Four Finish the Three Peaks

Well we have done the three Yorkshire peaks.  Whernside, Penyghent and now, Ingleborough.  It's not been all at once but it's done.

The weather didn't seem too bad so we packed lots of layers and plenty of pork pies.  After consulting my trusty Wainwright guidebook and a bit of internet research, it was decided to ascend from Clapham.  The fact that there is a truly gorgeous yarn shop there - Beckside Yarns - had nothing to do with my choice of route.  Well it might have influenced me a little bit.  It's well worth a visit if you are passing by at all!

This route is not the usual three peaks route so it meant that it wouldn't be quite as busy.  It was the May Day bank holiday weekend after all.

Unusually we decided to go and return the same way.  Not like us, we much prefer to have a circular route if possible. However, there was lots to see on this route.

Beautiful Clapham Village

From Clapham you take a path up towards the show cave.  There's a voluntary entry fee of 65p for adults and 35p for children.  Well worth it since it goes towards the upkeep of the path.  You walk through the Ingleborough Estate Nature Trail which is really lovely.

Quirky little building on the path.

The weather was lovely too.  Sunny and crisp. Just right for walking. At the end of the trail you come to Ingleborough show cave.  Looks brilliant but we were pressing on.  We had a big hill to climb.

Onwards from the cave, you come to Trow Gill.  A stunning ravine created in the ice age.  Like a smaller Gordale Scar.  You have to scramble up to get out.  Huge fun

Trow Gill

Once up top there is lots of limestone pavement and then a great boggy, moorland expanse and a sweeping approach to Ingleborough.  A real contrast from all the greenery of the nature trail we passed through on the way.

The path to Ingleborough.  Looking back to see Pendle Hill in the distance.

We stopped on Little Ingleborough for some lunch before tackling the staircase footpath to the summit of Ingleborough proper. We could see some ominous cloud approaching and got wrapped up expecting some rain at any moment but we were wrong. What we got was snow!  Lots of snow.  Really big white fluffy snowflakes type of snow.  Almost a blizzard.  But there was still some sunshine around.  Very odd but sooooo much nicer than miserable rain and drizzle.

Also very hard to photograph.  If you look carefully, you can see the snow on this pic of Little Girl on the trig point.

Ingleborough summit - with the snow fizzling out

On top of the world (well on top of Yorkshire at any rate)

While we were at the summit the snow was replaced with sunshine and we headed back down.  On the way back we stopped off to have a look at Gaping Gill - the famous pot hole.  Decided to have a sit down and a snack here.  Nice and sunny at this point and almost impossible to believe we'd just had a load of snow!

Gaping Gill

Back we headed to Trow Gill.  Looking forward to the scramble down.  Some guys had set up a wire across the ravine while we had been up and down Ingleborough so we stopped to have a look at what they were up to.  We watched this chap tightrope walk across the ravine.  Only held on by a "leash". That's what he called the little cable keeping him attached. He fell a couple of times but was able to get back up again fairly easily.  Amazing!

Tightrope across Trow Gill

So high!

So doing the same route both ways was worth it.  We would have missed this event had we gone back another way.

Another grand day out!