My Passion with Peter Davies: From Dartmoor to the Eiger, there's that top of the world feeling

When my school caretaker first took me and my classmates out onto Dartmoor to have a go at some rock climbing at the age of 14, I can remember loving the feeling of being outdoors and the thrill and challenge of trying to scale routes up the vertical walls of its rough granite tors.

Even in those modest beginnings, I knew instantly that for me climbing had something that other sports couldn't match. I had to take it further. I decided to invest in some kit and see how far I could stretch myself.

There are many aspects that combine to make climbing such a great pastime. One of them is how it takes you to wild and remote places that you'd never normally visit, be it a remote mountain crag, a wild sea cliff or a mountain range in a far-off place. The friendships that you make with the people you climb with are incredibly strong.

I love the feel of different rock types and the movements you have to make as you move between the holds. Climbing can push you both physically and mentally and the best climbing experiences are always those where a successful outcome can't be guaranteed.

The feeling when you reach the top makes all the hard work and all the aches and pains worth it.

Recently, a friend and I went to climb the Eiger in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. We left work on Wednesday, and aimed to be down safely by Friday evening having successfully scaled the mountain's North Face.

The North Face of the Eiger has a frightful reputation amongst climbers, with the sheer challenges it presents leading to it being dubbed the Wall of Death. It is 6,000ft of almost vertical shattered limestone rock, coated with snow and ice, which is frequently exposed to bad weather, and is constantly in shadow even in the summer. Many people have died whilst attempting to climb it.

Nowadays, with improvements in clothing and equipment and a knowledge of the best route up the face, the climb is safer than it was for the pioneers on the first ascent but it remains a serious route.

It was extremely hard work, especially as we had not had an opportunity to acclimatise ourselves to the effects of altitude, but we made it through to the top 27 hours after leaving the base. It is often said that reaching the top of a mountain makes you feel on top of the world, but this climb really did do that for me.

So, what next after the Eiger? It may be the hardest Alpine route I have climbed but I love all types of climbing and have a lot on my to-do-list. I have a number of climbs in Scotland I want to try, and those will be next on my agenda, but there are enough challenges alone on the crags of the Peak District to keep me busy for a lifetime.