Tag: Yorkshire

5 of the Best Mountain Challenges in the UK

by Alison Ingleby on January 16, 2018 in Climbing, Hiking • 0 Comments

The Cuillin Ridge – one of the UK’s toughest mountain challenges

If the grey days and dark nights are draining your motivation for getting outside, then you need a challenge! While we may not have the towering snow-capped peaks of the Alps, the UK has a surprising range of mountain challenges for everyone from casual weekend walkers to skilled mountaineers and fleet-of-foot fell runners.

This isn’t a comprehensive list but if you’re after for some inspiration or itching for a new challenge, why not book in one of the UK’s best mountain challenges for 2018…

Yorkshire Three Peaks

The route linking the ‘Yorkshire Three Peaks‘ of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough is an ideal first mountain challenge for fit walkers. The route starts and ends in Horton-in-Ribblesdale and is 24 miles with 1,585m of ascent. To complete the ‘challenge’ you need to walk it in under 12 hours.

The Yorkshire Three Peaks is very popular with charity groups and can get busy in the summer, so a good-weather day out of season is your best bet for avoiding the crowds in the car parks as well as on the hills. There are no technical difficulties, but it’s a long day and if the weather’s bad, you’ll need to be confident navigating in low visibility.

The Welsh 3000s

If you want to step up from the Yorkshire Three Peaks, the Welsh 3000s, also known as the “14 Peaks” will challenge the fittest hill walker. The official challenge requires an ascent of the 15 (yes, 15 not 14…) Welsh peaks over 3,000ft in 24 hours, without using any form of transport.

The traditional route starts on the summit of Snowdon (sometimes with a bivvy) and finishes on Foel-fras. It’s around 24 miles long but the approach walk and final descent take the total up to 30 miles. There aren’t many technical challenges, but you’ll need to be comfortable with the scrambling on Crib Goch and Tryfan and a very long day in the hills.

The Bob Graham Round

The Bob Graham is to fell runners what the Cuillin Ridge is to mountaineers. The 66-mile circuit of 42 of the highest peaks in the Lake District includes 8,200m of ascent and, to officially complete the Bob Graham Round, the circuit has to be done in 24 hours.

For many fell runners, completing the Bob Graham is a lifetime achievement requiring years of preparation. Only around 1 in 3 attempts are successful and most take place in the summer, to make best use of daylight. I’ve spent long days in the Lakes hiking just a handful of the 42 peaks and I actually struggle to comprehend HOW people can be fit enough to complete the challenge within the 24-hour time limit.

For those who’ve completed the Bob Graham Round, more challenges lie ahead in the Welsh and Scottish equivalents: the Paddy Buckley Round and the Ramsay Round.

The Cuillin Ridge

The Cuillin Ridge is the most prized of all British ridge climbs and arguably one of the best mountaineering challenges in Europe. It requires stamina, excellent navigation skills and the ability to move quickly and safely on complex terrain.

The ridge itself is 12km, but including the walk in and walk out you’re looking at a 25km route with 4,000m of ascent and descent. Although none of the climbing is harder than ‘Very Difficult’, there are large sections of exposed scrambling and easier climbing and to have any chance of success at the traverse, you’ll need to be comfortable soloing most of the ridge.

If you’re super fit then it’s possible to do the Cuillin Ridge in a day but many parties take two days and bivvy overnight, either at the start of the ridge or part-way along. On many British ridge climbs, route-finding is fairly straightforward — you just keep to the crest of the ridge. On my one excursion into the Cuillin (to date) I was surprised at the level of technical route finding required. For this reason, if you’re looking to attempt the ridge it’s worth reccying different sections of the route in advance.

The Munros

This one may take you more than a year! The record for completing all 282 Scottish mountains over 3,000ft is an impressive 39 days and 9 hours (set by Stephen Pike in 2010) and the women’s record of 77 days was set in 2017 by Lisa and Libby from Beauties and the Bog. For most people, bagging all the Munros is a lifetime achievement, but if you have a lot of time on your hands or easy access to the Scottish Highlands, it’s possible to tick them all in a year.

While most Munros aren’t technical climbs (only one — the Inaccessible Pinnacle — involves a graded rock climb), many involve long days in the remotest parts of the UK and mountain skills are a must. Find out more about the Munros in our guide to Scotland’s ultimate ticklist.

