Yorkshire Three Peaks, Spring 2014

And so the lure of the fells around Horton In Ribblesdale reached out to us once again, more or less a year since our last Three Peaks. Claire and I found ourselves parked up at the Ribblehead viaduct early one Spring morning, waiting for our challenge walk partner Dave to roll in from Leeds. This was our first walk together since our epic Lyke Wake Walk challenge but I think out boots had only just finally dried out!

We set off in beautiful conditions, and made quick progress up the lower slopes of Pen-y-Ghent. The ground underfoot was fairly dry at this point, which was a new sensation after our last walk. Pen-y-Ghent is a great way to start the challenge as the short sharp ascents conquered fairly quickly, and so you start thinking "one down two to go" early on in the walk. There has been extensive repair work done to the path approaching the summit, and whilst the stone slabs looked very new and somewhat out of place/ character, it is definitely a necessity, to help the fells cope with the thousands of boots stomping up and down the route each year.

The Three Peaks are great walks individually and whilst I enjoy the challenge of the walk, I am keen to come back and explore some of the other attractions Pen-y-Ghent has to offer, in particular Hull Pot.

For some the walk from here to Ribblehead is a long dull trudge but I feel it gives you a chance to relax and feel as though you become a part of the bleak yet beautiful landscape. The footpath restoration work here is a little older and has started to blend in well with its environment, although it got very muddy at times and we were quite glad to have tarmac under our feet for the last section to the viaduct where our supplies awaited as did a van selling cups of tea, and with a steam train crossing the viaduct as we approached, the image was complete.

Whernside is a bone of contention for many as the long whaleback of a hill feels like it takes an eternity to climb. With Pen-y-Ghent and Ingleborough you have a short but intense ascent that sees you hit the higher ground fairly quickly, but Whernside likes to take its time. Slowly but surely it saps the energy from your legs as you gradually gain altitude. This time around, this section actually flew by, it's amazing what good company can do to you, and before we knew it we had crossed the narrow gap in the wall to put our feet briefly on Cumbrian soil and admire the OS trig point.

Although we never set out on these challenge walks with the expressed intention of beating previous times, we were making good progress. As with the climb up, the descent of Whernside had not been especially pleasant on previous occasions, as the steep zig zagged path really starts to jarr on tired knees by this point, however once again this felt like a breeze. Whernside, your kindness has been noted.

We were on good form as we crossed the road and hit the lush pastures that lie at the feet of Inglebrough. I think this is possibly my favourite part of the walk with majestic Ingleborough in your sights as you cross farmland. The rich green farmland is criss-crossed with drystone walls and peppered with limestone outcrops that make this scenery so special and immediately recognisable.

The trees that manage to eke out a living deep in the limestone crevices are a wonder unto themselves, as well as being an amateur photographer's dream. Take a picture of these survival experts and it seems to always look great!

Eventually you reach the bottom of Ingleborough having exchanged a knowing nod of anticipation with any resting walkers, as the amazingly steep path ahead is clearly defined and at this late stage in the walk, a testing moment.

Yes, it is a real climb, a trial to tired limbs and lungs, but it doesn't go on forever and sooner that you think, you reach a little path of turf where you are welcome to flop down and give yourself five minutes. It is worth catching your breath, as the summit is still considerably higher, leaving you with another climb to reach the vast rocky plateau that is the top of Ingleborough. Although normally a lovely place with amazing views, it was fairly hazy today and with a cold wind biting, we headed off fairly quickly.

For me, this last section is the real killer.You feel like you have really completed the walk, hiked for many hours, and actually climbed the Three Peaks. Not so. A good few miles lie ahead and on tough terrain. Slippery limestone, thick mud and some moody, sturdy looking cows have still to be negotiated.

But this is part and parcel of the walk. A desire to complete this majestic circuit on your own two feet mean you have to cover the ground carry out and the legwork to reap the rewards, and these last miles are the final piece of the puzzle.

Finally we made it back to Horton, and as we crossed the railway tracks at the station, smiles broke out all round as we had made good time on our circuit and once again became part of an incredible Yorkshire Dales experience.

Yorkshire Three Peaks April 2013

It was just over year the weather last Winter defeated our previous attempt at the Yorks Three Peaks, and so having compared calendars with walking buddy Dave, Claire and I found a date at the start of April this year to give the Three Peaks challenge walk another go.

