Our Last Full Day

Now it was time for the third peak, slightly lower than those on Saturday and Sunday, but affording a slightly greater net climb. Nice views, nice scenery and a nice visit to a Yorkshire temperance house - tea rooms actually. Our walk was ably led by the two Johns - D & E. A visit to Dent - picturesque village and valley - rounded off the "active" day.

The Morning

Another after breakfast stroll. I catch the morning sun catching the bunk house and the peaks. A few quiet moments to play at photography. Who needs to be a professional when one can be an amateur?

The Old School House catches the morning sun shining down between fearsome clouds. Nice building, shame about the dustbin.




Not today, Ingleborough.




Not today, Whernside.

Our Ascent to Penyghent

Horton in Ribblesdale is the next station south of Ribblehead. It was a good start for Penyghent, which at 694 metres, is probably the third highest peak in the Dales. There was nice scenery and a wee bit of scrambling. All in a day's work.

Walking up from Horton in a lush green valley. The dry-stone wall has probably stood for centuries.




A gentle early scramble.




It's a nice walk/climb/scramble up Penyghent with its characteristic Dales shelves.




Part way up, we stop a while to enjoy the view, a munch and some lion's drink. You can't but notice the gentleman in almost mid-picture, who has an extinguished - no, sorry m'lud - distinguished appearance. (I like beer. I like wine. Both together? That'll do fine.)




That's the way up.

On Top

Once we had reached the trig point, we knew we had reached the summit, all 694 metres of it! There were excellent views, dominated by the Ribblehead Viaduct. After some horseplay on top, we made our way to Plover Hill.

Most peaks of importance have a trig point. That's what the OS® is all about - or used to be before the march of technology.




That's right. We've made it. (Sorry, lighting of faces not as good as lighting of scenery).




Mr Bean joins us on the summit while four of us pose for their summit shot.




Should this be captioned,
"I'm serious, it's funny", or
or should this be captioned,
"I'm funny, it's serious"?
Your answer on a postcard, please.




Two ladies share a joke while the sheep looks bemused.




We met the Pennine Way on our IVC Visit to Edale, and now we see it again. It's a small world, or is it that the Pennine Way is long - the longest UK footpath in fact? And so, via marshy ground to Plover Hill for all but two of us who take the shorter descent for a quick journey home to the south.

Descent

Our descent back into Horton was via Plover Hill. This is almost as high as Penyghent and reachable - more-or-less on the level over boggy ground - from Penyghent. Then came a steep descent onto a bridle way. This led, after some gentle undulations, into Horton.

No! Not boring! In fact, it was a nice descent from Plover Hill. The top bit was nice and steep and rocky and narrow - not your everyday S.E. U.K. walk. Some of our party - specks of red and white - can be seen on the flatter lower slope.




It's a nice gentle, if stony, walk back to Horton.




The lushness of the landscape increases as we descend.




The brooding hulk of Penyghent stares down at us from our left.
Yes, a bit like an upturned boat, its keel staring up to the sky.




A pretty view looking forward.




An undulating track looking back.

Horton in Ribblesdale

Before we left Horton in Ribblesdale, there was time to look at the old church and to visit one of Yorkshire's famous temperance tea bars. This one was particularly well-known, because it also housed the stop-clock for the Penyghent part of the "Three Peaks Race".

Having got off the mountain a tad early, I catch the church, flood-lit by the sun, with Penyghent as the backcloth. Very nice. We passed here on the way up. This time, the curve really is in the road and not a result of the odd optics of my Fuji camera bought at Tesco.




Inside the church, the stained-glass window over the altar provides a
colourful - albeit serious - portrayal of the Christian message.




And so, to the tea shop - a temperance bar in true Yorkshire tradition. Tea by the pint and half pint. Information on the available teas posted up like the different types of beer in an alcoholic establishment. So, no alcohol, but, sorry, those "bacon butties" on sale do NOT look very healthy either - but here's not the place to detail why. The stop-clock? No, not for the staff, but for the young bloods doing the three peaks, all on foot, in one day - the ones we did in three days. Not for me, this one-day-three-peak enterprise - I'm an old blood.

Short Visit to Dent

A quick detour - thanks Adrian - to the verdant Dent valley and the old village of Dent itself, provided an interesting touristy end to the day. Possibly worth a future IVC visit for those seeking the hills and some history.

Dent Head Viaduct - next one north of Ribblehead Viaduct, but not so large. Looks more robustly built, but still needs maintenance.




Dent: cobbled streets and white-washed houses. Some festivity in progress?




More cobbled streets - houses not white-washed but still mature.




A spot of colour in the churchyard.




Dent church - been here a long time.




The Sun Inn brews its own beer, but there was no time to try it.

Our Last Evening

Last evening meal - started early. Some of us rounded things off by yet another visit to the local pub. Irish music and merriment. I stayed back to chat to Cynthia's friends from nearby Sedbergh (home of a well-known Met Office Weather Station). They were very much into Alpaca farming. Thicker wool than sheep's wool. Still a novelty - Alpaca wool that is. And so ended our last full day.