Whernside from the Ribblehead Viaduct

Another delightful spring day in April! We have been so blessed with the weather so far this year, and what better reason do we need to head for the hills and walk the footpaths of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

A couple of weeks ago, we climbed Ingleborough, for us, the first of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, a challenging but rewarding walk with spectacular and far-reaching views from the summit, including its sister peaks of Whernside and Pen-y-Ghent.

We have largely neglected the Dales for most of our adult lives, instead speeding past on the M6 on our way to The Lake District or Scotland. But since moving to Lancashire three years ago, we have been discovering this vast and variable landscape which is virtually on our doorstep.

So it was, that we arrived at the impressive Ribblehead Viaduct at around midday to start our walk, a 16km circular that conveniently begins and ends at The Station Inn - it's always good to factor in a celebratory drink at the end of a walk.

The Ribblehead Viaduct, North Yorkshire

The viaduct, one of Britain's most iconic railway bridges and a grade two listed structure, was built by the Midland Railway Company in 1869, and is the longest structure on the Settle to Carlisle line. Restored in the 1980's, the land around the viaduct is now preserved as an ancient monument where the remains of the construction site and 'navvy' settlement can be found, and is also the starting point for many wonderful walks, all of which provide spectacular views of the graceful curved structure with its twenty-four elegant arches.

We began our walk by taking the footpath that runs the length of the viaduct, giving us the time and vantage point to appreciate its grandeur and incredible scale. The path hugged the railway, passing the Blea Moor railway station and tracking gently uphill for about 3km, before crossing the tracks at Little Dale and heading towards Dent.

We crossed a bridge over the stream, the impressive Force Gill waterfall on our left, and soon after crossed a stile to begin the long uphill trek to the summit.

At Great Wold the path got steeper and became rocky and uneven, and as we continued, we were serenaded by frogs from the ponds at the side of the path; below us we could see the Whernside Tarns, and as the path tucked in next to a drystone wall, we stopped to eat our sandwiches in a sheltered spot.

Without the crunch of feet on gravel, we were struck by the beauty and quiet of this place; there was not a breath of air, the sky was a perfect blue and the only sound to be heard was the song of the skylarks overhead; we had an uninterrupted view over to Pen-y-Ghent and Ingleborough, and the viaduct looked tiny beneath us in the valley.

View to Pen-y-Ghent and Ingleborough from Whernside Tarn

The path then continued to steepen over Knoutberry Hill before following a wall leading to the summit of Whernside, the highest point in Yorkshire standing at 736m (2,415 ft) above sea level. The 360 degree panorama from the top ranges from Pendle Hill to the South, round to the Morecambe Bay and then on to the Lakeland Fells, and is quite staggering. The trig point was almost hidden, through a narrow gate, and from this side of the wall there were further views, this time over Dentdale.

There are also a couple of drystone shelters at the top, but it was busy and they were occupied, so we were glad to have stopped earlier and have had the views to ourselves.

After taking in the views and enjoying the vista for a while, we continued along the trail and began our descent down the opposite side of the mountain to Bruntscar.

The first part of the descent was very steep and rocky, with some high and uneven steps to navigate; indeed, a lady ahead of us lost her footing and ended up rolling several metres, seemingly in slow motion. Thankfully she avoided the rocks and was not hurt, but it does prove that this terrain can be dangerous and can quickly take you out of your comfort zone. Back on her feet having been helped by a family walking behind her, she continued the descent with no more than damaged pride - it could have been a lot worse.

After passing through a couple of gates, we left the Three Peaks path to turn left, eventually passing Winterscales. The wooden signposts were now marked 'viaduct' and led us back through fields of lambs, turning right to pass through Gunnerfleet Farm and return on a path running under the viaduct. From here, we re-joined the path that we had started on, the short journey taking us back to the carpark and a well-earned drink at The Station Inn.

So, two out of three of the Yorkshire Three Peaks conquered and just Pen-y-Ghent to go.

Although it is the highest of the three, Whernside was a very pleasant walk and didn't feel as difficult as Ingleborough, although the descent from the top was quite tricky.

The views throughout were wonderful - just what you would expect from 'God's own land' - and we were lucky to be blessed with a warm and dry spring day; I'm sure that we will be back.