Black Hill

Route: Crowden Campsite Car Park - Pennine Way - Laddow Rocks - Dun Hill - Soldier's Lump - Tooleyshaw Moss - White Low - Hey Moss - Crowden Campsite Car Park

Distance: 9.5 miles

Classification: Marilyn, County Top

With: Caroline

Weather: Warm and dry

Trip report:
Black Hill, in the Peak District, is the highest point in West Yorkshire. It's a hill that I have climbed before doing the classic route from Crowden, over Laddow Rocks and back via Tooleyshaw Moss. As I was with the Mrs this time, I thought better of making her leap across the Tooleyshaw Moss bogs, so the plan was that we would come back the same way we had ascended.

An interesting fact according to Wikipedia is that up until quite recently Black Hill's summit had virtually no vegetation, and with it being so peaty, the hill had a very appropriate name. Check out the picture of the summit on Wikipedia and you'll see what I mean. These days though the grass and heather is flourishing and the black summit seems to be a thing of the past.

We parked up in the car park at the campsite in Crowden and made our way on to the Pennine Way and across pleasant fields before the hard work began. The climb of Oakenclough Brook up to Laddow Rocks is tough, but you'll be rewarded with great views once up there.

Laddow Rocks are a fantastic part of this walk, the gritstone cliffs at an altitude of around 520 metres provide great views back down towards Crowden, Bleaklow and the Crowden Great Brook valley. I'm not great with heights, and the path does get quite close to the edge, but I didn't feel uneasy at any point. There were hundreds of hangingflies (?) about again, at least I think that's what these things are, they had irritated and nearly made me abort my Diffwys walk. If anybody has any idea what these high altitude flies are please get in touch.

After leaving Laddow Rocks you descend slightly to meet Crowden Great Brook before ascending again over Dun Hill to the summit of Black Hill. It's easy walking, is paved in parts, although it does seem longer that it is in reality. I suppose that's because the ascent of Laddow Rocks has taken it out of you earlier on. The Mrs admitted she struggled on the final ascent of Black Hill, so upon reaching the summit we had a bite to eat and a hot drink before she said something I wasn't expecting.

"What's it like that other way back?" She was talking about Tooleyshaw Moss. I told her how notoriously boggy it was and how even after a week of solid sunshine earlier in the summer I had found it pretty difficult going over there. She told me she couldn't face ascending Laddow Rocks again on the way back and would rather we went back fighting the bogs over Tooleyshaw Moss!

"If you're sure..." I said. In truth it wasn't so bad this time and I think she may even have enjoyed the bog-hopping adventure. I explained that once we had made the large cairn on Tooleyshaw Moss the worst of it was over. We made it with no problems, just the usual couple of diversions and we were on our way.

There next follows a section through some peat groughs before a squelchy ascent of White Low and over West End Moss. It was wet but there was no real danger of ending up waist deep in bog, thank God! 

We finished the walk by descending Hey Moss and being back in the car, both absolutely shattered, but having enjoyed what in my opinion is the best walk I personally have done in West Yorkshire. 

So that's two accolades for Black Hill, the highest, and the best (in my humble opinion). The summit may not have the great views other places can offer, but the walk as a whole is a really enjoyable one. You're soon into the wilderness not long after leaving Crowden, and with great views along the way and highlights such as Laddow Rocks and Tooleyshaw Moss (!), this is easily my favorite in this county.

