On Saturday 1st September 26 people, over half of the Hilltop Team set off in a convey of vehicles for the journey from Sheringham headed for the Scottish Highlands to conquer 3 Mountains in 3 Days to raise funds for Nelsons Journey – a Norfolk charity, which supports children and young people who have experienced the death of a special person in their life, as part of their 20th Anniversary.

After a gruelling 13-hour journey we got some sleep ahead of our big day. After meeting up with our Mountain guide and former Hilltop employee Adam Ferne for the challenge, the team of 26 of us with varied skill level, ability and knowledge of the mountains set off at a keen and fast pace to ascend Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in the UK). We Reached the Summit at 2.30pm beating our group target of 8 hours, with the last of the walkers coming in at an impressive 7.5 hours!

Seeing the friendly and familiar faces of Laura and Karen our support team on Day 1 with a healthy supply of coffee, chocolate bars and hugs was happily received by each and every walker.

Arriving at Wasdale YHA after a 7-hour drive we collapsed at 2am into our beds ahead of an early start to climb Scafell Pike…Mountain No.2 on just 4 hours sleep. After a hearty breakfast we met up with Tanya, our Admin Manager who had driven to meet us to scale Scafell, which we completed as a team in an impressive 5 hours.

Following another early start, it was time to face the 3rd Mountain……Snowdon in Wales and as we headed off for the final mountain of our challenge every single part of us was beyond exhausted but with some serious grit and determination we started to wind our way up Snowdon. We were treated to a gloriously sunny day following 2 tough days of rain, mist and cloud!

With a sense of elation, exhaustion and bursting with pride we arrived at the summit of Snowdon at 2pm on Tuesday, there were tears and hugs at what we had managed to achieve together as a team…the Hilltop team!!! to raise money for our Charity of Choice Nelsons Journey. 

The long drive home from Wales was almost as challenging with the final team member driving into the Hilltop gates at 2.30am on Wednesday 5th September.

3 Mountains in 3 Days - a total of 26 miles walked and a gruelling 1259 miles driven!

Oliver Read, Operations Director at Hilltop Outdoor Centre said “I feel immensely proud of the whole Hilltop team for their commitment to this challenge, it has been an epic experience for everyone that (in the true spirit of hilltop) has created memories that will last a lifetime. We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received and the generosity of sponsorship from friends, family, suppliers and customers of Hilltop and wish to thank everyone for helping us raise money for Nelson’s Journey”

Simon Wright, Chief Executive at Nelsons Journey said “Hilltop have been a significant supporter of Nelson’s Journey for 20 years and we are delighted that they have committed to raise funds for us in our 20th year by taking on the 3 mountains challenge. Funds raised by Hilltop and the other 19 businesses will support the employment costs of a Child Bereavement Support Worker, helping to ensure we can continue to provide our free support to Norfolk’s families.” 

We are extremely proud to have raised a total of £8017.59, for Nelson’s Journey