Get Lost Mountaineering

Park Fell, Simon Fell & Ingleborough from near Gauber

Start/Finish

Lay by on a bend about 200 m N of the houses at Gauber on the B6479 Horton to Ribblehead road and about 1 kn S of the B6255 junction at Ribblehead. It is a very deep but rough lay by. It is on the 3 Peaks route so is often used a refreshment stage by parties doing that walk.

Distance/Time

15 km     About 4 – 5 hours

Peaks

Park Fell, 563 m, SD 763 769

Simon Fell (highest point), 650 m, SD 754 752.

Ingleborough, 724 m, SD 741 746.    OL2 Yorkshire Dales: Western Area

Introduction

This is a fine ridge walk although the ascent and descent of Park fell is quite steep. Note that the actual summit of Simon Fell is visited on this route not it's slightly lower SW top which is the pointed peak seen from down below on the road N of Horton. The SW Top has a much larger cairn than the highest point. Ingleborough is one of the famous “3 Peaks” with Pen-y-Ghent and Whernside being the other two. To provide some variation, the return traverses Simon Fell and Park Fell on their W flanks and visits Ribblehead station. There are excellent views, especially on cold, clear winter days, both along the ridge and to Pen-y-Ghent and Whernside. Ribblehead Viaduct is also well seen.

Route

(1) From the lay by, walk south along the road for about 500 m to reach a minor road for Colt Park, on the right, which is the first minor road reached. Follow the road, past some cottages, after which it becomes a gravel track that soon crosses the Settle to Carlisle railway line. Continue on the track, which swings left, to reach the house at Colt Park where the track ends. A gate gives access to a path and Park Fell looms ahead. Follow the path to another gate, after which the steep descent soon starts. Navigation is easy as there is a stone wall on the left. When the angle eases, go through some gates where walls meet and continue ahead to soon reach the trig point which is the summit of Park Fell, 563 m. This will normally be visible from the gates.

(2) Continue ahead, soon descending gradually over ground which can often be wet and with a wall some way off to the right. The path crosses a shallow, grassy, wet col before picking its way up the N ridge of Simon Fell on a fairly obvious path which is often close to the wall. Pass a large outcrop, other side of the wall which is Black Rock. Continue up, following the wall. If it is clear, note that you are not heading for the obvious cairn which the wall continues to. Reach a stile by a gate, after which follow a path by a wall leaving the one you have been following up Simon Fell. Follow the path and wall up to the highest point where a tiny cairn marks the summit of Simon Fell (highest point), 650 m. If you wish to visit the SW top then cross the first stile and follow the wall to a wide stile to recross the wall and reach the large cairn. Retrace back to the first stile to rejoin the route.

(3) Continue alongside the wall with hardly any descent until the main path from Chapel-le Dale joins in as a reverse right fork. Go through a gate and start ascending the mainly slabbed path up Ingleborough. Higher up, the path from Horton joins as a reverse left fork. Note this as it will be used for the descent. Continue up to reach the eastern end of the extensive stony Ingleborough plateau. Follow the “path” continuation along the edge of the plateau, heading west. In clear weather the summit area will be very obvious but it would have to be very misty not to see it at all however be careful in thick mist. The summit area comprises a cross shelter cairn, a trig point and two mounds of which the most westerly one is the highest point (higher than the trig point) and so is the summit of Ingleborough, 724 m.

(4) Retrace back to the gate and take the path traversing Simon Fell not th eone followed earlier by the wall. Soon cross a stream where the 3 Peaks path goes down towards Chapel-le-Dale. On 4/11/20, this path was closed and expected to re-open in early 2020 but it isn't part of this route anyway. Stay with the traverse path, which can be quite muddy in places and pass the the highest parts of Simon Fell. When the path starts to descend, look for a large outcrop to the right which is Black Rock. It is worth a vist and is large enough to provide some shelter. From Black Rock, it is easier to descend the open slopes rather than the path just left. Reach the col before Park fell and stay with the path which follows the wall. Follow this wall until it curves around to the right. In clear weather, the trig point will be seen across the wall. Stay with the wall but look for a grassy track forking left. This cuts a corner and rejoins the wall further on. Now retrace the outward route down the steep end of Park Fell to reach the gate at the bottom

(5) Either continue ahead to the house and track then back to the road or take the path forking left after the gate. This soon follows a wall off to the left then crosses it further on. The path soon drifts left and reaches a very eroded limestone pavement then goes through a gate. Continue, passing a quarry. The railway bars easy access to the road so stay with the path which leads towards Ribblehead Station which is on the other side of the railway. Follow the path out to the road then look for a faint path leading to below the N side of the station. This can be followed until the lay by off to the left is seen and a gate gives access tot he road. Alternatively, follow the road from Ribblehead back to the start.

Notes

(a) This walk took place on 4^th November, 2020.