The Yorkshire 3 Peaks
DATE 25.05.2012 | DISTANCE 38.7KM | HIGHEST POINTs 694M, 736M, 724M
Posted by Matt | Filed under other locations
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The Yorkshire Three PEAKS CHALLENGE HAS BEEN GOING SINCE 1887 WHEN J.R. Wynne-Edwards and D.R. Smith SUMMITED PEN-Y-GHENT, WHERNSIDE AND INGLEBOROUGH in a time of 10 hours. THERE IS NO OFFICIAL START POINT AND YOU CAN CHOOSE THE ORDER OF SUMMITS AND THE ROUTE YOU DO IT. mOST PEOPLE START IN THE VILLAGE OF hORTON IN RIBBLESDALE. THE PEN-Y-GHENT CAFE IN THE VILLAGE OFFERS A CLOCKING IN AND OUT SYSTEM VIA AN ANTIQUE CLOCK CARD MACHINE WHICH WE INTENDED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF. IF YOU CLOCK BACK IN WITHIN 12 HOURS YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN THE THREE PEAKS OF YORKSHIRE CLUB. THAT'LL BE OUR GOAL THEN.. BUT I'D PREFER 11.
WE ARRIVED IN HORTON THE NIGHT BEFORE AND CAMPED AT HOLME FARM. THE NEXT MORNING AT 5AM WE WOKE UP, PACKED AWAY THE TENT AND CLOCKED IN AT THE CAFE. IF YOU START THE WALK BEFORE THE CAFE OPENS YOU SIMPLY POST DETAILS OF YOU NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS, MOBILE NUMBER AND START TIME THROUGH THE DOOR. THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE IN VIEW AT THE ENTRANCE. OUR START TIME WAS 0525AM AND IT WAS ALREADY WARM. THE WEATHER THIS WEEK HAD STARTED AS A FREAK MAY HEATWAVE AND WE WERE EXPECTING TEMPERATURES IN THE HIGH 20'S (DEGREES C). THE HEATWAVE IS WHAT GAVE BIRTH TO MY HEADWEAR IDEA. IF THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGH IN MEXICO THEN SOMBREROS WOULD SURELY FIT IN IN ROASTING YORKSHIRE.
IT IS APPROXIMATELY 2.6 MILES FROM THE CAFE TO THE TOP OF PEN-Y-GHENT. WE PASSED THROUGH BRACKENBOTTOM SCAR ADMIRING THE ABUNDANCE OF SINK HOLES AND IT MADE US WONDER WHAT WAS ACTUALLY BENEATH OUR FEET (MORE OF THAT LATER THOUGH). WE REACHED THE SUMMIT OF PEN-Y-GHENT AT 0625AM. PRETTY QUICK GOING WHICH AWARDED US THE SUMMIT TO OURSELVES. INFACT, WE DIDNT SEE ANYONE FOR SOMETIME AFTER. THE VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT REVEALED JUST HOW FAR AWAY THE NEXT TWO SUMMITS WERE. (SEE THE PICS) 11 MILES LAY OUT IN FRONT TO THE SUMMIT OF WHERNSIDE. WE DIDNT HANG AROUND LONG AND MADE OUR WAY SWIFTY DOWN PEN-Y-GHENT. WE DESCENDED THE PENNINE WAY PATH AND HEADED FOR WHITBER HILL. GOING THIS WAY, WE WOULD AVOID THE WORST OF THE BOG ON HORTON MOOR. (YESTERDAY IN THE CAFE WE HAD BEEN WARNED ABOUT MANY PEOPLE THIS YEAR SINKING WAIST DEEP IN THE BOG ON HORTON MOOR)
FOLLOWING THE PENNINE WAY WE TOOK TWO DETOURS. FIRSTLY, HUNT POT. a DEEP GASH AT THE BOTTOM OF A SINK HOLE. A SINISTER LOOKING LIMESTONE CREVASSE WHICH IS APPARENTLY 200FT DEEP. AS WE LOOKED OVER THE EDGE, WE COULD SEE A LONG WAY DOWN BEFORE IT TURNED TO BLACK. VERY EERY. OUR SECOND DETOUR WAS A SIMILAR SCAR CALLED HULL POT. YOU CANT SEE THIS UNTIL YOU ARE ABOUT TO WALK OFF THE EDGE. I GUESS YOU COULD CLASS IT AS A CANYON OR BIG BIG HOLE.
