Even when I lived in Glasgow
working on The Great Outdoors
magazine, my heart belonged
to Yorkshire. On the 200-mile
journey south to see family
and friends, I knew I’d reached
home when I saw the dark mass
of Ingleborough rising on the
edge of the Pennines. When
Steph and I left Scotland to
start life afresh, I knew exactly
where I wanted us to be.
We landed in Stainforth, a
wee Dales village clustered
around an old packhorse
bridge (at the bottom of our
garden) and the splendid
Craven Heifer pub. Stainforth
stands on the lower end of a
broad shoulder running down
from Penyghent, paralleling
the River Ribble’s low to the
market town of Settle.
That shoulder provided just
one of the many regular walks
we enjoyed: the long ascent
on to Penyghent, a drop to
Horton and a riverside return
was a favourite, occasionally
providing a springboard for
the Three Peaks, adding a few
miles to the walk’s traditional
Horton start.
My favourite, though, was
to cross the valley, via the
ancient packhorse bridge that
spans the Ribble, and scale
Smearsett Scar, a limestone
scarp named by Norsemen
for its “summer pasture”.
It’s dotted with prehistoric,
Roman and medieval features
and, in summer, is studded
with exquisite wildlowers
including wild pansy and
tormentil. Though diminutive
(363m), Smearsett stands
apart – so views to Three Peak
Country’s higher summits are
tremendous. Our kids loved
that walk, as we’d drop to
Elaine’s Tearooms in Feizor for
ice cream or cake.
But there were drawbacks
to living in a National Park.
When we outgrew our cottage,
we couldn’t afford to buy a
larger property within thevillage:they’d be snapped up by
retirees, or by second-homers
who left them empty for much
of the year. We loved the
village, but we couldn’t afford
to stay.
Two years ago we “litted” to
Ingleton, a stone’s throw north-
west. It’s a mountain village
through and through, set at
the conluence of the Twiss
and Doe, rivers that drain from
the other two of Yorkshire’s
Three Peaks: Whernside –
highest and bleakest – and
Ingleborough, easily the inest.
Ingleton also caters well
for the outdoor community,
with an excellent gear shop,
several cafes and no fewer
than ive pubs. Unsurprisingly,
it’s very popular with walkers
and, once they’ve pulled their
boots on, there’s little to delay
an immediate start into the
surrounding hills. Which makes
Ingleton a fabulous walking
centre and, for us, our own
piece of Heaven on Earth.YORKSHIRE DALESJohn Manning lives in Ingleton
at the foot of Ingleborough
John Manning is the editor of bimonthly Lakeland Walker magazine: http://www.lakeland-walker.comMY REGULAR WALK
Waterfalls Walk
MAP: OS 1:50,000 Landranger sheet 89
While opposed in principle to the idea of paying
for access to the countryside, neighbour Matt
and I make the most of Ingleton’s 4.5-mile (8km)
Waterfalls Walk: it’s a cracking two-hour after-work
leg-stretch. The falls are stunning (especially after
bad weather), the trail and surrounding woodlands
exceptionally well-maintained. Mid-week, in the
evenings, when we have the place to ourselves, the
wildlife can be fantastic, from dippers and deer to
buzzard and bats. The icing on the cake is that it
returns to the village past the excellent Inglenook
chippie and the Old Post Ofice microbar.
TOP RECOMMENDATION
Ingleborough
MAP: OS 1:50,000 Landranger sheet 98
The climb haul out of Ingleton, past Crina Bottom
to Ingleborough’s summit, is no less wonderful for
being bleedin’ obvious and popular. After studying
the prehistoric hut circles on the summit, the steep
drop via Humphrey Bottom to the (exceptionally
good) Hill Inn at Chapel-le-Dale will have calves
throbbing. Return along the lanks of Whernside,
taking the Pennine Journey route over Scales Moor
to Twistleton Scar End, with sunset views over
distant Morecambe Bay. Pick your own way back
into the village, down the road or, if daylight allows,
down the waterfalls route (fee payable if caught!).LOCALS RECOMMEND
Ingleborough from Twistleton Scar
Photo: DMC Photography/Shutterstock34 The Great Outdoors Spring 2019