Length : 20.7 km (12.8 mi) [shorter walks possible, see below]
Ascent /Descent: 670/600m
Net Walking Time : 6 hours
Toughness : 7 out of 10
Take the 09.09 Carlisle train from Leeds City Station (Shipley 09.25, […], Settle 10.19), arrives Horton in Ribblesdale at 10.28.
Return trains: 16.44, 18.50, 20.36.
This relatively easy and very varied route across Yorkshire’s second highest top (and arguably its only mountain), Ingleborough, rises out of the verdant Ribblesdale onto the limestone extravaganza that is the easterly end of the hill, culminating in a stretch along the Moughton Scars with their extensive limestone pavements, while overlooking the scenic Crummack Dale, where the Austwick Beck surges out of a cave. Negotiate the limestone pavement on Thieves Moss and rise up to an interim plateau where you follow grass tracks across to the Trow Gill gorge to walk up the dramatic gorge and through the narrow chasm at its top. On to Gaping Gill, Britain’s longest uninterrupted waterfall, where the Fell Beck falls into a cathedral-sized cave system. A three-tiered ascent along an engineered path leads to Ingleborough’s featureless plateau, former site of an Iron Age hillfort and very exposed to weathers drifting in from the nearby coast.
On a rare clear day, you have views to Morecambe Bay and can identify up to 42 named hills and mountains. In mist or driving low clouds though, all you are going to identify are: storm shelter, trig point and piles of stones! You descend along a very steep engineered path for 280 height metres to another limestone shelf and wind down into the quiet valley of the Winterscales Beck, which you cross at a usually dry spot and eventually pass under the famous Ribblehead Railway Viaduct to the Station.
Walk Options:
A Shortcut on the ascent follows the popular Three Peaks route up Sulber Nick and Simon Fell Breast direct onto Ingleborough’s plateau, forgoing the very interesting features of Moughton Scars, Crummack Dale, Trow Gill and Gaping Gill. This cuts 4.8 km and 180m ascent.
A Short Link Route between the Main Walk and the Shortcut, starting from Sulber Gate, means you can walk along the Moughton Scars above Crummack Dale and yet cut 2.4 km and 120m ascent.
A couple of Alternative Finish routes lead to Clapham village (for a bus to Settle [not on Sundays]) or Clapham Station for trains to Giggleswick (for Settle) and Leeds. This means you can visit all the limestone and geological features on the ascent route without then ascending to the top, which is useful – and even recommended – in bad weather. Staying on the main route to Gaping Gill and then returning to the turn offs for the shortcuts is recommended if the weather allows (the wind down the gorge may prevent you from going up to the gill on a very bad day though). This cuts up to 7.8 km and 450m ascent.
A late Shortcut, following Low Sleights Road straight to Ribblehead Station, cuts 1.8 km and 25m ascent.
An Alternative near the end of the walk diverts around the crossing of the Winterscales Beck, which – although usually dry at the crossing point – can become too dangerous to cross when in spate.
Lunch: Picnic .
Tea: Station Inn – Ribblehead Open all day every day. Food served all day every day. Located 200m from the end of the walk.
For walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here . T=swc.440