Ingleborough

Ingleborough and a whiff of Whernside

My alarm went off at 5:30. It was pitch black out. From the street I headed up the road. I needed to get my bearings in order to figure out how to get to the track leading to Crina Bottom. Heading out of Ingleton, it was further than I thought, a little way past the turn off for Clapham. Now I could start a headtorch wander up to Ingleborough. How far I went depended on how much time I had left. Breakfast was arranged for 8:30.

I caught my first sighting of the featureful western edge of Ingleborough at 6:35. By now the way was lit by an electric blue sky and I could switch off the torch. Five minutes later I passed the farstead of Crina Bottom. Passing White Scars and picking my way up Red Gait Head, before the going would get tougher, I veered from the path to descend a little to get a better view of the western profile where I saw Whernside picked out in pink. Here I wandered back and forth, crouching among the sphagnum moss and the grass tuffets, loving every minute.

At 7:30 I thought it best if I didn't stay a minute longer. I didn't get to the top but I'd had a lot of fun. I was 8 minutes late.

After breakfast it was decided we would head to probably, from where we were, the furthest part of the national park, to Richmond in the north east. The journey was a delight. Though prominently green, it is something I now visualise in blue and yellow (eh, run that by me again, mate?).

At Richmond our visit began with a visit to a shop for a book of walks, a tour of the castle walls, followed by a tea shop. Here we decided to do the Drummers Boy Walk. The walk took us to the Richmond Falls and from there to Easby Abbey for a return journey along the other side of the river. By when we returned it had started to rain and by the time we were on our way proper, it was chucking it down. Still, we managed a brief visit to Aysgarth for more fall lookery.

Evening scoff at the Old Hill Inn, Chapel le Dale. Late beers back at the Wheatsheaf.

More pics in colour:

This shot
Nearer still
To Whernside
Hawthorn
River Swale from the Castle Wall
Richmond Falls
Easby Abbey
Aysgarth Falls