Yorkshire Three Peaks – Bentham Footpath Group

Pen-y-Ghent from Horton in Ribblesdale

6.2 miles | 10.0 km | 500 m Ascent | 8.7 Naismith miles | Valerie Eccles
When we live in and around the Yorkshire Dales, it’s easy to be blasé about the Yorkshire three peaks, or even to dismiss them as mere tourist attractions. That would be a mistake; all three offer a choice of great walks, and a series of views that changes with the season. On this occasion we tackle Pen-y-Ghent starting near St Oswald’s church, then going via Brackenbottom, to approach the peak from the southern side using the Pennine Way path. That gets the steep climb (and it is somewhat brutal) out of the way early. There is then ample opportunity to recover in the shelters at the peak before we embark on a gentler return to the north – still on the Pennine Way, before diverting to see the spectacular Hull Pot. Finally, we return to Horton by the Pennine Journey path.

Chapel-le-Dale, Scales Moor and Oddies Lane

Easy

7.4 miles | 11.9 km | 206 m Ascent | 8.4 Naismith miles | Mary Taylor
Living in Bentham gives us easy access to the Yorkshire Three Peaks, and many BFG walks have featured them as their main attraction. This walk however takes a route between two of them without climbing either. Does that mean we miss out on points of interest? Not at all – the best views of the peaks are often not from the top.
We start at Chapel-le-Dale, using the car park for the lovely St Leonard’s Church, and then head up toward Ellerbeck, passing the interesting Statue of a Warrior by Charles I’Anson. From there we head left onto Scales Moor – in effect the southern slopes of Whernside, seeing some of the best limestone pavement anywhere. Once at Twisleton Scar End, we take a path down to Twisleton Hall, and then on to Oddies Lane – a metalled road, built over the route of a Roman Road, which sees very little traffic. This takes us back to Chapel-le-Dale, with great views of Ingleborough along the way.

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