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Route: Ribblehead, Bleamorr Sidings, Blue Clay Ridge, Slack Hill, Grain Head, Cable Rake Top, Whernside, Skelside, Bruntscar, Long Slack, Philpin Lane, Philpin Sleights, Low Hill, Southerscales Scars, Braithwaite Wife Hole, Humphrey Bottom, Ingleborough, Dales High Way, Fell Beck Head, Sulber Nick, Horton in Ribblesdale, Horton Bridge, Brackenbottom, Brackenbottom Scar, Pen-y-Ghent, Pennine Way, Tarn Var, Whitber Hill, Sell Gill Hill, Jackdaw Hill, Pennine Way, High Birkwith, God's Bridge, Nether Lodge, Lodge Hall, Gauber Road, Ribblehead
From: Ribblehead
Parking: Ribblehead
Start Point: Station Inn
Region: Yorkshire Dales
Route length: 24 miles (38.6 km)
Time taken: 09:20 (moving)
Average speed: 2.6 mph
Ascent: 1,652m
Descent: 1,632m
Summits: Whernside (736m), Ingleborough (723m), Pen-y-Ghent (694m)
Other points of interest: Force Gill, Southerscales Scars, Sulber
When teachers J.R. Wynne-Edwards and D.R. Smith made their first recorded circuit of the three peaks of the Yorkshire Dales, it can be assumed that they had little anticipation of what it would become. The Yorkshire Three Peaks (or just the Three Peaks) is perhaps the first mountain challenge walk in the UK and probably remains one of the most popular.
The route, at around 24 miles, crosses three of the best mountains in the Yorkshire Dales; Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough with the added challenge to complete the route in under 12 hours. Weather-wise we were facing the prospect of a day of two halves - a warm, sunny morning followed by a grey, drizzly afternoon, separated by a line of energetic thunderstorms forecast to arrive just after lunchtime. If things went to plan, they would arrive in Horton in Ribblesdale at the same time as us.
In more recent years, the traditional route has started from the Pen-y-Ghent Café in Horton in Ribblesdale who operate a clocking in and out procedure as well as hosting their own 'Three Peaks of Yorkshire Club'. Complete the challenge and you can be part of the club. We, however, were starting from a different location - in the shadow of the Ribblehead Viaduct thanks to the location of our overnight accommodation.
We set off bright and early on Saturday morning, heading for the slopes of Whernside.
A superb morning in the Yorkshire Dales |
The Ribblehead viaduct after some clouds had rolled in |
The Ribblehead Viaduct and Simon Fell |
Force Gill as it crosses the railway |
Force Gill |
Force Gill and Ingleborough |
The path at Grain Head |
Whernside |
Reaching the ridge |
Greensett Moss |
A peek into Dentdale |
Whernside's summit ridge |
Whernside and Ingleborough |
Whernside's pillar |
Ribblesdale |
Descending towards Chapel-le-Dale |
Ingleborough catches a light shower |
Whernside from Bruntscar |
Philpin Lane leads towards Chapel-le-Dale and Ingleborough |
Whernside |
New signs mark much of the route |
Twisleton |
The path at Low Hill |
Twisleton Scars |
Limestone pavement at Southerscales Scars |
Braithwaite Wife Hole |
Heading for Ingleborough |
Whernside over Southerscales Scars |
Humphrey Bottom |
The Arks below Ingleborough's summit |
Whernside |
Beginning the steep climb |
Panorama across Humphrey Bottom |
The final push to the summit |
Atop Ingleborough |
Ingleborough's trig pillar |
The Victorian windshelter |
The summit cairn |
Leaving Ingleborough along the Dales High Way |
Ingleborough and Little Ingleborough |
The gate at Fell Beck Head |
Ominous clouds begin to boil up |
Sulber Nick |
Pen-y-Ghent beckons |
The skies begin to darken |
Storms approaching |
Ribblesdale |
Black clouds over Beecroft Hall |
Pen-y-Ghent |
The heavens finally opened while we were in the cafe |
Incoming! |
Pen-y-Ghent |
Brackenbottom Scar |
The shower passes |
Continuing the climb |
Pen-y-Ghent |
The Pennine Way |
Pen-y-Ghent has a different character from Ingleborough and Whernside |
The path below the summit |
The final climb |
Pen-yGhent's trig pillar |
A shaft of sun in the valley |
On the Pennine Way |
Pen-y-Ghent Side |
Looking back along the path at Tarn Bar |
Tarn Bar |
Pen-y-Ghent from Whitber Hill |
High Pasture |
Park Fell |
Brow Gill Beck |
Great Barn |
Low Rigg |
Moody skies over Ribblesdale |
The Yorkshire Three Peaks is a wonderful day out, one which I truly believe most people can achieve if they put their mind to it. Our alternative starting point also makes things a little more manageable in my opinion as the two big climbs are done earlier in the walk and the cafe in Horton is conveniently located at the halfway mark.
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