Ingleborough Ridge Walk.

Start. Ribblehead.

Route. Ribblehead - Ribblehead Viaduct - Gunnerfleet Farm - Lockdiddy Hill - Ivescar - Broadrake - Philpin Lane - Low Sleights Road - Old Hill Inn - Philpin Sleights - Southerscales - Braithwaite Wife Hole - Humphrey Bottom - Swine Tail - Ingleborough - Swine Tail - Green Hill - Souther Scales Fell - Park Fell - New Close - Gauber High Pasture - Gauber - Ribblehead Quarry - Ribblehead.

Notes. This walk's advertised as the Ingleborough Ridge Walk, I'm not too sure of the official route so this was my take on a classic, and of course because it's mine it's the best. Come take a wander with me through a landscape borne on the bed of a warm tropical ocean over 350000000 years ago, scoured by ice, sculptured by wind and rain, potted and scared with clints and grykes. This walk starts in the shadow of the famous Ribblehead Viaduct before following field paths passed a number of Dales farmsteads, a perfect leg loosener before the lung buster of an ascent onto the flat top of Ingleborough.

After parking at Ribblehead the track leading under the arches of the Ribblehead Viaduct guided me to Gunnerfleet Farm, this is far from the obvious route up Ingleborough but it makes for a pleasant walk in. From Gunnerfleet field paths guided me over the oddly named Lockdiddy Hill depositing me at Ivescar, I turned left, west, field paths then ushered me through splendid limestone scenery as far as Philpin Lane, here next to a old lime oven I joined the Three Peaks Path.

The tarmac of Philpin Lane escorted me across the valley, passed Philpin Farm then onto the main road, I turned left, wandered passed the Old Hill Inn to join a foot-path signed Ingleborough. The ascent started here, easy at first but I knew there was worse to come. With a good path under foot I climbed through sheep pastures, crossed the limestone pavements of Southerscales, passed a massive sink hole then crossed the final intake to start the long slog over Humphrey Bottom. The long slog over Humphrey Bottom certainly gets the lungs pumping, a good path makes progress easier, but once I reached The Arks the climbing really started. Steep unforgiving the sort of ascent you don't want to stop on for fear of being unable to start again, 270ft of ascent, almost sheer, I reached the coll with burning legs, and still had Swine Tail to ascend before reaching the summit of the hill itself.

Ingleborough welcomed me with a biting cold wind, I hung around as long as I could, when the cold started to bite I re-traced my steps over Swine Tail, ignoring my ascent route I continued north east the Ingleborough Ridge Walk under foot. Across the edge of Simon Fell I strolled, over Souther Scales Fell before a short pull onto Park Fell, once across Park Fell I'd ran out of hill. I descended, a dry stone wall for company, at the foot of the descent a stile allowed access to New Close Pasture, then another to Gauber High Pasture, where I opted for a path running north. One of many crossing this field, it deposited me in Ribblehead Quarry, a nature reserve, green marker posts then guided me through the workings of man onto the access road which in turn delivered me back to the parked car, conveniently left across the road from the Station Inn, time for a well earned drink and bite to eat.

view route map.

home.

Early morning cloud hangs over the summit of Whernside.

Heading up Lockdiddy Hill looking back towards Pen-y-ghrnt and the Ribblehead Viaduct.

Whernside looms above Ivescar.

Ingleborough looking rather imposing across Twisleton Dale..

Viewed from the path through Philpin Sleights, rising above the tree tops Twisleton Scars.

Rising above Humphrey Bottom, the unmistakable bulk of Ingleborough as seen from Philpin Sleights.

Rising in the distance the limestone shelves of Raven Scar.

Whernside as seen from Southerscales.

Passed en route Braithwaite Wife Hole, for anyone who's interested this is a collapsed doline a depression in the bedrock caused by a solution of limestone, as opposed to a sink hole a depression in the overlaying boulder clay.

Magical views over the limestone pavements of Southerscales to Whernside.

Heading through the wild emptiness of Humphrey Bottom, looking west to the long ridge of Gragareth.

The stunning view across Twisleton Dale taking in the lower slopes of Whernside and Gragareth.

Ingleborough from the ridge walk path, where are the photos from Ingleborough summit you may ask? I got talking to a scouser on a charity walk and forgot to take any, sorry.

This feature stands out above all others on this ridge, it even has a name, Black Rock.

As the weather gods paint the landscape amazing views such as this can be had from the ridge path, over Ribblehead, through Little Dale then the length of Dentdale.

Ingleborough as seen from Park Fell.

From the steep northern slopes of Park Fell wonderful views over upper Ribblesdale.

That's it I'm down, trudging through Ribblehead Quarry Nature Reserve looking to Park Fell and the grey flat top of Ingleborough.

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