Pen-y-ghent is a mountain in the Yorkshire Dales. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, the other two being Ingleborough and Whernside. It lies some 3 km east of Horton in Ribblesdale. The Pennine Way links the summit to the village; the route is around 5 km in length as the Way curves initially to the north before turning east to reach the summit.
The more direct route that traverses the southern 'nose' of the hill is the route usually taken by the those attempting The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, as the walk is usually (but not exclusively) done in an anti-clockwise direction starting/finishing in Horton in Ribblesdale.
In the Cumbric language 'Pen' means hill or head, but 'Ghent' is more obscure. It could be taken to be edge or border the name "Pen-y-Ghent" could therefore mean Hill on the border.
The tour of Pen-y-Ghent is a well known classic for good reason. Great rocky track is followed by a superb moorland crossing on a mixture of purpose and built and natural surfaces. A steep rocky climb up Dawson Close (completed by Darryl, king of the mountains) takes you onto a lovely track, and then there is the final descent from the shoulder of Pen-y-Ghent before a spin out back to the car.
Now the actual ride that we did
Start and finish Horton in Ribblesdale
ROUTE DESCRIPTION
1. Turn right out of the car-park and look for the wooden finger-post sign after 150m directing you
left and along the Pennine Way. It’s uphill from here on a firm stone base but with plenty of
loose stuff on top in places. The track flattens out and ends at a gate leading out onto Horton
Moor.
2. The Pennine Way footpath goes off to the right. Straight in front is Hull Pot, a spectacular
entrance to a pothole, about 250m away, which is worth looking into if you have the time. The ride takes a single-track section through the moorland reeds between these two routes. Through a gate and follow a rough track up. This meets a path coming down from Pen-y-Ghent. Turn left, then right to follow wall in the same direction as you have been travelling. Thetrack starts to improve as you reach a single-track with a sandstone base and is easier to ride.Keep on single-track to the highest point on the ride on Foxup Moor under Plover Hill. A few stream crossings will have tested your technical skills with alternative stone bridges for those not up to the task. The route is undulating over moorland for a while before reaching a gate.
3. This is the start of the downhill to Foxup but the next 4.5km will test the technical skills of any rider. Soft moorland, mud, rushes and moss lay ahead along with ruts, tricky stream crossings and slippery rocks protruding through the surface. There is then a steep and often slippery descent towards Foxup.
4. Having gone through the gate an option drop steeply to Foxup Farm turn right onto the road and on to Halton Gill. Around 4km on road with a downhill bias gives a chance to stretch the legs for a little while.
5. Go right at a junction at New Bridge over the river Skirfare. Immediately over the bridge turn
right up a gated track and start to climb up the steepest section on the whole route. A 2km climb levels out onto a good track that runs along the edge of the valley. An undulating route takes you off the hillside to join the metalled road near Dawson’s Close.
6. Turn left and ride for 2km on the quiet road with a great view of Pen-Y-Ghent to your right until you come to a cattle-grid just after a parking area with an ‘honesty box’ on the left.
7. Turn right and drop down on the hard-packed stone track to Dale Head. Keep right at the farm and through the gate on a solid-based track. Turn left at a track junction by Churn Milk Hole, another of the innumerable potholes in this area. Up the stony track takes you to the start of the 4½km downhill section to Helwith Bridge.
8. Turn right onto the road for the final 3km stretch on the road.