Exploring the Best of North Yorkshire

by Alison Ingleby on April 18, 2017 in Microadventures, Uncategorized, Vanlife • 0 Comments

Low tide at the beautiful Saltwick Bay

It’s confession time. I thought about this week’s blog post whilst hanging out the washing at about 9.30am this morning. Which, given this should have gone out at 8.00am was a bit of a boob on my part. I’m blaming the Easter bank holiday – today feels like Monday, not Tuesday!

Rather than my usual ‘how to’ style posts, this week I’m going to take you on a wee tour of North Yorkshire, mainly because I’ve just come back from a lovely few days up there in our campervan, Sadie. Our weekend can be summarised as follows: windswept moors, hilly forest, windswept beaches, more windswept moors. As you can gather, it was pretty windy.

Sadly I don’t have any photos of our 20-mile mountain bike ride around Dalby Forest. Partly because I felt that carrying my new phone around the trail was guaranteed to make me fall off and squash it, and partly because I am pretty slow on the mountain bike and was therefore at the back of the pack. So you have to take my word for it that it was a sunny day and a fun route. I biked about 90 percent of it (which is good going for me) and felt totally knackered by the end of it (always the sign of a good day out).

Saltwick Bay

Saltwick-Bay

Saltwick Bay is about a mile down the coast from Whitby on the east coast of North Yorkshire. It’s pretty popular, but at low tide it’s big enough that you can wander away from the crowds. We went in search of driftwood and found fossils. Many, many fossils. There’s also the remains of a shipwreck:

Shipwreck-Saltwick-Bay

If you’re feeling a bit claustrophobic in Whitby, it’s well worth the walk over the cliff-top path to Saltwick Bay. Just make sure you keep an eye on the tides and don’t get trapped.

Blakey Ridge and Rosedale Valley

We had arranged to meet my sister and her partner for a walk in Rosedale valley the following day. As Sadie is a bit of a beast, we decided to get to the the start of our walk – the car park on the top of Blakey Ridge – early, to nab a good parking spot. Which meant we ate breakfast with this beautiful view:

Blakey-Ridge

Pretty good, huh? Blakey Ridge is a beautifully wild, desolate spot. The lonely Lion Inn stands proud, battered by the wind; a cosy refuge on a winter’s day. But on this occasion, the sun was out and we had our sandwiches packed.

Rosedale is a tranquil valley, surrounded by wild moors. It also has an interesting history. During the nineteenth century, the valley was mined for its high-quality iron ore. The remains of the brick kilns can still be seen, high on the hillside.

Brick-kiln-Rosedale

To transport the ore to the foundries, a railway was built and the remains of the tramlines now offer a flat, high-level path around the valley.

Rosedale-valley

On a clear day, you get stunning views across the valley. Keep your eye out for ring ouzels (the blackbirds of the moors) and listen for the call of curlews circling overhead. It’s a wild, windswept and beautiful place – a taste of the best North Yorkshire has to offer.

Almscliff: One of Britain’s Best Bouldering Destinations

by Alison Ingleby on January 24, 2017 in Climbing • 0 Comments

Reaching through the crux of Pebble Wall (6c), one of Almscliff’s classic problems

Standing high above the Wharfe valley, Almscliff is one of the most renowned gritstone bouldering venues in the UK. Be prepared for sore skin, aching arms and tough problems.

The short walk in and quick-drying nature of the rock makes Almscliff a popular bouldering spot, particularly on calm, sunny winter days. It’s not a place for solitude and if you’re looking to try the classic problems, you’re likely to have a fair bit of company. Due to its exposed location, it can get VERY cold when there’s a chill wind.

Almscliff has problems ranging from Font 4 (V0) up to Font 8b (V13). Although it’s renowned for steep, thuggy problems and routes, there are slabs, delicate aretes and long traverses thrown into the mix. It’s not the friendliest place for beginners and if you’re after some easy ticks, you’ll be sorely disappointed. That said, there’s plenty of rock on which to make up your own problems if you find those in the guide too hard!

Crag highlights

Matterhorn Ridge (4+) is the classic ‘easy’ line, though you’ll want a few pads and spotters if it’s near the top of your grade. There’s also a sit-down start at 7b+.

