A PAIR of dogged climbers hit the spot for charity by scaling the Three Peaks in aid of Dalmatian Rescue.

Retired police officer Tracey Larvin, 54, from Bromsgrove, and friend Nick Baker, 34, from Gloucester, completed the challenge inside 24 hours - just.

They climbed the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales - Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis and Snowdon - with nine minutes to spare.

The duo began the challenge of 4.50am on Saturday, July 6 - starting so early in order to minimise footfall from other people - and finished the following day at 4.41am.

Tracey said that driving between the three mountains actually produced more problems than climbing the peaks themselves.

She said: "The traffic had been against us in Scotland, driving one section for two hours at an average speed of 40 mph.

"So having smashed Nevis in four-and-a-half hours, we were then constantly having to push to complete it in 24 hours."

Altogether, the pair walked 27 miles, took 76,900 steps, drove 462 miles and climbed 10,052ft.

They had to contend with hugely different challenges on various legs of the journey - Ben Nevis was fog-bound at the top and -5 degrees, while Scafell was warm (24 degrees) and Snowdon was climbed in the dark.

To donate to the cause, visit

https://www.wonderful.org/fundraiser/threepeaksfordas-b8f2ab4e

Tracey said she could not have completed the challenge without training from the Mercian Nordic Walking Club, where she is a member.

She added: "I wouldn’t have been physically fit enough to have completed this challenge if it hadn’t been for all the training with Ian Northcott and his support and encouragement and Carol Goode, my training partner and speed hike coach.

"The speed hike training certainly came into its own down Ben Nevis, knocking 30 minutes off the estimated time.

"Nordic walking with Ian has enabled me to do challenges I would never have even considered.

"I love the fact that it’s not just walking, it’s also about other types of training that help you to achieve goals you didn’t think possible, no matter how large or small, long or short."

Ian devised a training plan for me, specifically for the challenge, which included a lot of strength and endurance sessions, not just walking loads of miles