CLIMBING Ben Nevis as part of the Three Peaks challenge has been chosen as one of the world's great adventures in a new Lonely Planet guidebook.

The Three Peaks is the challenge to climb Britain's highest peaks in one day – Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike in England, and Snowdon in Wales.

"They are all loved as much for their wild beauty as for their altitude," the guide said.

Rowing on the River Thames also makes the list. The guide describes a Thames row as "like sitting on a conveyor belt watching living history pass you by on both banks".

The Three Peaks challenge is one of six UK experiences in the new guide, which includes such activities as tracking mountain gorillas in Uganda and cycling Nepal's Annapurna circuit.

Also in the guide is "coasteering" in Pembrokeshire in South Wales. This is the act of jumping from, swimming alongside and scrambling from seaside rocks.