Up at Demon Wall area, The Crucifix (5) is an excellent easier problem (though easy is all relative!). The descent is down the corner to the left – it’s straightforward but worth having a pad and spotter if you’re a bit nervous about downclimbing. The Crucifix ‘warm up’ Traverse (6a+) starts in the corner and traverses the break all the way to the wall. Traversing the lip of the roof below the break gets you 7a.

Warming up on the right-hand arete of an unnamed boulder (5)

Another good warm-up is Morrell’s Wall (6a) which starts off on big holds before some fingery climbing on crimps. There are various eliminates to prolong the fun and linking in the obvious traverse to the right gives you Slopey Traverse (7b+).

The Virgin boulder has plenty of hard, worthwhile problems. One of the easiest of the bunch is the Virgin Traverse (6b+/6c) which starts on the block to the left of the overhanging face and traverses round the corner to finish at an undercut flake. Pumpy!

Continuing the pumpy traverse theme, Sloper Patrol (6c+) takes the obvious slopey lip traverse on the boulder up the hill from The Keel. It can also be done in reverse (uphill) at a slightly easier grade.

If you enjoy mantels then Egg Roll (6b) may be right up your street. Start sitting and take the line up from the start of Streaky’s Traverse (7b+) on The Egg boulder, finishing up the slab.

Pebble Wall (6c) is an excellent technical problem that’s easier for the tall. A straightforward start leads to tricky moves up the blank wall above – the clue is in the name!

Arguably the crag classic, Demon Wall Roof (7a+) takes the inviting line out of the middle of the roof and up the wall above using crimps and the obvious flake to reach the large horizontal break. To the right of it, Dolphin Belly Slap (7a) takes the line along the edge of the roof and is another great problem.

The Keel (7c) is a popular problem that lead out from the back of the roof, past a chipped hole on the lip to the obvious pocket. Once you’ve ticked it, try it again without the chipped hold (The Real Keel, 7c+). There are many more variations and link-ups including Keelhaul (8a) and Real Keelhaul (8b).

If you like hard highball challenges then Chaismata (8a) takes the obvious line on Low Man, to the right of the Matterhorn boulder.

Almscliff fact file

Location and how to get there: Almscliff lies between Otley and Harrogate. Take the North Rigton turn off the A659 and turn left (or right depending which direction you’re coming from) in the village onto Crag Lane. Park at the western end of the crag in a large lay-by (can get busy). Follow the obvious path from the stile up the side of the field to the main area of rocks.

Spectacular views from the top of Almscliff

Access: The crag is on private land. The farmer has asked that climbers avoid the boulders in the fields below the main area and don’t climb at night. For up to date access information check the BMC’s Regional Access Database.

Best time of year: Almscliffe is a good year-round bouldering venue. It’s particularly good on cool, calm days and summer evenings, though some may find it a bit warm for optimum gritstone conditions! Almscliffe gets all the wind going, so if it’s a blowy day you may want to climb elsewhere.

Family friendly?: Almscliffe is a popular location for family walks and the easy walk in makes it a good spot for families. The one downside is the mud and ‘fertliser’ left by the animals that graze the area.

Hazards: The area around the rocks is used as grazing land and can be muddy at the best of times. After heavy rain the approach path through the fields can be extremely muddy and slippy. Be prepared to clean your pads and boots after a wet visit!

Guidebook: Almscliffe is covered in the YMC Gritstone Volume 1 and the Yorkshire Gritstone Bouldering vol. 1 guides.

Local pub: The Square and Compass in North Rigton is just a few minutes drive or a 40-minute walk away.

Think your local crag’s worthy of a shout-out? I’ve climbed across most parts of the UK, so if you have a suggestion, let me know!

Wild Walks: The Dales Way

by Alison Ingleby on July 26, 2016 in Hiking • 0 Comments

Characteristic Dales’ landscape

Wild Walks is a series of blog posts covering some of my favourite walks in the UK and overseas. The Wild Walks may be short or long, but they all take you to beautiful places and give you moments of solitude.

I’m starting close to home, with a meander through the rural countryside of the Yorkshire Dales. Rolling hills scattered with dry stone walls, a treasure hunt in a church and many places to bathe your tired feet are just some of the highlights of this multi-day trek.

