Ingleborough, Yorkshire Dales 24th August 2022

  GPX File Here

Day Two of the Cadets Silver DofE expedition, we leave our campsite and drive back to Low Sleights Road and Mike, Kacey and I set off up the path to Ingleborough, to make it up to the first check point before the cadets. The rest of the staff wait for the cadets from their campsite nearby.

We head off uphill, not the best of weather today, but at least its only very light drizzle at the moment.

 

Ingleborough (723 m or 2,372 ft) is the second-highest mountain in the Yorkshire Dales, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks (the other two being Whernside and Pen-y-Ghent).

The first element of the name "Ingleborough" has been variably explained as a Scots term for 'beacon, fire', an Old Danish term meaning 'English' or a derivative of Old English ing, 'peak'. The second element is derived from the Old English word burh, meaning "a fortified place"; in this case, a hill fort. The summit plateau of Ingleborough is encircled by the remains of a massive stone rampart, containing the foundations of Iron Age huts.

We pass another limestone pavement on our way up.

We follow the Three Peaks Way/ Dales Highway up Black Shiver Moss.

Urggh steps so much harder work than just walking up a incline!

A look back the way we came.

We stop at the bottom of the steep steps that lead up to the summit.

We sit here for some time waiting for the cadets to arrive before they make their way up. Time to get more layers on as we cool down in the mist. 

The first group of cadets arrive and after they have a rest , we all make our way up the steps.

Up the top we walk across the plateau that resembles a moonscape. A compass bearing was taken to find the summit trigpoint in the heavy fog. We head off leaving the cadets behind to find their way.

We reach the summit and take some quick photos, the cadets arrive and we take their photo before heading for the shelter here to get out of the wind and have some food and a hot chocolate!

Ingleborough is often described as a 'hollow mountain'. Deep below Ingleborough is a complex series of cave systems. These include the two show caves, Ingleborough Cave and White Scar Cave.

We leave the summit and try to find our path through the thick fog, more compass work required.

We meet the second group on their way to the summit, they said they had just seen the first group.

We find our path and head off down Ingleborough Common. It was a little way down we realise that group one had probably taken the wrong route (The shorter route!).

We continue down following the stone laid path.

We pass a couple walking up who confirmed there has been no cadets walking down this route!

At the bottom of the path we reach Gaping Gill.

Gaping Gill is one of the most famous caves in the Dales and one of the largest underground chambers in Britain. It is normally reached from Clapham by walking past Ingleborough Cave and up on to the slopes of Ingleborough. Please take care around the entrance as it is unfenced.

The main chamber measures 129m long, 31m high, and 25m wide. Fell Beck pours over a lip of rock above and crashes 100m to the floor of the cavern before draining through to Ingleborough Cave.

The Gaping Gill cave system is one of longest and most complex in the UK, in fact, it wasn’t until 1983 that members of the Cave Diving Group made the connection between this cavern and Ingleborough Cave.

Settle man John Birbeck, who also made the first descent of Alum Pot, attempted the first descent in 1842, having first diverted the beck. He was lowered on a rope by farm labourers but he only reached a ledge 58m (190ft) down. It is known today as Birbeck’s Ledge.

In 1895 Frenchman Edouard Martel made the first descent to the bottom using a rope ladder and a candle. He kept in contact with the surface by telephone.

Nowadays members of the public can descend to the main chamber twice a year when the Bradford and Craven pothole clubs set up a winch over the main shaft entrance.

A 98-metre (322 ft) deep pothole with the stream Fell Beck flowing into it. After falling through one of the largest known underground chambers in Britain, the water disappears into the bouldery floor and eventually resurges adjacent to Ingleborough Cave.

The shaft was the deepest known in Britain, until Titan in Derbyshire was discovered in 1999. Gaping Gill still retains the records for the highest unbroken waterfall in England and the largest underground chamber naturally open to the surface.

A video from YouTube to show this spectacular! 

We continue on pass Gaping Gill, now looking forward to the checkpoint ahead where we can have a tea at the minibus ahead.

We walk on reaching Trow Gill.

Trow Gill is a spectacular limestone gorge, with cliffs over 200ft high, that can be found on the popular walking route from Clapham on to Ingleborough.

Trow Gill is an example of a meltwater gorge that was formed over the course of thousands of years by melting ice trying to find a route of escape from the plateau above.

We scramble down the dry waterfall here at Trow Gill taking care on the slippery rocks.

Now a dry gorge, Trow Gill was possibly once an underground cavern formed by waters which now take an alternative route through the Ingleborough Cave / Gaping Gill system. At some point in time the roof of this cavern is believed to have collapsed - Trow Gill being the suggested result (though other theories have the ravine as simply a glacial meltwater channel).

We walk uphill to a track, only to find the minibus isn't here. They'd gone to pay for the next campsite!

So we walk on trying to pick up the pace a little to try and get to the spot where teh track the cadets should be on crosses ours!

Looking back to Trow Gill.

We walk uphill to Long Scar hoping to be able to contact the minibus, still no reception. We walk on.

Summit of Long Scar.

After quite a bit of walking our path passes Crummack Dale on our right.

Crummack Dale

We reach the place at Sulber Nick where our path crosses, we wait for a while to see if the cadets we arrive hoping we haven't missed them. After some food and drink. The first group arrive and explain where they went wrong. After a rest the cadets continued on their way.

We walk on towards Horton in Ribblesdale.

We make our final descent down into Horton in Ribblesdale.

Crossing the railway line we walk up the road to the campsite the cadets were staying at tonight.

We left the cadets to pitch camp after the second group arrived who had taken the correct route and looked absolutely shattered. Well done! Second of the Yorkshire Three Peaks done!