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This video shows a walk from the Ribblehead Viaduct via the Settle-Carlisle railway line before summiting Whernside, one of Yorkshire's 'Three Peaks', to reveal panoramic views out to sea, the Lakeland Fells and the Howgills. The entire walk has been filmed in 4K, allowing walkers to see the entire route, including where to park, eat, and drink.
Today's walk is a circular walk over Whernside from Ribblehead. Before we set off, let's have a quick look at where we're walking today.
We initially follow the Settle to Carlisle railway tracks and then cross them by an aqueduct before climbing up to the summit of Whernside. Whernside is in the Yorkshire Dales and together with Pen-y-ghent and Ingleborough, they are collectively known as the Yorkshire Three Peaks.
We'll be doing a separate video walk, taking in the whole of the Three Peaks route, which is over 24 miles long, and includes almost 1500 metres of climbing. Whernside itself is the highest of the three peaks at 736 meters high, and this Whernside circular walk from Ribblehead takes approximately 4 hours.
The descent is down to Bruntscar before heading along tracks and fields back along the base of Whernside to pass back out through the Ribblehead Viaduct. For now, we will return to the start.
From the parking, the Ribblehead Viaduct and Whernside can be seen ahead. Then, as you continue to pan around, there's more parking on both sides of the road. Further round, Pen-y-ghent comes into view as a silhouette on the horizon, then Park Fell and Simon Fell can be seen, which lead up onto Ingleborough.
Google Directions to the parking are available on our website. At the corner of the parking area, there is an information board about Blea Moor Common and the Ribblehead railway construction camp, which forms the area on the far side of the road.
Funnily enough, called Blea Moor Road. More on the camps and viaduct construction later. For now, cross the road and head down the gravel path opposite. After a couple of hundred meters, turn right along the wide gravel track that you meet.
Back up to the left here is the Station Inn for now, though, just head on towards the viaduct. Before reaching the viaduct, there is an information sign on the stone for the Ribblehead locomotive depot and brickworks.
Looking over to the left from here, there is a view through the arches across to Ingleborough. The viaduct is constructed of 24 stone arches, which at its highest point are 32 meters above the ground. Steam trains can be seen passing over the viaduct, mainly in the summer months, for you to take that classic steam train on viaduct photograph.
We leave the wide track here to head along the narrower path towards the footpath sign for Whernside, four and a half miles. Head straight on now to pull in beside the railway. The path runs parallel to the railway for quite a way now. Pass through the gate and walk straight on.
With that small amount of height gain, the expanded panorama affords views of all three peaks. First, Whernside and then round to look at Ingleborough over the railway tracks and then to Pen-y-ghent on the far horizon before panning round back to our route ahead.
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After a while, we reach Blea Moor signal box, which, according to the Network Rail website, is the most remote signal box on their railways. There can't be many views from signal boxes in the country that are better than this one. From the signal box, we continue to walk along the gravelled path.
If you have any thoughts about this walk or find there are issues with any of the footpaths used, please share that in the comments below. On our website, the route of today's Whernside walk is set out on an Ordnance Survey map along with a GPS download for your phone or GPS device. The link to our Walks4all website is in the description below.
Head down to and pass over the footbridge over Little Dale Beck. Or if you are walking in a heatwave, as we are currently having, you may find there's no need to use the footbridge as the beck has completely dried up. The track now pulls in beside the aqueduct to cross over the railway line.
Over to the left, Park Fell, Simon fell, going up onto Ingleborough can be seen over the railway, whereas over to the right, the railway tracks disappear into Bleamoor Tunnel in Smithy Hill.
The couple of mounds that you can see just on the horizon, on the top of the hill, are actually air shafts that go down into the tunnel. Four air shafts were built to ventilate the Settle to Carlisle railway as it passes through the tunnel.
Once over the railway, pass through the gate and then keep straight on following the bridleway 'Dent Dale 4 miles' sign. The path climbs up some steps from where, over to the left, Force Gill waterfall can be seen. Pass through the wooden gate and then keep hiking up the hill.
The path has been much improved over the years to cope with the number of people who walk Whernside and the Three Peaks. Maintaining the paths in the Yorkshire Three Peaks area costs, on average, about £35 per meter, and they do rely on donations. So if you'd like to donate, we've included a link down in the description below to the donations page on the Yorkshire Dales National Park website.
After a while, the path pulls into a wooden stile by a footpath sign. We are going to follow the 'Whernside one and three-quarter mile' sign over the wooden stile, but first, with the height we just gained, let's have a look around at the much-expanded vista.
The path continuing up the hill that we are not taking heads over to Deepdale. The air shafts over Bleamoor tunnel can be clearly seen now, following the line of the Settle to Carlisle Railway passing underneath them. Pen-y-ghent looks distant now on the horizon, and the Ribblehead Viaduct appears dwarfed by Ingleborough.
Climb over the stile and follow the Three Peaks Whernside footpath sign directly away from the fence, stopping from time to time to admire the changing views. The path runs parallel with the wall for a short section and then becomes flagged underfoot.
Over to the left now, as more height is gained, you can see Greensett Moss and tarn. The path eventually pulls in by the side of the wall, which is followed now all the way to the summit. The trig point indicating the summit of Whernside is just through the gap on the other side of the wall.
Whernside is in the Yorkshire Dales and is the highest of the Three Peaks at 736 meters high. It's a little hazy today, but often beyond the summit, you can see out to the sea and then along the line of the Lakeland Fells. Further around, you can see the Howgill Fells.
Then, down below, in the direction of Pen-y-ghent, is the Ribblehead viaduct. Then finally around to Ingleborough. On both sides of the wall, there is a weather shelter which is very useful for days like today, just to get out of the wind.
