me afraid to lift my head up to see the climb that lies ahead and also unable to hold my head up against the wind and rain that is lashing down. I can see black lines of water running off my face as my 25 hour wonder make up lets me down and washes away down the mountain leaving streaks of black down my chin. Finally we reach the peak and the temperature has plummeted and it's dark and misty. I'd like to be able to say that the views across the bonnie land were amazing but I could barely see 10 feet in front of me so I still have no idea what you can see from the highest point in Scotland. The wind was howling and the rain continued to lash down so we were straight into the descent with no break for a well earned cheese and pickle sandwich which we had been promised and had kept me going for the last hour and a half. We motored down the mountain keen to get back to the warmth and safety of the minibus. I had taken the brave decision not to embrace the walking poles relying on my hands to soften any fall safe in the knowledge that my hands having been a part of me for 30 years would be much more reliable than a couple of sticks. I don't regret this decision as I stumbled down the mountain gripping rocks freely and clinging to the rock face like spider woman. I was also extremely pleased that despite not owning a  bike and having not ridden one for 20 years I had invested in some cycling gloves to protect my soft and well manicured hands. Not only did they help with the spiderwoman moves but also made me look and feel a little bit like Michel Jackson and gave me the urge to burst into the Thriller dance every few steps which was keeping me going and providing some light entertainment for the other hikers on the mountain. Just wait until I get to Scafell and can combine it with a disco flashing head torch I'm going to be unstoppable with my thriller hands. It wasn't long into the descent before I could think of nothing else but going to the toilet. My tiny bladder was not built to go 6 hours without being emptied! At least this helped to speed up the descent. Almost down and we passed a group of triathletes - these guys were crazy they were running up the mountain like it was some kind of athletics track - jokers and this was after they had cycled from Lands End and shortly before a swim across the Channel! Finally base camp is in sight and I'm practically running the last 100 metres before my bladder bursts. Relieved and raring to go I come out of the toilet to find that we have lost someone. We had acquired 2 extra team members on the way up as their mean team raced on ahead without them, however it seems 11 was too many for us to keep hold of and one had gone missing on the journey down. Eventually she arrived 20 minutes later limping from an injured knee. Only the first mountain and we're already carrying an injury, hopefully the 7 hour car journey will mend the poorly leg. We pile onto the minibus and the smell of wet clothes and sweaty man feet fills the air and very quickly the bus turns into a laundry fighting for seats and space to dry our soaking wet clothes. Everyone is exhausted and there is no chat, within a few minutes of the bus pulling away everyone tries to get some sleep but the cramped up small space filled with the smell of a mens football team changing room is not conducive to snoozing. Three hours later we arrive at the services for the compulsory 45 minute driver stop a perfect opportunity to reapply my 25 hour makeup that has already let me down, dry out my boots under the hand drier and demolish some chicken and chips and a cup of tea, almost feel normal and human again. It's starting to go dark as we reach the base of Scafell Pike but we're all ready to get off the bus. Only 2 challengers so far have been sick but the sickness seems to be spreading rapidly through the bus so we're keen to get off. Thankfully the rain has stopped. Our newest team member that we acquired on Ben Nevis is struggling at the back there are tears and lots of breaks and she's getting left behind, we drag her to the front into the fold to pull her along with the rest of us. There is pain and determination in her face as she battles inexorably through the agony and the never ending upward trek. As we approach the three quarter mark it's pitch black now and although the rain has held off the mist has set in and the air feels damp and cold and from nowhere a raging tornado has engulfed our group of challengers. We are virtually crawling along the ground gripping on to every rock face terrified of being blown off the track and into the rocks or off the edge of a ridge that we can't make out through the mist and darkness. Those last 250 metres are terrifying keeping as close to the ground as we can we pull each other through and finally reach the summit, but there's no hanging around for photos it's one quick group hug and we're on our way down. It was on the downward trudge that I realised my headtorch was no longer working the faint light that was similar to a glow in the dark sticker had finally given up and there was just darkness ahead of me not that it mattered as each time I lifted a foot to take a step forward I was blown ferociously into the rocks or flat on my face. No amount of knee bending or wide stance was helping to withstand the gale force winds similar to being in the eye of a hurricane that were currently raging around us. We were all filled with terror and thought there was no way we would make it off this mountain alive. The wind was just so strong and unpredictable you just didn't know where it would come from or when, it was totally terrifying. That's when the hallucinations set in - I had finally become totally delirious each rock in front of me looked like a severed head and the dark rocks ahead I was convinced were the dead bodies of challengers, challengers like us who had perished at the hands of the Scafell winds. It was over, we needed to accept it we weren't going to get off this mountain alive. Finally we passed the worst of the winds, still strong and unpredictable and blowing me to the ground every 50 metres but now I was starting to feel that I would be able to get up and was not in fact being blown to my death. It was getting colder and colder though and my bones were aching from the chill. The end was in sight the small stream we crossed on the way up was not far now and once again I was dreaming of jumping into the warm bus. As we approached the stream it seemed much wider and the water raging much faster on the descent and as I tried to jump across a gust of wind blew across the stream and I lost my footing and fell straight into the icy water. Being waist deep