Pen Y Ghent

Most weekends my fella, who celebrates his 60th in a couple of weeks, hikes me up some peak or other in the Yorkshire Dales or further afield in the Lakes. We go for walks every weekend but haven't done a peak for a few weeks because its been so hot. We've chosen instead to do less strenuous but still lovely countryside walks of 7-12 miles but without a steep climb. 

However, last weekend was very much cooler and so we decided to do Pen y Ghent, in the Yorkshire Dales.

We have done all three Yorkshire Peaks, Pen Y Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, a few times before but never more than one at a time! For the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, people do them all, involving a total of 5200ft of ascent and covering 24 miles, in 12 hours!! I would have struggled to do that at any age never mind at 65! I think doing them one at a time is sufficient challenge and achievement! Pen y Ghent is the smallest of the three at 2277ft but it certainly feels like enough when you're doing it. 

We set off from Horton in Ribblesdale on a day that was dry but much cloudier and gloomier than had been forecast. That turned out to be a shame because the higher we climbed the more visibility was obscured by the low cloud that hung over the peak. It was a pity for two reasons: first, I need the motivation of the beautiful views to encourage me on a climb like that and second, because it meant taking photos was pointless! And I do love taking photos when out on walks! 

The path is a very good one, paved with Yorkshire stone most of the way but it is quite a steep ascent in places with a scrabble over rocks near the top. That's the one bit I really didn't enjoy very much because the rocks are quite sheer in places, difficult for people with little legs like me! Plus they were very wet and slippery and it was very windy once we got up that high, another difficulty for someone as small as me, as the wind would catch me and push me off balance at times. I found that bit quite scary! But its good to do things that scare us a little bit now and then! I did give my knee a real bang at one point on that steep, windy scramble to the top and now have the lump and big black bruise to prove it! I'll spare you the pic of that! Its a bit sore but I'll live!



This is Pen Y Ghent on a better day!

Made it! A well-earned lunch, sheltering from the wind against the wall. 

The walk down, via Plover Hill, was mostly a gentle decent over moorland which, cracked and dry as concrete a few weeks ago, was now a boggy marshland following recent rains. This, added to the poor visibility, made picking out the less distinct grassy path a little more difficult in places but we never got lost. By the time we walked back into Horton, GPS told us we'd done 9 miles....... and the rain had started. 

If you fancy having a go yourself you can find a detailed description of the route, illustrated with photos, here on the Walks in Yorkshire website.

Happily tired, we came home, cooked and ate, and then went out for the night! By the time we got to bed, after midnight, we were certainly ready to sleep! All in all, not a bad day for two 60 somethings!! Wonder where we'll walk this coming weekend? 

If you can, keep walking, as often and for as many years as you can. It doesn't matter where or how far you walk and you don't have to climb peaks - although getting your heart going up some hills is very good for it! 

And remember, if you're not walking, keep dancing!