“Harry Potter” stars James and Oliver Phelps didn’t rely on broomsticks and wizardry to climb three mountains in the United Kingdom in a day. They used their own hands and feet.
The 25-year-old identical twins, who play prankster wizards Fred and George Weasley in the “Potter” film franchise, donned their walking boots on Saturday to tackle the Three Peaks Challenge, which involves hiking the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours.
“The pride and relief was amazing in completing the three peaks and it was a very rewarding experience,” Oliver said after the climb. "My stamina is higher than I thought it could be. The great support that I received from everybody kept me going, so huge thanks go to all."
The twins embarked on the challenge to raise money for two charities: the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity.
James said he felt compelled to raise money for the children's hospital after visiting the facility earlier this year. "It is a day I will never forget. Not only did I see how hard-working all of the staff there are, but how amazing the children in there are also. Before I had even left the building I had decided that I wanted to do something to raise a little bit to help rebuild and refurbish the hospital, buy vital equipment and fund pioneering research."
The three peaks they climbed were Ben Nevis in Scotland (4,409 feet), Scafell Pike in England (3,209 feet) and Snowdon in Wales (3,560 feet).
“Climbing Ben Nevis took a lot longer than I thought it would but it was incredible to make it to the summit,” Oliver was quoted as saying by looktothestars.org, a celebrity charity news and information website.
“Scafell Pike was a challenge as it was where I hit 'the wall’ and by the time we got to Snowdon, I had only had about two hours’ sleep. It was tough getting to the top with fatigue setting in. But finally making it up there with just enough time for one last photo, despite the rain, I made it down just inside the time limit."