Malham to Horton-in-Ribblesdale
When I set off from the youth hostel, the sun was shining and it was already starting to warm up. It was a beautiful morning. I set off with a feeling of anticipation, knowing that I’d got some big climbs today.
The Pennine Way took me out of Malham and to Malham Cove. The cove was beautiful. It is the site of an old waterfall. The rock face is so impressive, it’s hard to imagine the scale of the waterfall.
I climbed the steps up and onto the cove. At the top, there is a limestone pavement. It’s amazing and feels a bit like the Giant’s Causeway, with all the cracks between the rocks. The views from the top were beautiful.
As I walked through Ing Scar, my nose started to bleed. Thankfully, I found some shade and it stopped after a little while. I then continued up the scar and followed the Pennine Way along the top of it. I really like the name Scar. I feel like it represents the geological feature really well. It literally looks like a scar on the landscape.
The Pennine Way then took me to Malham Tarn. The tarn was so peaceful and quiet. The tarn is a glacial lake formed over 10,000 years ago, and a national nature reserve due to the rare flora and fauna that are found there.
As I walked around the tarn, there was this lovely carving of a hare. It really captured the hare’s stature.
I then climbed up and over Fountains Fell. It was really nice to be on moorland, and the views were beautiful. Along the way, I met a fell runner who was recce-ing part of the Pennine Barrier 50 route, that he is running next weekend. We had a quick chat, then he went on his way.
As I arrived on the far side of Fountains Fell, I got my first view of Pen-y-ghent. It was spectacular. I could see Whernside and Ingleborough, either side of it, in the distance. I found some shade on the other side of this wall and stopped for my lunch. It was an incredible view. To see all of the Yorkshire three peaks at the same time, was just amazing. The Pennine Way had been everything that I ever wanted and more, so far. I feel so lucky!
I then took the Pennine Way, along some tracks and up Pen-y-ghent. The top of Pen-y-ghent is steep and there is a short scramble. I’d set off today, knowing that it would be a test for my legs. Climbing up, I felt strong. It was lovely to meet some fellow hikers along the way. Today was also the Yorkshire 3 peaks fell race, so I had anticipated seeing some fell runners. They had all climbed Pen-y-ghent earlier in the day, so thankfully I didn’t get caught up in the race!
The views from the top of Pen-y-ghent were stunning. There was a slight haze which gave the distant hills a blue tinge.
On top I met a group of men that had all climbed Pen-y-ghent as a social with their work men’s health group. For some of them this was their first hike! To see their determination was really inspiring.
After climbing Pen-y-ghent, it was downhill all the way into Horton-in-Ribblesdale. I’d had such a lovely day. There was a lot of climbing, but with that came a lot of satisfaction.
Tonight I’m staying at Holme Farm campsite, which is a campsite that I stayed at on my gold DofE expedition. It feels nice to be back!
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