It is an odd one it has to be said. Due to the nature of the challenge, you don't get a great deal of time to fully appreciate the scenery as you are trying to complete the walk in less than twelve hours. It also attracts a huge volume of walkers which obviously puts a strain on the footpaths of these fragile fells. A lot of work has been done to improve the path and make it more durable, especially across the infamous bog section between Pen-y-Ghent and Whernside

The sun was just coming up over the top of Pen-y-Ghent as we set off from Horton-In-Ribblesdale and it really was a beautiful morning to be out on the fells. The first couple of miles are very rewarding as although it is a sharp pull up Pen-y-Ghent, it isn't long before you reach the top, soaking up the views and thinking one down, two to go, that's not so bad!

Reality soon kicks in afterwards - the long trudge over to Ribblehead takes a few hours to complete and although I remembered this a being a flat march, there are actually a couple of short ascents and descents. The great news here is that the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and National Park Authority have done a fantastic job in putting a new path that diverts away from the boggy ground of Black Dubb Moss which makes for much easier going.

The tarmac on the road for the mile or so over to Ribblehead is hard on the feet, but this was all good as we had left a car here and knew that a breakfast stop and water bottle refill was soon to come.

The next long trudge was along the huge hump-backed spine of Whernside, which is a good couple of miles of non-stop ascent. I have really enjoyed walking Whernside individually but as part of the challenge walk is it pretty tough going - even more so on a snow-covered path.

With Ingleborough up next, we enjoyed the gentle walk between the two fells and the good path across the lower slopes leading up to the steep bit. Normally this is a tough slog up a zig zag path, but with a thick blanket of snow, the only way was to head straight up kicking holes into the ice and climbing the sharp gradient upwards. This certainly got the heart, legs and adrenalin pumping!

From the top of Ingleborough we had some spectacular views all around of the terrain we had walked and way beyond. This is a great fell and definitely deserves exploration on its own and not just as part of the challenge.

The last couple of miles seem a lot longer than they actually are as fatigue sets in, but the end is in sight, and soon enough we were back in Horton in Ribblesdale hobbling to the Three Peaks Cafe on tired but happy legs.

We decided to stay at a spectacular bed and breakfast not far from Clapham, and toasted our walk with a couple of drinks in the pubs of Ingleton that evening before sleeping extremely well!

Whernside, Three Peaks Completed!

Well, it took a little longer than twelve hours. I didn't clock out and in at Horton-in-Ribblesdale. I didn't even experience the bogs between Pen-Y-Ghent and Whernside! In fact it took me roughly six weeks to complete the Three Peaks of Yorkshire this time around!

The starting point of our ascent

What happened was a failed attempt in February saw me soaked through, and beaten by the weather following the ascent of Pen-Y-Ghent. However circumstance meant I was passing through the area on a couple more occasions recently and so after a recent Ingleborough walk I was able to complete the Three Peaks of Yorkshire - in my own time, on my own terms.

snow piled along the wall on Whernside summit

And what a liberating experience it was! I could choose my routes, decide when and where to stop, take in the amazing surroundings without keeping an eye on the watch, and basically enjoy some exploration of Yorkshire's limestone country.

neighbouring Ingleborough

For the Whernside leg, bog hoppin' Dave and I parked up at Ribblehead. Our original plan was a simple Whernside circular following the crowds, but as we reached the viaduct we decided to head off along another path in order to do a clockwise circuit, against the flow as it were. This path followed the contours at the foot of Whernside, crossing a couple of farms, before heading up the fell.

looking up to Whernside summit

If the approach along the Three Peaks route is a long drawn out affair this path is anything but, and goes fairly steep up along the side of the fell. Having said that there is no scrambling involved, just a steady climb, which has the advantage of gaining altitude quickly.

Whernside ridge footpath

As it happens, we gained the ridge footpath in no time, and soon were reunited with the Three Peakers. We were trying to figure out at what time they will have started and it must have been pretty early in order for them to have done Pen-Y-Ghent and Whernside before midday!

looking over the fells beyond Dent viaduct

With clouds threatening to engulf us we wasted no time going up the ridge and reaching the crowded trig point. From here there are fantastic views all around, over to Ingleborough, down to the ever-present Ribblehead Viaduct and beyond to the Dent viaduct, and the countless fells of the Dales beyond.

the distant Howgill fells

Over the other side of the ridge wall was a great view of the Howgill Fells which remains territory unexplored for me!

tarns on Whernside overlooking Three Peaks country

Coming down we debated on making a detour to Dent but decided this would be a bit of a long detour and with band rehearsals and dj'ing scheduled for later in the day it made sense to head back along the railway to Ribblehead.

