Story
In January we climbed Kilimanjaro on behalf of this great charity. this challenge will be a little shorter but no doubt just as tough!
the itiniery (eeeeek)
We meet very early in the village of Horton in Ribblesdale for registration and a briefing. Fully prepared for the strenuous day ahead, we leave the village behind us, taking the Pennine Way towards our first peak – the distinctive stepped outcrop of Pen-y-Ghent. As we ascend, we enjoy good views back towards Horton and across to the other two peaks we have before us: Whernside and Ingleborough. We obey the Countryside Code, taking clear, well-worn paths, which climb quite steeply up to the summit; there are some steep stone steps too. We take time at Pen-y-Ghent summit (694m) to take in the views before taking a westerly path down off the mountain. We can see Ribblehead Viaduct in the valley below; built in the 1870s, it is 400m long and an impressive sight. We pass fairly close to our start point before continuing towards our second peak: Whernside (736m). Our path up the valley runs parallel with the Settle to Carlisle railway line; being fairly flat it’s a good chance to stretch our legs and knock off some of those remaining miles!
At Ribblehead we can see the high, rounded peak of Whernside and we gradually begin our ascent, following a slabbed path all the way to the summit. The last section is articularly steep but our efforts are rewarded with the views – on a good day you can see across to Morecambe Bay on the west coast – and the knowledge that we have only one summit left to go! After a short break we come down off the mountain and head to the village of Chapelle- Dale. We pass numerous limestone escarpments and outcrops, which the area is famed for, and this amazing scenery provides wonderful motivation to keep our legs moving! We soon reach the base of Ingleborough (723m), where a stepped path zig-zags fairly steadily to the summit of our final peak, where we can enjoy the views and celebrate our third and final climb! We descend over Simon Fell, our path winding through the rocky landscape back to the village, feeling pretty pleased with ourselves and our accomplishments.