THINKING OF HOW LONG THIS STRETCH TO WHERNSIDE WAS, WE PUSHED ON. THINGS GOT A BIT BOGGY AROUND SELL GILL HILL BUT NOTHING A LITTLE TRAVERSING COULDN'T SOLVE. BACK ONTO THE PENNINE WAY THE GROUND BECAME DRY AND DUSTY AND THE SUN WAS NOW BEAMING DOWN ON US FROM WHERE IT WAS HANGING ABOVE PEN-Y-GHENT. PULLING THE BACK DOWN ON THE SOMBREROS PROTECTED OUR NECKS AND HAD US WONDERING WHY THESE HATS NEVER CAUGHT ON ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.??
AN EARLY MORING ICE CREAM FROM A SNACK VAN NEAR RIBBLEHEAD VIADUCT PUT A SMILE ON ALAN'S FACE AND OUR WINDING CLIMB UP WHERNSIDE BEGAN. THE WIND BLOWING UP OVER THE EDGE AS WE APPROACHED THE SUMMIT WAS SURPRISINGLY STRONG SO WE TOOK THE SUMMIT PHOTO AND SHELTERED ON SEATING BEHIND THE WALL. 11.30AM, 1 MORE PEAK AHEAD OF US AND WE WE FEELING PRETTY GOOD.
AT THE BOTTOM OF WHERNSIDE I SLAPPED ON ANOTHER LAYER OF SUN CREAM. MY WATER BLADDER HAS RUNNING LOW BUT I STILL HAD A FEW BOTTLES IN MY BAG. WOULD THIS BE ENOUGH THOUGH?
CROSSING THE B 6255 ROAD WE STEPPED INTO THE OLD HILL INN FOR A COKE AND I TOPPED UP MY BLADDER. I'D SUGGEST AVOIDING THIS PUB THOUGH AS THE TEMPTATION TO STAY AND SINK A FEW PINTS WAS ALMOST TOO STRONG TO RESIST. WE MADE IT OUT OF THERE STONE SOBER THOUGH AND HEADED THROUGH THE SOUTHERSCALES SCARS. A HUGE AREA OF LIMESTONE PAVEMENT AND A MASSIVE SINK HOLE CALLED BRAITHWAITE WIFE HOLE.
A BOARDWALK AT HUMPHREY BOTTOM SAVES EVERYONE FROM THE SWAMPY GROUND BUT THERE IS NO HELP AHEAD FOR THE STEEP CLIMB UP ONTO INGLEBOROUGH. STILL FEELING PRETTY STRONG THOUGH AND UNAFFECTED BY THE UV RAYS THANKS TO OUR MEXICAN HEADWEAR WE REACHED THE SUMMIT OF INGLEBOROUGH AT 13.50PM ALL THE CLIMBING WAS NOW DONE!! I WAS HOPING TO FINISH IN HORTON WITH A TIME OF UNDER 11 HOURS. I HAD BEEN TELLING ALAN THIS ALL DAY BUT AFTER TELLING OUR progress to AN OLD FELLA ON THE SUMMIT OF INGLEBOROUGH , HE SAID THAT IF WE PUSHED IT, IT WAS POSSIBLE WE COULD DO IT IN UNDER 10 HOURS.
UNDER 10 HOURS! THAT SOUNDED BETTER THAN UNDER 11 AND I IMAGINED IT ON MY CERTIFICATE (AVAILABLE IF YOU USE THE CLOCKIN SYSTEM) WE HAD 5 MILES LEFT THOUGH AND IT WOULD REQUIRE US TO START RUNNING.
IT MUST HAVE BEEN A SIGHT, SEEING TWO MEN RUNNING DOWN INGLEBOROUGH IN THE BAKING SUN, HOLDING THEIR SOMBREROS DOWN ON THEIR HEADS TO STOP THEM BEING BLOWN AWAY. THE PROBLEM NOW WAS THAT PAIN FROM WALKIING 19 MILES SO FAR HAD SET IN TO THE BOTTOMS OF MY FEET AND THE RUNNING WAS TEARING AT MY soles. I WAS CONVINCED OF BLISTERS FORMING BUT KEPT GOING. WE HAD TO STOP SEVERAL TIMES TO DRINK WATER AND HAVE A BREATHER. IT STILL LOOKED POSSIBLE THOUGH. WITH MINUTES TO GO I CROSSED OVER THE TRAIN LINE BACK INTO HORTON AND TOOK A RIGHT ... THE WRONG RIGHT, WRONG ROAD, WRONG DIRECTION!
THE MISTAKE WAS RECOGNISED QUICKLY BUT NOT QUICKLY ENOUGH. CLOCKED IN AT 10 HOURS AND 2 MINUTES! THAT'LL DO.