Whernside waterfall on Force Gill

We made a detour to go and view the really spectacular waterfalls on Force Gill. This was such a quiet spot, too far off the beaten track for the challenge walkers to visit - another one to add to the list of perfect picnic spots!

Blea Moor with a cloudy Whernside beyond

As we reached Blea Moor a train rolled past, enabling us to see Ribblehead carrying out what it was designed to do, carryiong trains, instead of being merely the target of countless photos, postcards, and Harry Potter pilgrims! From here it was a short walk back to the busy car park at Ribblehead and smiles all round for another great day out in the Dales.

Ribblehead viaduct

Best of 2010 Part Two - Three Peaks of Yorkshire

And so we carry on with the best of last year's expeditions. I did the Yorkshire Three Peaks after a strenuous week in the Lake District with crag rat Rainer and my better half Claire, so I went into this 25 mile jaunt with blisters all over my feet to start with - not ideal circumstances I'm sure you'll agree. We were a larger party as we were walking with most of Claire's work colleagues, so we met up near Ribblehead railway startion before heading over to Horton-in-Ribblesdale to clock in for the start of the walk.

the team at the start - still smiling

Well, maps, compasses and route planning was completely superfluous, as we had picked the wrong weekend to do the challege - the same weekend as the thousand or so that were walking for charity for the British Heart Foundation. No chance of getting lost - simply follow the crowds.
So off we headed towards Pen-Y-Ghent, and it was like being in a supermarket queue when you got to any gates and stiles, waiting your turn. Fortunately the masses started to string out on the way up the first peak and so we were more or less able to walk at our own pace.

Pen-Y-Ghent was a steep start. The going got tough towards the top of the Peak, but with views opening up it was worthwhile and it was a lovely hill to be going up. We made it to the trig point with a brief stop for a cereal bar, but the stop was short as it was windy and crowded funnily enough.

By this point the crowds had thinned out a lot so our progress was unhindered. We were also very lucky to be doing the walk after a week or so of dry weather - the much anticipated bogs that lie between Pen-Y-Ghent and Ribblehead were very dry and the ground springy underfoot. It was a long trudge though, and easily the longest section of the walk. I found the road hard to walk on after the soft peat, but he had a mile or so of tarmac before we got back to Ribblehead station and our support team with the sarnies and drinks, lovely. It was a great setting to have a quick picnic, but knowing how much we had ahead of us, there was no time to rest.

the Ribblehead viaduct still far away, Whernside rising behind

look no bog!

The next section was another long one (funny that, on a walk like this), following the rail and river along to reach the foot of Whernside. It was very pleasant walking alongside the historic rail viaduct and it made you almost forget the blisters on your feet! Part way up Whernside we were greeted with the tragic sight of a fellow Three Peaker who had suffered a heart attack - mountain rescue were at the scene, but sadly they were unable to resuscitate the victim. It was a sobering moment.

looking across to Ingleborough

Onwards we went trudging along the gradual gradient that is Whernside, not the most thrilling of hills it has to be said. We made it to the flat ridge that makes up the top, and carried right on without really stopping. The stretch back down was definitely no highlight, as the path was quite rough in places and steep going, meaning that you half slipped half stumbled down the rocks to the farm that was at the bottom.

The unprepared had to splash out for snacks and drinks right there, we had our faithful support team waiting with our goodies, perfect! Then we headed up towards Ingleborough, and it's amazingly steep "steps" up to the summit plateau. Rainer and my tactic came in to good use - don't look up, just keep looking at your feet, and sooner or later the ground will level out. The walk to the summit cairns was a breeze and the views from Ingleborough were fantastic - right across Morecambe Bay and with the Coniston Fells visible in the distance.

me and Rainer after the steep "ladder"

enjoying the view

All that remained was to head back over to Horton-in-Ribblesdale, but this was when exhaustion was setting in, not made any easier by walking on the limestone pavements. Eventually we made it, and clocked out at just over 11 hours. I think those pints at the pub afterwards were more than well deserved!