The Yorkshire Three Peaks
With a 5.30 am start, ruck-sack full of provisions and all the bits you should take in the mountains, we set off. The Yorkshire Three Peaks walk is a 24 mile circular walk scaling three of the highest peaks in Yorkshire: Pen-Y-Ghent at 694 m, Whernside at 736 m and Ingleborough at 723 m. The route we took was from Chapel Le Dale up Whernside down to the Ribblehead Viaduct, across to Pen-Y-Ghent, down to Horton in Ribblesdale and finishing with the climb over Ingleborough back to Chapel Le Dale.
From showcasing stunning feats of Victorian engineering like the Ribblehead Viaduct or natural wonders like the limestone pavements of Ingleborough Common to breathtaking views of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District, scenery is guaranteed on a clear day and certainly makes for an amazing walk to tackle and enjoy. A few tips:
1) Look after your feet and they will look after you! Wear silk socks and then your walking socks and apply foot powder and change socks when needed, it does revive them. One of the secrets from blisters is to keep your feet dry as it stops them rubbing.
2) The chocolate covered Kendal mint cake is a good energy boost.
3) Walking poles do take the strain from the knees.
4) Practice loads and build up the mileage, it will pay off.
5) Take sunglasses and sun cream as the weather can change quickly and it is a long day to be exposed if the sun does appear!
6) As I write this you don’t need to pay for the public toilets in Horton in Ribblesdale, but this may change, so a little bit of change may come in handy. Also some toilet paper.
7) Be equipped for all types of weather, it is a lot colder at the top of the Peaks than at the bottom!
8) A lot of the paths are surfaced with gravel and slabs, but still take care as they can be deceivingly slippery.
I walk fast and was hoping for a slightly faster time, so the next time I need to eat whilst walking and get my skates on…… watch this space.