in water was something my waterproofs couldn't quite handle. To be honest they hadn't handled Ben Nevis all that well I was soaked through to my underwear still from then, but I would have needed a wet suit to survive this latest fall. Soon the glowing lights of the port-a-loo were in sight and we were nearly back to the warmth of the bus for the final journey to Snowdon. There was a quick refuelling break on the way to Wales and I dashed into the petrol station to use the toilet. Be quick you have two minutes were my instructions so I dashed into the toilet and yanked my zip down on my walking trousers and it wouldn't move it was completely stuck. Why does this always happen when you are in a hurry I wasted 45 seconds of my two minutes pulling hard on the zip to no avail. It was no use I wriggled my way out of the trousers and wriggled them back on - luckily they seem to have stretched over the last few hours or maybe I've burned off so many calories I've dropped a dress size. I ran back to the bus and located a safety pin in the bottom of my bag which would have to do to hold my trousers together for the final push - let's face it these trousers are going straight in the bin as soon as I get home anyway as I never wasn’t to see another mountain again. It's 1.00am what am I doing here? I should be tucked up in bed having watched X Factor and now dreaming of a life as a popstar like any normal person not embarking on a journey that I may not survive. My legs have completely seized up in the 4 hour journey and I'm not sure I can face what lies ahead. It's still pitch black outside and the headtorch has not regained any life since Scafell so I'm just battling on blindly through the darkness. The wind at the base of Snowdon is strong and fierce and it soon becomes apparent that the weather conditions here may well surpass Scaffel in extremity. Scrambling up the miners path the wind is swirling across the lake and a large gust every few seconds is blowing each of us into the sharp edges of the rocks and the rain begins to pound against the mountain walls pinning us down as we approach the top of the miners path we gather round to discuss our fate. We've come so far and we're all so proud of ourselves and really want to finish this challenge but it's getting to the stage where it may be too dangerous to carry on. We radio ahead to another group of climbers who should now be approaching the summit. They are struggling on through the winds and torrential rains, it's time for us to make a decision. Do we battle on or is it time to call it a day. We choose to risk our lives in our fight to succeed in this challenge and keep on going. The rain finally slows but the winds continue. The mist has set in and we can barely see 10 feet in front of us. We drop down to the railtrack and crawl on our hands and knees the final leg up to the summit fighting against the stormy winds. Final we reach the top and my eyes fill with tears - I can't believe we have done it and I can't believe we still have to get all the way down. The journey down was long we were all tired and concentrating was hard but one wrong foot coupled with an unlucky gust of wind could be fatal. My eyes struggled to stay open and my feet didn't seem to go where my brain told them to. I had lost all feeling in my hands as they had gotten so cold and wet. Even the never ending supply of jelly beans and jelly babies didn’t seem to be giving me energy any more. Even Mike's performance enhancing drugs laced Mars bars didn't seem to be had no effect on our weakening bodies. All we could think about was staying alive and getting home. There had been no real chat for around 20 hours now no energy left to talk every last bit of strength being  pushed to our legs to keep them going one foot in front of the other princess just keep moving not far now. Finally the car park was in sight and it was over. There were no balloons or banners or cheers on arrival we didn't even have the energy to congratulate each other all we'd thought about for the last 27 hours was this moment and now it had come not one of us had the energy to really appreciate it we all just wanted to get on the bus get changed out of our wet clothes eat and head home. The parents arrived to meet me and take me home and I've never been more pleased to see their smiling faces which a few hours ago I feared I would never see again. I ran into my Mommy and Daddy's arms and was overcome with emotion from my ordeal and then I took a step back and said 'please can you buy me a full English I can't find my purse?' - After 27 hours of eating Mars bars and jelly babies I needed a proper meal and a full English breakfast would do just the job. After breakfast I curled up in the car and slept until we arrived at home. As I tried to step out of the car it became apparent that my legs had completely given up. There was no way that I was going to be able to get out of the car and stand up. Daddy had to carry me into the house I think I might be paralysed for the rest of my life! For the rest of the day I crawled up the stairs on my hands and knees and slid down on my bum wondering if my legs would ever work again. I had a long soak in the bath and then lay on my bed. It was then that I finally realised and thought about what I had achieved and could really feel excited and proud of myself. I had proved all those people who had doubted me that I could do it. I had proved to myself that I could do it and it is a huge achievement and when I think back I still don't know how I got through it. Sheer determination and team spirit is what pulled us all through but it was by far the most gruelling and tortuous 27 hours of my life. I didn't enjoy a single minute of it but I am so glad that I did it and grateful to the rest of my amazing team for helping me through and proud of us all for raising  £15,000 for a great cause. And then time for a very long and well deserved nap in my warm cosy bed and my cuddly bunny. For anyone out there who is contemplating this challenge I urge you to take the decision seriously. I had trained hard for this feat. I  had been up Snowdon four times I knew the trail and could have done it with my eyes closed but nothing could have prepared me for what mother nature had in store for us this weekend, those mountains are a different beast at the hands of the wind and rain, the beautiful landscapes are transformed into wild and unpredictable terrain completely unforgiving of the smallest lapse of concentration which could see you swept off your feet and falling to your death.

Grant Thornton - Birmingham

Grant Thornton - Birmingham

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