This week I’ve spent a breathtaking week in Chapel-le-Dale, a tiny hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales. Whilst there, I trekked over Pen-y-Ghent, a stunning hill, just over 690m high. For those that don’t know, Pen-y-Ghent is one of the three highest peaks in the Yorkshire Dales. I say one of the three highest peaks, because the other hills, Whernside (736m) and Ingleborough (723m) together with Pen-y-Ghent, form the famous Three Peaks Walk. This is an extremely strenuous 41km hike that includes climbing all three peaks on one day. I plan to complete the three peaks walk later in the summer when the days are longer. So for the moment I’ve just walked each hill separately first to get a feel for them.

I approached Pen-y-Ghent from the north, starting from Horton in Ribblesdale. I walked along the western side of the hill, through Horton Moor, past Hull pot, a huge sinkhole on the lower flanks of Pen-y-Ghent. Ignoring the normal ascent, using the well trod path, I continued up the western valley and climbed over Plover hill, which lies at the northern end of the Pen-y-Ghent. It’s a relatively easy walk over the more, all be it, a little boggy. This led me to my final push up to Pen-y-Ghent’s peak. The descent down the south face of the hill is rather steep, almost sheer in places. Ostensibly there is a footpath but in practice it is more of a hand and foot path. It’s worth the climb and subsequent scramble back down, for there is are fantastic view across the breathtaking sweep of the western dales from the summit.

I then followed a gentler path down the western side of the hill and into the village of Horton in Ribblesdale, where I had planned to stop off at the Pen-y-Ghent Cafe for a cup of tea and a slice of caramel slice, but it was closed!

It was a splendid way to spend the day. If you’re planning a visit to the Yorkshire Dales I can recommend the walk. I’ve prepared a Memory-Map GPS waypoint file of the route if you fancy following in my footsteps.

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