Saturday Walk - Ingleborough via Ingleton (Ribblehead Circular): Demanding walk across the fearsome Ingleborough and down to the tourist hotspot Ingleton. Return via fascinating limestone plateau [Settle Trip]

Length: 24.3 km (15.1 mi) [shorter walks possible, see below] 

Ascent /Descent: 790m 

Net Walking Time: 7 hours 

Toughness: 8 out of 10

 

Take the 08.50 Carlisle train from Settle (Horton-in-Ribblesdale 8.58), arrives Ribblehead at 09.06. [This is the 07.48 from Leeds.] 

Return trains: 16.15, 17.43, 18.05, 19.48, 21.45.

 

Demanding route up to and across Yorkshire’s second-highest top (and arguably its only mountain), largely avoiding the crowds that ply some of the very popular paths up, including the notorious Three Peaks Route.

The route starts through the disused Ribblehead Limestone Quarry, now a National Nature Reserve, and ascends the lower northerly slopes of the Ingleborough massif on good clear paths up to the northerly subsidiary top of Park Fell. It then skirts along its westerly edge with fine views across the valley to Whernside and back to the Ribblehead Viaduct. Another, gentler ascent follows to the edge of the top of Simon Fell and you follow the steep westerly scarp to the engineered path that carries the busy Three Peaks Route up across from Whernside. Follow the stepped path for the final steep ascent 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 steep engineered path and some farm tracks-with-views all of 600 height metres to the tourist honeypot that is Ingleton with its many lunch options, from where a short steep ascent along a quiet lane gets you back onto an interim plateau with fine views to the surrounding hills (Gragareth, Ingleborough) as well as some limestone scars. From here, climb up to the extensive Scales Moor limestone plateau with its outcrops, pavement, erratics, shake holes, sink holes and pot holes. The return to Ribblehead Station follows good tracks through the valley between Whernside and Ingleborough and under the famous Railway Viaduct.

A ridge walk, shortcuts, an alternative ending and a (ticketed) Waterfalls Trail complement the options.

Walk Options:  

An Alternative Route from the plateau of Park Fell leads over the tops of Park Fell and Simon Fell en route to Ingleborough’s top, avoiding any exposure, rather than along the continuous scarp. A slightly boggy area in the saddle between Park and Simon Fell is unavoidable though on this variant.  

A Shortcut cuts the final descent into Ingleton for lunch (cut 1.5 km and 80m ascent; map-led).  

Buses from Ingleton Community Centre link to the following railway stations: Bentham, Lancaster, Giggleswick, Settle. None of those buses run on Sundays.  

An Alternative Finish from Ingleton to Bentham Station (Leeds - Lancaster Line) is shown on the route map, this is largely flat and cuts 6.8 km (4.2 mi) and 269m ascent. 

The ticketed Ingleton Waterfalls Trail (£10 as of 04/24) is a splendid alternative ascent out of Ingleton, leading through a wooded gorge and along the River Twiss’ spouts, cascades and waterfalls.

 

Lunch: More than a handful of options in Ingleton (from 12 km into the walk). Check the webpage or pdf for details. 

Tea: The Station Inn, Ribblehead. Located 200m from the end of the walk, or the Ribblehead Station Visitor Centre and Tea Room.

 

For walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here . T=swc.439