http://www.actionforcharity.co.uk/eventdetailsnew.asp/urlsearch/Three-peaks-bike-and-hike

Although this is raising money for charity, they are asking for a minimum sponsorship of £1600 and a registration fee of £195 (per team – I can't see how many members).

Am I alone in finding this a touch expensive even if it is for charity.

Wouldn't they get more people taking part if the amounts were a little (or a lot) less?

You can do it for £30 – it's called the Three Peaks Cyclo-cross race!

i did a similar Maggies one a couple of years ago, entry fee was £100 per person.

Raising the sponsorship is easy, it just flows in one people realise what you're doing.

Our team of 6 raised 10k, 2k of which was raised by me in under 6 months.

I've done the race 4 times crazy-legs, that's why I was interested in this.

I thought maybe it would be a good way for my wife to see some of the 3 Peaks, but with a minimum sponsorship of £1600 I think that we might just walk up PyG on our own.

with teams cycling from one to the next using public roads, public footpaths or other rights of way.

that sounds extremely dodgy unless they've got all the landowners permission(s) 😕

Looks like a right scam to me. I would want to know exactly what they do with the money. Also YDNP are trying to lessen the use and the impact of these mass fundraising events so I'd want to know what the Park feel about this too.

C

I thought maybe it would be a good way for my wife to see some of the 3 Peaks

Well why not just take her?

As said above – National Parks across the UK are trying to discourage these events due to excessive erosion and litter.

is that a euphamism, take her up the three peaks……?

I hadn't thought of it like that, but now you mention it…..

Seriously though, why does OP need to have some organised jolly set up before he can take his wife on a ride. He's not even talking about showing her all the route, just some of it! Who will he nominate to hold his hand?

I can't see it as being a 'rip off' at all – because
[list=1][*]it's clearly a business, making money, shock, horror.[/*]
[*]the price is very clearly advertised, and [/*]
[*]to hike the hills and cycle between them is free of charge – they're not offering anything exclusive, so no-one's missing out on anything if they don't do it (unlike the Three Peaks Cyclocross which includes 'permits' to ride on parts of the national park that you can't normally ride on).[/*][/list]

The morality and politics of whether National Parks encourage ort discourage these mass charity events is neither here nor there – they're currently permitted.

"with teams cycling from one to the next using public roads, public footpaths or other rights of way."

that sounds extremely dodgy unless they've got all the landowners permission(s)

It looks fairly clearly to be biking between the hills then hiking on them. The footpaths bit seems to refer to the bits you walk stretches from one to the other 'peak' on.

Hey Dave – are you the same Dave Haygarth as used to live in South Devon?

What concerns me is that companies like this pretend that the min £1600 sponsorship will go to charity but don't actually make it clear how much of a cut they are taking themselves.

If I paid a registration fee and then turned up with £500/£1000/£1200 sponsorship, would they refuse my entry?

Roughly similar to the "Hike to Macchu Pichu"(sp?) sponsored trips – why would I sponsor someone to go on holiday?

Why not just spend a weekend in the Dales and do a few different rides line the Tour de Ingleborough, a route that loops around Pen Y Ghent and from Ribblehead over towards Dent with Whernside up on your left? Nice riding and not having to spend a great deal to do it. Okay so its not The 3 Peaks CX race but its still taking in their surroundings off road.