Yorkshire Dales Walks

Whernside

Date: 24th April 2004
Distance: 7.7 miles
Ascent: 1593 feet
Time: Too long ago to remember!
With: Matt
Start Grid Ref: SD764790

Walk Summary:
My first visit to Whernside - the highest mountain in the Yorkshire Dales.

Route Summary: Ribblehead - Blue Clay Ridge - Grain Head - Whernside - Bruntscar - Ivescar - Ribblehead

Pictures:

1. Matt with Ribblehead Viaduct and Whernside in the background

2. Ingleborough from near Bleamoor Sidings

3. One of the waterfalls of Force Gill

4. Matt having a rest near the top of Whernside

5. Looking down to Ribblehead from the top of Whernside

Walk Detail: On our first three walks the weather had been at best okay and at worst fairly awful so we were due a nice day. In fact it was so sunny that we both got sunburnt - the first of a few times that I've been caught out in April.

Viewing it from where we parked Whernside looks like a massive ridge and dwarfs the famous Ribblehead Viaduct - an enormously impressive engineering feat. The climb to the summit is a fairly long slog without many unduly steep bits and probably suited me more than it did Matt who found it fairly dull. The summit gave us great views of Ribblesdale and of Ingleborough which is particularly imposing from this angle.

We also had some good views to the north and got our first look at the likes of Gragareth, Great Coum and Crag Hill. Our knowledge of the area was not particularly huge at the time so we did not know what we were looking at in all fairness.

The descent was down some very steep stone steps which I was as careful going down as I was thankful for not having to climb up them. We had now walked each of the Three Peaks individually and, probably because of the more favourable weather, Whernside was my favourite.

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