Ain't no mountain high enough

So far, the 54 year marriage of Peter and Pat Craven has been loaded with high points, thanks to a shared love of mountain climbing.

The hobby has taken the couple from their home in Tettenhall to the summit of some of the world's greatest climbs.

Mr Craven, aged 78, has recently finished climbing all 282 of the Scottish Munro Mountains for the second time.

The Munro's is the name given to a selection of mountains in Scotland that scale over 3,000 feet high.

When Mr Craven reached the summit of Beinn Fhionnlaidh, 3,297 feet above the ground, therefore completing his second round, his sense of satisfaction was even greater than first time around.

He said: "It is just always been a fascinating way of life for me and always will be.

"Climbing is an addictive thing.

"In a way it is a simple goal to set and the challenge is very positive for you.

"You start from the bottom and aim to work your way up to the top.

"We have travelled to some of the most beautiful places, had some of the best times and met so many amazing people."

The list of the Munro's was compiled by Sir Hugh Munro in 1891.

He divided the summits into 283 separate mountains whilst 255 further summits over 3000 feet were considered to be only subsidiary 'Tops'.

The list caused quite a stir at the time, as it had previously been thought that there were only around 30 mountains of that height.

When Mr Craven completed the Munro's for the first time in 1990, he was the 827th person to do so.

There are now over 5,500 people who have achieved the feat, including his wife.

Mrs Craven, 72 ,who finished her round of the mountains in 1995, said: "We met through cycling and have always been active together.

"We had our children relatively young and cycling became slightly difficult to do as a family.

"We moved onto walking and camping and then as the kids got older and we started to see more places mountain climbing started to appeal to us."

Age has not limited the couple's ability to conquer some of the words most daunting mountain climbs.

Their cycling exploits, coupled with backpacking, dinghy racing and running has given them a fine base fitness to work from.

Mr Craven said: "I am definitely slower than I was as a young lad but that is inevitable.

"On the other hand I have more experience now and know when something is probably too dangerous for me to tackle.

"You have to be reasonably fit to do mountain climbing but a lot of the hurdles you face are in your head.

"If you can keep calm and use your knowledge of conditions, direction and safety you will do better than approaching it full throttle.

"The Munro's are a perfect example.

"One day you can feel like you are in the middle of a heatwave and another day it is freezing, such is the climate in Scotland.

"Experience gives you confidence to approach each situation calmly."

Mrs Craven grew up in Fordhouses and her husband was raised in Low Hill.

The couple married in 1960 at St Michaels and All Angels church in Tettenhall after courting for two years.

They met at Wolverhampton Cycling Club and say that many people who met through the class have followed their path.

Over the years they have had to find the time to juggle mountain climbing with work and raising two children, Glenn and Scott.

Both children have taken an interest in following in their parents footsteps over the years, with Glenn now an experienced climber.

The family completed a 200 mile coast to coast backpack in 1976 from St Bees Head to Robin Hood Bay.

Mr Craven worked for 34 years as a designer for Lucas Aerospace in Fordhouses, before retiring nearly two decades ago.

His wife worked as an administrator in the Wolverhampton Education Department for 30 years.

She said: "It was always work in itself to juggle a job, a family and the hobby.

"Increasing our physical activity definitely got more difficult when we had the children.

"Juggling work, a time consuming hobby and being a mother was hard but I never stopped enjoying being active and we were always doing things as a family.

"So we stopped cycling but took up walking and camping.

"Encouraging the children to embrace the outdoors worked well for us because it's where we wanted to be anyway."

Mr Craven said: "I'm pretty sure work would prefer I had put in more overtime rather than leaving early to drive up to my next climb.

"There were plenty of nights spent sleeping in the car having come straight from work to try and make my way to the climb before it got too dark."

Once the kids had grown up and formed lives of their own, Mr and Mrs Craven pushed forward with their mountain climbing.

It is not just Scotland where the Craven's have scaled the heights.

Climbing is a hobby that has took the couple all over the world.

They have enjoyed mountain treks together in the Dolomites, the Pyrenees and the Alps, including scaling an extraordinary 15,782 feet to reach the top of Mont Blanc.

Alongside this, they have trekked in the Himalayas, including the Everest Base Camp and the Machu Picchu Trail.

Mr Craven said: "You need a lot of spirit to be a climber because it is difficult but the pay off is always worth the work.

"These places we have been to are often mentioned as beauty spots but there is nothing that can prepare you for something like Machu Picchu.

"That feeling of reaching the top of the mountain and enjoying a can of beer is so rewarding but when you do it in these amazing places, it is even better."

Despite the absolute dedication to fitness that has united Peter and Pat through the years, the couple enjoy their down time like everybody else.

Mr Craven said: "We aren't fitness freaks by any means, we like a little drink to unwind from time to time.

"You certainly feel like you have earned it after all the physical exercise of climbing a mountain.

"I couldn't just do that all the time though, a drink is no good if you haven't earned it."

This relaxed approach to enjoying life has certainly helped the pair's relationship through the years.

They are no stranger to spending time apart, often going on climbing or camping weekends with friends.

Mr Craven lists trust and humour as the two key elements, next to climbing of course, for their longevity.

He said: "We certainly aren't tied to each other 24 hours a day but we still enjoy the company of one another.

"You have to trust one another in any relationship, even more so when you are braving extreme conditions.

"Having a good sense of humour is so important and again, that ties in with the climbing.

"You will be in some strange, uncomfortable situations together if this is your hobby, so you don't want to be with somebody who can't relax and have a laugh.

"Climbing does bring us together, we always have something to talk about."

The pair certainly have their share of stories to tell.

One tale they take great pleasure in reminiscing over involves a long, lonely climb interrupted by a curious stranger.

Mrs Craven said: "We were doing a climb in Wales and hadn't seen a soul in such a long time.

"In the distance I saw a figure slowly coming towards us.

"As he got closer it became more and more apparent that this man was a nudist.

"It was such a surprise for us but I think he felt a little embarrassed.

"He must have been very cold."

A life of mountain climbing doesn't leave you with only humorous stories to tell, however.

While the pair maintain a safety first approach, there are some risks that you are naturally open to that can bring an element of panic to a climb.

During one climb in the Himalayas, Mrs Craven came down with a serious case of altitude sickness and had to be carried back down in an effort to reduce her sickness.

Even this tale is told told with a smile though.

In an almost unbelievable turn of events, taking place in the town coming off the bottom of the mountain was a science convention, including an all new pressure chamber designed to synthetically reduce altitude sickness.

Mrs Craven said: "I think the scientists were happier than me because they got to test out their machine.

"It was scary but also quite fascinating."

Advances in technology have played their part in helping climbers to stay safe in recent years.

Mr Craven admits to using a GPS device on occasion but says he doesn't want to lose the feeling of being on his own, at one with the natural world he has chosen to throw himself into.

His ground rules to aspiring climbers are simple.

He said: "Always carry extra set of clothes, a head torch and a whistle.

"I am not one of these guys that just carries a compass and won't adapt.

"GPS systems can be a god send but you can't doggedly stick to one path anyway, its nice to explore."

So after completing some of the worlds greatest climbing challenges, what comes next?

There are no plans to call it a day with climbing , both are committed to trips later in the year.

Mr and Mrs Craven plan to carry on with the formula that has served them so well over the years.