Pen Y Ghent, Yorkshire Dales 25th August 2022

 GPX File Here

On Thursday the 25th August 2022 we left camp to drive to the Cadets Campsite in Horton in Ribblesdale. Here we met the cadets. Mike, Kacey and I set off to reach the first checkpoint of the day, the summit of Pen Y Ghent before the cadets do.

We set off up the road and turn right into Horton Scar Lane, a gravel track that leads towards Pen Y Ghent.

The path rises steadily up.

Pen Y Ghent is the lowest of Yorkshire's Three Peaks at 2,277 feet (694 m).

In the Cumbric language, exactly as in today's Welsh, pen meant 'top' or 'head', and y is most likely the definite article (the), exactly as in Modern Welsh y (compare Pen-y-berth 'end of the hedge/copse', or Pen-y-ffordd 'head of the road/way', etc.). The element 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' (compare Kent). Or else, the final element may be gïnt, meaning "a heathen, a gentile" (< Latin gentis; c.f. Welsh gynt), presumably in reference to Scandinavian pagans.

We continue along the path towards Pen Y Ghent ahead.

Pen-y-Ghent is made up of a millstone grit top upon a bed of carboniferous limestone.

Looking back on our path with Ingleborough beyond.

The path climbs a lot steeper now as we approach the summit, still no sign of the cadets in the distance.

We reach the summit at 2277Ft (694m) and take our photos here. We are getting bitten to death by midges, so we retire to the other side of the wall to wait for the cadets.

The summit acts as a watershed with water flowing east into the River Skirfare and on through to the Humber Estuary, and water flowing west dropping into the River Ribble, to ultimately flow into the Irish Sea. The distinctive rakes that adorn the hillside (particularly on the western edge of Pen-y-Ghent) were revealed during a great storm in July 1881. The ferocity of the water cascading down the hillside removed the topsoil and revealed the rakes beneath.

Sitting on the other side of the wall was free of midges but you could see why, it was very windy. A Eurofighter jet flew through the valley below as we waited.

Eventually group one appeared and made themselves food and drinks before setting off. We didn't have to wait too long for the next group to arrive.

We set off from the summit towards Plover Hill.

Plover Hill is an area of moorland lying to the north of Pen-y-Ghent in the Yorkshire Dales and connected to it by an unbroken area of high ground. Whilst the whole area is now "open access land", the main right-of-way footpaths come directly from the north off Foxup Road and directly from the south from the summit of Pen-y-Ghent.

The ground became very boggy and we had to weave our way across as we climb towards Plover Hill.

From the top of Plover Hill we walk along until we reach a steep climb down a crag by the means of steps. 

The photo above is the lead up to the steps that then go sharply down with a drop near one point. So Kacey and I wait down below and Mike climbs back up to wait for the cadets to offer help.

It was quite a long wait so Kacey and I decided to get comfortable and have a deserved rest.

The cadets arrive and made their way down. They set off and we waited for group two. Group two arrived and they stopped for a rest where we were, so we set off again down into Foxup Moor where we turn right down a path at the bottom of the hill.

We the path along heading towards Foxup bridge where the minibus was waiting for us.

Looking down to Foxup Bridge and we can see the minibus down below.

We arrive at Foxup Bridge and meet the rest of the leaders and group one. We have a rest whike we waited for group two to arrive.

Group two arrive after some time and they have a rest before they are told that to complete they need to plan a new route to complete the time they missed off yesterday by taking the shorter route. I thought was walking but there's more to do as we need to make a checkpoint on this new route. The minibus takes group one back to camp and the rest of us all set off on a path alongside Halton Gill Beck whist the cadets head off back uphill.

Soon we are climbing back uphill ourselves and sharply up Silverdale Road. Somehow the cadets had pushed themselves and got ahead of us. We catch up with them, they are broken and totally wiped out. They had really pushed themselves trying to prove themselves to us, we cut the route slightly short and make the final walk to Pen Y Ghent House and Mike walked on to meet the minibus to get them down to pick us all up as e had no signal to contact them.

The route below is what us staff took, on the extra walk.

A great walk and total respect to all the cadets. All three Yorkshire Peaks completed and DofE Silver achieved!

Back to camp for a much needed rest!