The Peak District Challenge 2025

Peak Chic! 🌟

If you're dreaming of adventure, peaks to conquer, ridges to master, and you're not afraid to get (very) muddy 🟤, we've found your Holy Grail: the Peak District Challenge. Head to Hathersage, a little paradise nestled in the heart of Derbyshire, but get ready: this is no walk in the park ❌. This event is serious business 💪, enough to make your calves tremble just reading about it 💥.

There are 4 distances to choose from in the Peak District National Park: Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Copper. We start strong with the Gold Challenge 🥇: a 100 km ultra-marathon with 3300 m of elevation gain, starting at night at 9 PM (because apparently, just being tough isn't enough 🌙). The goal? Finish in under 24 hours 🕰️. Yes, you read that right, the Gold format is "for the Bold". Twenty-four hours of trekking through marshes, ridges, valleys, and cliff edges ⛰️. If Gold seems a bit too... Gold for you this year, then the Silver Challenge 🥈 welcomes you with 75 km, 2,235 m of elevation, also within a 24-hour time limit. And good news: you can choose to hike with a guide on the first night if navigating by headlamp isn't your thing 🔦. You'll traverse the same postcard-perfect landscapes—or survival movie scenes, depending on the weather 😬—and join the Bronze Challenge route in the latter part of the trek 😮‍💨. Trust us, you'll feel like a hero crossing that finish line 🦸.

Speaking of which, the Bronze Challenge 🥉: 50 km, a "sprint" format in this brutal world 🫠. Well, relatively speaking: you have 12 hours to finish the course. It starts with climbs through Hope, Bamford, Castleton and the stunning valleys of the White Peak. It's the kind of trail where you shift from euphoria to despair, then to blissful contemplation, all in less than an hour 🤠. If you want a taste of the myth without sacrificing your joints, there's also the Copper Challenge: 25 km of pure joy (or almost), to be completed in under 9 hours. This gives you the time to enjoy the scenery, watch the sheep 🐏, and even have a chat with your inner voice (“Why am I doing this again?” 🥵). You'll explore the edges of Curbar and Froggatt, conquer the Padley Gorge, and finish with a magical descent into Hathersage. Honestly, it's almost a walk in the park... except you're the one being walked, and your health takes a back seat 🤣. In short, the Peak District Challenge is a real journey. You'll encounter breathtaking landscapes, thigh-burning climbs, slippery descents, golden-hearted volunteers, and an atmosphere that could make lesser trails pale in comparison 😨.

And after completing your challenge like a warrior 🦾, comfort is never far away! Start by visiting Sheffield, just a few kilometers away. There, you can indulge in all the local specialties: English breakfast, pie and peas, Haggis, scones... Still craving nature? 🌿 Head back to the Peak District National Park for one last hit of cliffs and plains before you leave ➡️. For the curious, the mysterious castleton caves await you 🫵.

So, Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Copper: which medal are you going after? Or perhaps... how many times will you scream “never again” before signing up for the next edition? 🙃