The start of the walk and a look back at the Torside Clough ascent for Bleaklow

A first sight of the imposing Laddow Rocks

On top of Laddow Rocks looking towards our destination

Spectacular views from Laddow Rocks back towards Crowden and Bleaklow

Crowden Great Brook - between Laddow Rocks and Black Hill

Black Hill summit - 582 metres

No great views unfortunately as the top is quite flat

Mountain Rescue seemed to be doing some kind up exercises up here

OK, here we go then... Tooleyshaw Moss

Tooleyshaw Moss

A look back up Crowden Little Brook towards Black Hill

A last look a Laddow Rocks from the other side now

Pen-y-ghent

Route: Horton-in-Ribblesdale - Horton Scar - Tarn Bar - Pennine Way - Pen-y-ghent - Plover Hill - Foxup Moor - Horton Moor - Horton Scar - Horton-in-Ribblesdale 

Distance: 10.5 miles

Classification: 
Pen-y-ghent: Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall
Plover Hill: Hewitt, Nuttall

With: Nick

Weather: Sunny with cloudy intervals, windy and quite cold on top

Trip report:
Earlier in the week the weather was pointing towards the Peak District having fairly decent weather, and anywhere north of our home in Halifax as being awful. Nick would be my partner this weekend and I had said to him that either Kinder Scout or Bleaklow would be the Hewitt to bag this weekend. 

As the week progressed the weather forecast for North Yorkshire improved which meant an opportunity for a higher peak for Nick, and a chance to bag my third of Yorkshire's Three Peaks for me, having climbed Ingleborough and Whernside previously.

We set off for North Yorkshire in good spirits, laughing at the cheesy songs on Radio Two before landing at the car park at the Golden Lion pub in Horton-in-Ribblesdale. The original plan was to ascend the 'nose' of Pen-y-ghent, but as there was a group of appriximately 100 people in front of us we decided instead to head straight for the Pennine Way and ascend from the west.

It was a good route up, it wasn't overly busy and the climb was fairly steady with a steep, final pull. Nick, I now know, is a lot fitter than I am, and he set the pace which meant that we were quickly on the summit of Pen-y-ghent. The summit, as you would expect, was packed, and we enjoyed views of Inglebrough, Pen-y-ghent and Pendle Hill before leaving the crowds behind and heading for Plover Hill.

As you'll see on the OS map, there's a wall from the summit of Pen-y-ghent all the way to Plover Hill which would be very useful if the mist came down, no such troubles for us today, just the occasional bog to avoid, but nothing too serious.

We only saw one other person making his way to Plover Hill, but he didn't take in the pile of stones marking Plover Hill's summit, he carried on instead to the route of our descent. In order to find the actual summit you do need a very slight diversion. Grid reference SD8492875209 will take you to the exact location, it had it within 1 foot on my GPS! The views south from Plover Hill are very good and the descent of Plover Hill opens up fantastic views over Foxup Moor and Birkwith Moor. 

Our final stop would be Hull Pot and it was something that I was not expecting. I had seen pictures of Hull Pot on the internet but was not prepared for how steep it actually was. I'm not great with heights and I was casually walking straight for the edge, but was stopped in my tracks when I saw how deep it was. I froze a good few feet from the edge as Nick asked what was wrong with me! 

But it was a great sight, we walked all the way around it before making our way back to the pub and the car, but only after a well deserved pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord. It was a nice surprise to see the pub landlord is also a fellow Burnley fan, and there was plenty of Clarets stuff on display in the pub, I wasn't expecting that up here in North Yorkshire. But as the landlord pointed out, it's probably the closest club to here, he's probably right.

All in all this was a good walk. I still need to go up the conventional way of Pen-y-ghent, but it gave Nick a taste of fellwalking, and he wants to go higher next time. Plans are already being drawn up for the Old Man of Coniston...

Pen-y-ghent behind the church from our start point in Horton-in-Ribblesdale

Pen-y-ghent

Getting high now, a look back at our path up the Pennine Way

On the horizon - Ingleborough (left) and Whernside (right) from the summit of Pen-y-ghent, the other two of Yorkshire's famous 3 Peaks

Follow the wall from Pen-y-ghent to Plover Hill

Lunch stop pic with Plover Hill's pile of stones summit behind

Great views descending Plover Hill

More great views coming off Plover Hill

Nick at Hull Pot

Hull Pot

Another view of Hull Pot

A nice way to end the day