POP A MOUNTAIN CHERRY
FEBRUARY Ingleborough Yorkshire Dales
Ingleborough is a bit like your first love. It probably won’t end up being your all-time favourite. It’s not the most memorable. The sexiest. Or the most exciting. And you’ll probably make a few rookie mistakes along the way, but climb it as a beginner and it will hold a special place in your heart forever. Looking way more impressive than its 724m stature, rising abruptly out of the Yorkshire Dales, it’s a mountain that has mass appeal. From Yorkshire Three-Peakers, to weekend city escapers, the spiderweb of trails that wind up to its bold tabletop summit plateau attracts all walks of life. And that’s because it has something for everyone.
It’s the ideal place to introduce someone to the mountains, with its relatively short approaches but genuine mountain experience. Go there in February and you can swerve the crowds that stream along the Pennine Journey and Dales High Way trails in summer. But for those with a few more hill miles under their boots and a blanket of winter on the ground, Ingleborough is a great place to head to build upon your winter walking skills. Under a dusting of snow, this accessible hill becomes an impressive giant, where crampon and axe skills can be put to the test without straying into more wild and technical terrain.
It’s a hill that has a lot going on beneath the surface too. Surrounded by an ancient seabed of limestone, there is a network of underground caves and gorges. Although many are the preserve of potholers, twice a year local clubs set up a winch to allow walkers to experience the impressive abyss of Gaping Gill, which is big enough to house a cathedral. You don’t have to go underground to really immerse yourself in the drama of the landscape though. Walk up Ingleborough via our favourite ascent route through Trow Gill and you can’t fail to be impressed by the towering cliffs and narrow gorge that emerges out into classic Dales country. Bag the fortress-like summit, before following a descent path east and then south to head easily through the clints and grykes of the limestone pavement.
For those who relish a challenge, it’s hard to mention Ingleborough without the conversation turning to the Yorkshire Three Peaks. Completing 24 miles and 1585m of ascent within 12 hours has become the hallmark of the most dedicated of hillwalkers. Ingleborough must be bagged alongside Whernside and Pen-y-ghent in one continuous loop. But whether you climb Ingleborough on the Three Peaks challenge, for your first winter mountain, or just for a nostalgic rendezvous with the beginnings of your love affair with the hills, it’s an unmissable Trail 100 mountain with spades of Yorkshire charm.