To continue on, we pass back through the gap in the wall onto the path we came up on and then turn right to continue along that path. The path down continues to follow the wall and affords wonderful views ahead of Ingleborough.
Pass through either of the wooden gates. Just before a slightly steeper downhill section, over to the left, our path off Whernside can now be seen heading down to Bruntscar. At the top of this second slightly steeper downhill section, our path can now be clearly seen leaving the wall.
There is a path that continues along the wall, which will be used in a further walk, but not today. Head now, directly away from the wall, then start descending down the steeper path. The initial steps down have been much improved, but are still a little bit difficult to walk down.
Pass through the gate and keep walking straight on. Take time to look around Ribblehead viaduct now seen from a different angle and then looking back up over Whernside where you've just walked down from.
If you want ideas on what to wear on the walk and what to take on the walk, check out our recommendations in the description below. Pass through the gate and continue on. Just before passing through the next gate, take time to look around, look back and enjoy the scenery and look back at the path you just walked down. Pass through the gates. All today's walk so far has been along the Three Peaks route, but this is where we divert from that and head back over towards Ribblehead.
The Three Peaks route here heads around to the right. But here we go left through the gate following the Winterscales sign. The walk back now is much flatter and goes through pleasant meadows, fields and along farm tracks.
Head through the gates and just walk straight on, keeping to the right of the buildings, then pass through the gap to the right of the wall to continue following the footpath across the field. Pass through the next gate and continue ahead to pass through another gate.
Looking back over to the left affords different views and angles of Whernside. Keep on walking across the field and through another gate; normally, the path straight on is clearly visible, but if you come just after the grass has been cut, it may not be.
Anyway, just head straight on slightly right and you soon pick up the farm track. Pass through the metal gate and again keep on along the track. Pass through the two gates and continue along the track to the right of the house, heading for the footpath sign just before the barn.
We now follow this tarmac road following the Ribblehead footpath sign. Pass through the gate by the barn and continue along the road, and maybe stop, have a rest on the bench with a view and watch the world or maybe just the sheep, go by. Continue on along the road, beside the wall over a cattle grid, until you meet a T-junction.
Here we follow the road around to the right, following the footpath sign to the viaduct. Head along the road through the gap in the direction of Park Fell and Ingleborough. The road heads towards Gunnerfleet Farm. Pass through the gate and, after admiring the views, follow the road around to the left and over the bridge, following the public bridleway Ribblehead sign.
Over the cattle grid, keep on along the track as it bends around to the right. Pass through the gate as we get ever closer to the viaduct. Behind you can see the farmer cutting the fields. We can't guarantee that this will be happening when you walk past.
The Ribblehead Viaduct or Batty Moss viaduct, as it used to be known, carries the Settle to Carlisle Railway across Batty Moss. It began being built in 1869 by over 2,000 men, most of whom lived in shanty towns, specifically set up nearby it at its base.
Over 100 men lost their lives whilst it was being built, some in accidents, some through fighting and others just through disease. Many of these are buried in the Church of St Leonard in nearby Chapel-le-Dale, which has a plaque in their memory.
In 1874, the viaduct was complete, and the Settle to Carlisle railway line was opened for passengers in May 1876. On the back of the commemorative cairn, you can see the names of the shanty towns laid out on a plaque.
From the viaduct head away along the wide gravel track that we first walked down. As the Station Inn and the car parking come into view, take the narrower gravelled path off to the left. Unless, of course, you want a short diversion to the Station Inn for something to eat and drink.
More on that shortly.
Head back across the road to the car parking where you'll now see the refreshment van has arrived. As that ends our walk for today, let's just have a quick look at where you can eat and drink nearby.
If you came through Horton, there are two pubs there, and if you came by Ingleton, Hawes or Settle, there are numerous pubs, cafes and restaurants in each of those.
Today, as it's almost by the start of the walk, I will visit the Station Inn. The Station Inn serves food and drinks, is dog-friendly and has some accommodation if you fancy stopping over. It was built at a similar time to the Ribblehead Viaduct and was licensed in 1879.
You can eat and drink inside or around the back in the beer garden. To get there, pass by the weather forecasting stone and then round into the car park to turn left into the beer garden. The beer garden looks across to the Ribblehead viaduct and Whernside.
Looking around, you can see down to the parking where we were earlier and then around to the rest of the beer garden. I can't really think of many more Yorkshire beer gardens that have a better view than this one.
Now to enjoy a pint of 1875, a classic pale ale by the Tirril Brewery. It was the perfect accompaniment to the steak and ale pie. There can't be many better ways to watch the sun go down over Whernside.
Just before ending today's walk, we've put together a short fly-through created using the Ordnance Survey app, the link for which is in the description below, to show you where you've been and give the area more perspective.
From the parking, we headed towards the viaduct before turning right along the path that pulled in beside the railway. This path was followed before eventually crossing over the Settle to Carlisle railway line by way of a bridge by the aqueduct. We followed this path rising more steeply until we headed left over the stile following the Whernside sign.
The path pulled in for a section by a wall before leaving it along the flagged section to again pull in by another wall with Greensett Moss tarn down below. The trig point on the summit on the other side of the wall was then soon reached.
The path started then to gently descend with Ingleborough ahead.
After a slightly steeper section, the path then headed away from the wall, down in the direction of Bruntscar below. Then just before reaching it, we turned left off the Three Peaks path to head along through fields along the base of Whernside.
Turning right, we then passed Gunnerfleet Farm, before turning left to then pass under the Ribblehead Viaduct before heading back to the parking.
That ends our walk for today.
In the transcript of the video, when any mention is made of the 'description below', it refers to the description shown beneath the video on YouTube. If you wish to access any of that information, click 'watch on YouTube' on the video above, and the description will be there, on YouTube, just below the video.
