Pen-y-ghent walk (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Pen-y-ghent walk

11:00am Friday 8th July 2011

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Park in the car park at Horton in Ribblesdale, grid ref 807725 (£4 all day).

There are well kept toilets here. To reach the car park from Kendal take the A65 until a mile or so past the left turn off to Clapham.

Then look for signed left turn for Austwick. Go through the pretty village and take the left branch when the road winds around, right, in the centre.

Follow the lovely country lane, bordered with dog daisies at the moment, and join the B6479 just beyond Helwith Bridge, where you turn left for Horton.

The car park lies on the left beyond the Pen-y-ghent cafe (closed on Tuesdays). There is a very good village shop.

This is a wonderful walk but there are two ways of reaching the peak’s summit. The hard way includes a challenging rock climb, which seems to continue for a long time but which is easier to climb than to descend.

The easy way is all on good paths and tracks with very few rocks to be seen as you cross a wide expanse of moorland, keeping dry-footed all the way.

The route written here takes you up the nose of the peak and returns the easy way. Some walkers will enjoy taking the easy route both ways.

The walk 1 Turn right out of the car park and a short way beyond the cafe you reach a signpost on the same side of the road, directing you over the road and on towards Pen-y-ghent.

Cross and walk up a walled track to reach a wide Y-junction. Here take the right track into more of the village. Cross the signposted footbridge and turn left on to a narrow lane. Walk past the fine village school with its banner showing its excellent Ofsted results.

Continue on through lush deciduous woodland, with the beck beside you in its tree-lined ravine. Follow the metalled way as it moves out into the open countryside and look right to see Whernside and the two huge quarries.

2 As you approach the first building on the left, Keeper’s Cottage, before Brackenbottom Farm, turn left into an unsigned rough track, with a waymark and an arrowed notice on a gate ahead (easy to miss). Go through the gate and turn left to ascend steadily beside the wall on your left. Take your time as you continue upwards on the gated way. Sometimes the path moves a little away from the wall and makes an arc round outcrops.

Then ahead you can see the reinforced and stepped track taking you uphill to a gate through the wall ahead on to the Pennine Way at the foot of the nose of Pen-y-ghent.

The grass is very pleasant beyond the wall and is a good place for your first break.

3 To continue, climb the stepped way beside the wall on your left. Beyond, the reinforced way you need to climb, with care, the natural ‘ledged’ rock. This is easier to go up rather than down. Eventually the way veers right and continues for a short way.

Then it’s up again on stepped ledges of rock and a clamber over larger rocks until you do eventually reach the top of this steep-sided peak.

Beyond, a gently rising path leads you to the trig point and curved two-sided shelter (similar to the one on Whernside). Have along pause here and enjoy the moorland view.

4 Go through one of the stiles in the wall on either side of the shelter and continue on the Pennine Way, descending gently. Follow the main way as it curves slightly right and then watch out for where it winds sharp left – unless you are doing the Three Peaks race!

All the way down you can see the path/track streaking across the moor.

Just after a gate and new stile, you may wish to turn left along a narrow path to see Hunt Pot, a rather dramatic pothole.

Carry on the track to a signposted junction of tracks.

Turn right here if you wish to visit the superb Hull Pot, then return to the signpost and go through the gate on to a walled track signposted for Horton.

5 Enjoy this pleasant way, its verges lined with summer flowers. Eventually it passes through a copse and then you reach the wide Y-junction taken at the outset of your walk, where you turn right to reach the road.

Turn right again to return to the car park.

Information

Distance: 6 miles

Time: 4 hours

Terrain: Well waymarked tracks and paths. Challenging ascent up nose of peak. Steady descent.

Map: OS Explorer OL 2

NB: Restrictions on space mean that this article provides a general summary of the route. It is advisable for anyone who plans to follow the walk to take a copy of the relevant Ordnance Survey map.