A MAN who has walked to the top of one of the 'Yorkshire Three Peaks' a total of 600 times in the last five years has donated £1,000 to the maintenance of footpaths in the area - because of the amount of pounding he has given them.

David Field, 68, a retired medical engineer and former Bradford Northern rugby player, whose achievement has been described as 'probably unique', said as someone who had suffered from depression from his mid-50s, he found getting out and walking in the countryside gave him peace of mind and always made him feel better.

On a clear day, from his home in Eldroth, near Austwick, he can see the summits of Ingleborough and Penyghent, along with Whernside, two of the three 'Yorkshire Peaks'.

He started walking all three peaks, separately over a week and over the five years has also walked all three - completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, some 14 times - prompting him to think it was only right he contribute to the maintenance of the route, which is walked by tens of thousands of people every year.

His best time for completing the Three Peaks Challenge is five hours and 49 minutes in 2019, when he said 'everything went right' on the day. 

He said: “I started going up the three peaks and I would do probably three peaks a week – on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday – a different peak each day. I used to log and time all my walks and since July 2018, I’ve completed 600 peaks which has included 14 ‘Three Peak Challenges’.

"I like to be neat and tidy so it’s been 200 times for Penyghent, 200 for Whernside, 200 for Ingleborough. I feel as though the amount I’ve been up and down, I’ve probably worn the trails down myself. So I feel it’s only right that I give a donation and that gives me a lot of pleasure, because I feel as though I’ve put something back."

Mr Field said walking helped his depression and there was always something different to see in the area of the 'Three Peaks'.

He said: “I suffered from depression from my mid-50s. You still have those days where you get a little bit dark, but the best way to get out of it is to get out for a walk.Once you get out and you get walking it just makes you feel so much better. For depression it’s one of the best things you can do. In fact walking in the countryside, whether the Three Peaks or other footpaths, is the finest thing you can do for depression. “It gives me peace of mind. You feel better when you’ve done a walk. When it’s something that is a challenge, you get a buzz from it – and you can live on that for a few days.”

He added: “Walking the Three Peaks, it’s unbelievable countryside. I would never get bored. I’ll go up from different areas. There’s nothing better going up early morning in summer, the place is filled with birds and other wildlife. You can’t put a price on that.”

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s Three Peaks Project relies on donations to fund path maintenance in an area which is enjoyed by tens of thousands of people each year. The Member Champion for Recreation Management at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Lizzie Bushby, the national park authority's member champion for recreation management, said: “Thank you to David for his donation to the Three Peaks Project, and for sharing his story. His record of walking the peaks over the past five years is probably unique. “The improvements in the state of the public rights of way network in the Yorkshire Three Peaks area is one of the proudest achievements of the national park authority and its partners. But we do need public support to keep up the good work. All money raised through the Three Peaks Project goes directly to looking after the rights of way in the area through our dedicated Three Peaks Ranger.”

The Yorkshire Three Peaks Project was set up in 2009 following a 1987 report by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology that said that the path network in the Three Peaks area was the most severely eroded in the UK.

Some paths across the more fragile parts of the route had grown to 50m wide in places, the result of walkers moving away from the path. Since then, a great deal of effort and money has gone into improving the network and addressing erosion on Whernside, the highest of the peaks at 736m, Ingleborough, 723m, and Penyghent, 694m. However, with less money, staff and ongoing pressure from the number of walkers the park authority was forced to find new ways to fund this vital work.

The project aims to ensure the area is maintained and improved in the long term by generating a sustainable income to help pay for its management. In addition to cash donations, the park authority receives donations of reclaimed stone to improve the paths. People can also become a 'friend' of the three peaks route.

A spokesperson said: "All donations to the project help to keep our Three Peaks Ranger, Tom Sutton, in post. Tom, focuses on the continuing maintenance of the paths in this special area, making sure the Three Peaks route is kept in tip top condition, keeping him very busy.

"Without this support, the footpaths would soon fall into disrepair and become badly eroded once more, and the surrounding landscape would be severely damaged."