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Sunday 24 October 2010

Simon Fell and Ingleborough

ingleborough
This is the very last pair of the Yorkshire Dales 2000 foot tops series. It all went approximately to plan, so J_on_ tour can keep his buff.
The bit that went wrong was me getting up a bit late, so it was nearly eleven o’clock when I parked the knipemobile at Clapham. It was OK, though, I just chopped a little bit off the planned walk.
penyghent across limestone pavement
The walking up to join the Three Peaks path on it’s final downhill lurch to Horton was  really very enjoyable. Its very easy walking on short green turf, y’see, and the views towards Penyghent, across a fine karst plateau are, well, very fine. Somewhere along the route, I lost my banana. But I was cheered up from the post-fruitless-mourning by the bright sunshine and blue skies, although the force four “breeze” from higher latitudes was a bit more than chilling.
ingleborough from simon fell
We wandered towards Ingleborough, turning off to follow a wall up to Lord’s Seat – a grand limestone nobble with a cracking view of Upper Ribblesdale. To get there we had to cross “Rawnsley’s Leap”, a monster of a ladder stile which is listed in Yorkshire Limestone Climbing Guides as V-Diff. We crossed it back again a few minutes later and rambled up to the summit.
rawnsleys leap
I wanted to follow the path which runs along the edge of Ingleborough’s magnificent corrie, and to do this me and the dawg had to negotiate a wobbly wall defended by barbed wire. This went without too much of a hitch and Bruno has all his bits, and so have I, apart from the parts which have been removed surgically, in Bruno’s case, the vet in Bishop Auckland, and in my case the Urology Department at Bradford Royal Infirmary’s inebriate ferret “Jason” who is introduced into the tight underpants of those who’s wives consider that they have sufficient children. If you catch my drift.
lords seat
Anyway, the path along the edge of the corrie was icy but good to walk on. Soon we were on the summit, bemoaning the loss of our banana, but enjoying, instead, ginger cake, coffee and chocolate. I talked briefly to a lad who was doing the 3 Peaks and was heading for a ten hour time.  He seemed cheerful enough, so we didn;t tell him any fart or vasectomy jokes, but plunged off over the edge of the Brigantian ramparts to Little Ingleborough, down to Gaping Gill and then back on the lanes and through the tunnels to Clapham.
ingleborough's corrie
This is my last 2000 foot top of this series. I saved the best till the last.
For information of those confused souls out there, this wasn’t my first ascent of Ingleborough. I’ve been there before, many times since my first in October 1971. I’ve been on two fell searches on the hill and helped recover the remains of a scouser who lost an argument with a large boulder. And camped on it a couple of times and been inside it. Its my favourite Yorkshire Dales hill. I’ll likely climb it again.
ingleborough summit
12 Miles and 2250 feet of climbing.
The next question is, though – what shall I do next?
Hmmmmm……
ingleborough

13 comments:

AlanR said...

What a stunning day. Great views in all directions.

Difficult to suggest what to do next.
But when you decide i'm sure it will be grand.

Mike Knipe said...

I've a few things lines up for the short-term, Alan.... But I'd quite like a new project....
Something will occur, I expect.

AlanR said...

Southern Upland way apart, we don't read too much on the Dumphries and Galloway area.You may fancy putting something together here. Not far from home either.

J_on_tour said...

Great photos & Enjoyable post ( ... & for additional obvious reasons), hope you liked the weather I ordered you. This was the route I was going to do in May but decided to cut it short on route.
Just as well you told me of the achievement in the first paragraph because you kept me on a knife edge all the way through...a lie in (well it was a sunday), losing your power food, a V-diff ascent !, barbed wire and Urology operations (mmm.. if only you knew !! ).
Congratulations on your achievement and this great conversation ... I think it's time someone else answered one of your questions !!

Mike Knipe said...

Its a little bit far to D&G for regular day walks, Alan, but maybe I could have a walk through the Lowther fells next springtime. Very nice hills...
I feel a blog post coming on about this question.
..a bit cryptic there J - on the issue of the Urology department's ferret.

AlanR said...

Sorry Mike, i got the impression you was looking for something like your borders walk.
I will have a re-think.

Oldmortality said...

If you're at a loose end for a week next Spring you might consider Dunbar-Ayr via Lauder,Peebles, Broughton,Culter,Crawford,Glenbuck and Sorn.This was going to be project of mine, but I'll never do it now.

Mike Knipe said...

Thats OK, Alan - Not quite finished with the Borders yet, as you'll see very shortly.
Oldmortality - I think that route could take me a bit longer than a week..., although it sounds interesting. I did the Herring road from Lauder to Dunbar with Becky a couple of years ago.
I think I'll do a blog post on this midweek - I have some ideas... but nothing is settled.

Lonewalker said...

Mike, I was asked the "what next?" question recently by the Rambling Badgers (http://www.theramblingbadgers.walkingplaces.co.uk/) as they have also just finished the Yorkshire Tops. I will offer the same answer here...
How about all the trig point pillars that fall within the boundary of the dales national park. There's 54 of them and they are not all on obvious fells, so you get to see some of the lesser summits in the park. Full list available (along with many route suggestions if you want them - I'm about 12 short of completing this list myself).

Mike Knipe said...

Rambling badgers? Whatever next...
I must say, Lonewalker, this does appeal to an obsessive ticker.
I wonder how many I've already done...?
Giz the list , then....! (email address in the profile)

Mike Knipe said...

I see- the answer to the trig question lies on the badgers blog.
I counted 41 trigs that I've visited. I'll have to consider this....
Sharp Haw, though by the way - unless you're from Skipton, in which case , it's Sharper. (I'm from Skipton(ish))

John Enoch said...

Mike - congratulations on completing your 2000 Tops Series
Mostly, thanks for the entertainment reading your blog has given.Day 4 of the Border Crossing still makes me laugh. See you again one day I hope.
cheers
John

Mike Knipe said...

Cheers John - but not as "interesting" as the Loch Treig shore path, eh?