Ribblehead and Whernside Summit

About trip

Distance: 7.25 miles, Minnimum Time: 3hrs 30mins, Difficulty: Hard, Description: Nowhere in the kingdom has nature placed such gigantic obstacles in the way of the railway engineer’, observed a newspaper when the Settle-to-Carlisle railway line was complete. The railway was planned and built by the Midland Railway so it could reach Scotland without trespassing on its rivals’ territory of the east or west coast routes. It cost the then enormous sum of £3,500,000 and was opened in 1876. Its construction included building 20 big viaducts and 14 tunnels. At the height of the works, 6,000 men were employed, living in shanty towns beside the line and giving the area a flavour of the Wild West. The line survived for almost 100 years, until passenger services were withdrawn in 1970. It was said that the viaducts, especially the Ribblehead, were unsafe. There was a public outcry which led to a concerted campaign to keep the line open. Since then there has been a change of heart. Ribblehead is repaired, and the line is one of the most popular - and spectacular - tourist lines in the country. Ribblehead - ‘A Mighty Work’ It took all of five years to build Ribblehead’s huge viaduct. It is a quarter of a mile (400m) long, and stands 100ft (30m) high at its maximum; the columns stretch another 25ft (7.6m) into the ground. The stone - more than 30,000 cubic yards (22,950 cubic m) of it - came from Littledale to the north, and construction progressed from north to south. The area is called Batty Moss, and was inhospitable, to say the least. There is a rumour that the columns are set on bales of wool, as the engineers could not find the bedrock. This, romantic as it is in a county whose fortunes are largely based in wool, is untrue; the columns are set in concrete on top of the rock below. There are 24 spans, each 45ft (13.7m) wide. Every sixth column is thicker than its neighbours so that if one column fell it would take only five others with it, and the whole viaduct would not fall. While you're there: Take the road - or the train - up to Dent Station. You will pass through the Blea Moor tunnel and then over the Dent Head viaduct, with its 10 spans, and the same maximum height as Ribblehead. If you want to visit Dent itself, once in Yorkshire and now adrift in Cumbria, it’s a long walk; the station is more than 4 miles (6.4km) from the village! What to look out for: On a fine summer’s day Ribblehead can seem a magical place, with the curlews calling, the sheep bleating and the occasional rumble as a train crosses the viaduct - if you’re lucky, a steam-hauled one. But it can be one of the bleakest places in the Dales. The average rainfall in the area is 70 inches (177.8cm), but can often be half as much again. Snow frequently blocks the roads. More difficult for the trains, however, is the wind. Wind speeds of 50 knots are a normal occurrence, and gales can reach a greater speed. Crossing the viaduct becomes a hazardous business. The wife of one signalman stationed at Blea Moor was known for walking across the viaduct to catch the train at Ribblehead Station carrying her baby - one hopes that it was calm weather when she attempted the journey. Where to eat and drink: In the summer months an ice cream van stations itself at the car park by the road junction, and it’s usually there on weekends in winter too for hot drinks and snacks. The Station Inn, near the viaduct, offers warmth (the wind blows at Ribblehead!) and home-cooked meals in its bar and dining room. Directions: From the road junction, with the B6479 at your back, follow green paths towards the viaduct. Turn right on a gravel track and follow it until it turns under the viaduct; continue straight ahead. 2 Walk parallel with the railway line above you to your left, past a Three Peaks signboard. Go through a gate and continue until you reach a railway signal. Go left under the railway arch, following the public bridleway sign. Do not turn under the railway arch, but go straight ahead, signposted to Dent. Pass Blea Moor signal box. The obvious stony track crosses over two streams, the first by stepping stones, the second by a footbridge. Just beyond this, cross the railway by a bridge alongside an aqueduct, where the railway engineers created a new channel to take the waters of Force Gill over the line. Go through a gate, and at a signpost continue ahead for Dentdale (not Dent Head). This is part of the Craven Way, formerly a packhorse track linking Ribblesdale and Dentdale. The path ascends past a fine waterfall a little way to the left, then climbs steeply to reach a stile on your left. Turn left over the stile, following the Whernside sign. The path eventually meets a wall on the right, which is the North Yorkshire county boundary. A paved section leads away from the wall and cuts a corner as it climbs to the ridge. To the right are views of Dent Head viaduct and the ventilation shafts for the Blea Moor tunnel, while further along there are views to the Howgill Fells. Continue along the ridge, keeping the wall on your right, to reach the summit with its ingenious shelters built into the wall. Continue along the same path, still keeping the wall on your right, descending easily at first before negotiating two sets of steep, rough steps. Soon the path swings away from the wall. Follow the path steeply downhill to reach two gated stiles over a wall, and continue to a pair of ladder stiles flanking a farm gate. Continue down to a farm gate beside a barn, then turn left, signed ‘Winterscales’. Follow the path through the field towards the farm. Go through a gate to reach and turn right down the farm track. Where it bends right, go over the cattle grid and turn sharp left round the fence and on to a track, following the bridleway sign, to a ladder stile. The obvious track winds through fields to reach a streambed (usually dry in summer). Cross this, which can be tricky after prolonged wet weather. The track is a little indistinct after the crossing, but bear right, staying near the stream until it becomes clear again. Meet a road near a cattle grid, turn left and walk down the road and over a bridge. Where the road divides, go right, through a gate, towards the viaduct. At the next gate, go right again over a footbridge by the farm buildings. Continue along the track and go under the viaduct, then retrace your steps to the parking place.