So what is the Dales Way?

A 81 mile ramble through the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the lowland hills of the Lake District, in the heart of Northern England.

Sounds good – tell me more!

The Dales Way begins in the popular market town of Ilkley and follows the rivers and valleys up through the Yorkshire Dales north and west to finish on the shores of one of England’s most famous lakes, Lake Windermere. If 81 miles isn’t enough of a challenge then there are three optional extensions to the walk which run from Leeds, Harrogate and Bradford.

How long does it take?

Most people take between four and seven days, depending on how far you want to walk each day. Your leg lengths may be determined partly by where you choose to stay (see below). The walk is signposted along the route, but these can sometimes be hard to spot so take a map and compass to double check your route.

Wild Walk highlights

Some people choose to end their first day of walking at the dramatic ruined Priory of Bolton Abbey, and it’s easy to see why. If you’re just passing through then there’s a cafe and some handy toilets.

The section between Bolton Abbey and Grassington has some of the prettiest river walking on the route, though on a sunny weekend, you won’t be the only one enjoying it. Look out for the spectacular Linton Falls, just before you get into Grassington.

After Grassington you get your first real climb of the walk, up through the site of medieval villages onto the limestone hillside. This is my favourite part of the walk, with beautiful views across the valley to Kilnsey moor.

After Kettlewell you leave the crowds behind and set off up to Buckden and into the more remote parts of Upper Wharfdale. Hubberholme is a secluded village with a small Norman church that is definitely worth visiting, if it’s open. The crafter of the oak pews left his trademark mouse carved into them – see how many you can find!

Langstrothdale is a valley of solitude. Enjoy the river whilst you can, as you eventually turn off onto open (and boggy!) moorland and climb to the highest point of the route – 520m. As you drop down, you’ll see the famous Ribblehead viaduct in the distance – it’s not strictly on the Dales Way, but you may deviate if you’re staying at the Station Inn.

Back on route, there’s some more boggy moorland to negotiate before you drop down into Dentdale, and civilisation (of a sort). It’s back to the valley and river walking through to Sedburgh and on to the Lune Valley – definitely one of the quieter parts of Cumbria. Look out for the impressive viaduct (well, you can’t really miss it…) just before you cross the M6.

From then on it’s rolling hills (more tiring than they appear), until at last you finally see the waters of Windermere ahead of you. Dipping your toes in the lake is surely an obligatory end to the Dales Way.

How fit do I need to be?

The Dales Way follows rivers and valleys for much of its length. Whilst there aren’t too many steep hills, the terrain can be rough in places and there is a bit of a sting in the tail towards the end. You’ll need to be fit enough to walk for consecutive days and have waterproof boots for the boggy sections!

What about accommodation?

There’s a huge variety of accommodation along the route, from hotels and B&Bs to camping barns and campsites. The middle section, between Grassington and Dent is remote, and places to stay are few and far between, so it’s best to book ahead. You can find a comprehensive list of accommodation on the Dales Way website.

Transport and logistics

As with many long-distance walks, the logistics of getting to the start and back from the finish are not straightforward. If you’re coming from a big city, such as London, Manchester or Edinburgh, the simplest way is to get the train to the start at Ilkley (regular services from Leeds and Bradford) and back from Windermere station (a short taxi ride from the end of the walk). It’s worth having a look at train times in advance for the return leg – the train from Windermere will take you to Oxenholme where you can jump on the mainline up to Glasgow, or down to Manchester and London.

Getting back to the start from the finish is slightly more complicated and will require additional changes in Manchester and Leeds. Alternatively, Lakes Village Taxis can take up four passengers across to Ilkely for approx £90.

If you don’t fancy carrying everything on your back, The Sherpa Van Project offer a door-to-door baggage service from £8 per bag per day.

Find out more

The Dales Way has it’s own website, which has a wealth of information on the route, accommodation and public transport links
Harvey Maps have produced a Dales Way map, which contains the entire route on one lightweight, waterproof map – I’d definitely recommend this if you’re thinking about doing the route.
The Dales Way guidebook by Colin Speakman is the definitive guide to the route.
And if you prefer two wheels then why not try the Yorkshire Dales Cycleway, a 130 mile circular routes that visits most of the dales in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.