Ribblesdale
The Ribble
The River Ribble runs south along the western edges of the Yorkshire Dales.
It starts in the bleak uplands near the Ribblehead Viaduct and flows between two of Yorkshire’s highest mountains, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent.
Then the river meanders through the Village of Horton-in-Ribblehead and then on to Settle.
Three Peaks
Ribblesdale is the best-known walking area in the National Park and features Yorkshire’s famous Three Peaks – Whernside (2415 ft), Ingleborough (2372 ft) and Pen-y-ghent (2277 ft).
They form a triangle around the iconic Ribblehead Viaduct, a major triumph of engineering, with 24 arches rising to 165 feet (50m) above the valley floor.
From Ribblehead you can conquer Whernside, Inglesborough from Clapham or Ingleton, and Pen-y-ghent from Horton-in-Ribblehead.
In addition, the three mountains together form one of the Dales’ famous and most testing long circular walks – the nearly 25-mile Three Peaks Walk.
A 4-mile Ribblehead Circular takes in the magnificent Ribblehead Viaduct beneath the watchful gaze of Whernside and Ingleborough.
A series of long-distance routes pass through this area; the Pennine Way, Pennine Bridleway, the Dales Way and the Ribble Way.
Pennine Way
The Pennine Way stretches for 268 miles (435km) following Britain’s rocky spine from the hills of the Derbyshire Peak District and the Yorkshire Dales.
It runs through the stunning Swaledale Valley, across the North Pennines and over Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland to the Cheviot Hills.
Eventually it ends in the Scottish Borders in Kirk Yetholm.
Pennine Bridleway
The Pennine Bridleway is a 205 miles (330 Km) long National Trail running through the Pennine hills from Derbyshire to Cumbria.
It has been specially designed for horse riders and is also great for mountain bikers and walkers.
The trail includes 2 large loops.
The first is the Mary Towneley Loop in the South Pennines. This is 47 miles long and makes a great weekend’s walk.
The 2nd Loop is the 10 miles Settle Loop in the Yorkshire Dales.
Dales Way
At 82 miles the Dales Way is much shorter than the Pennine Way.
It runs from Ilkley in West Yorkshire to Bowness-on-Windermere in Cumbria.
It follows mostly riverside paths and passes through the heart of the Yorkshire Dales and the gentle foothills of southern Lakeland to the shore of England’s grandest lake.
Ribble Way
The Ribble Way is a 73-mile footpath following the River Ribble along the beautiful Ribble Valley from its mouth to its source.
The Ribble way crosses from Lancashire into North Yorkshire and continues to its source at Gavel Gap near Horton in Ribblesdale.
The river section of the Tolkien Trail (5.5 miles), associated with J. R. R. Tolkien coincides with the Ribble Way.
Cool Places to Explore: Kettlewell | Bolton Abbey | Swaledale | The Dalesman | Aysgarth Falls.
