Whernside from Ribblehead
Date: 01 October 2026
Leader: John H
Grade: B
Number on walk: 8
Length: 13.3 km. Ascent: 512 m.
Hills climbed: Whernside.
Click here for GPX track of the walk
As we set off from Ribblehead we saw this rainbow over Ribblehead Viaduct.
Continuing to the east of the railway we crossed Little Dale Beck.
As we climbed the final 100 m escarpment forming the summit of Whernside, we looked down on Greensett Moss.
As we approached the summit we looked back along the summit ridge to Whernside Tarns and Baugh Fell beyond.
Our summit photograph on Whernside – behind all those walkers is a triangulation point!
The descent was steeper than the ascent and care was required to avoid stumbling but the distant profile of Ingleborough proved an ever-present distraction.
Having successfully negotiated the steep descent we could look back and admire the hill we had just climbed.
A final view of Ribblehead Viaduct as we returned to our starting point.
Designed by John Sydney Crossley for the Midland Railway, this impressive viaduct was built between 1870 and 1875. It stretches about 400 metres, rises 32 metres and has 24 stone arches, each spanning roughly 14 metres. Its construction used around 1.5 million bricks and local limestone. Tragically, more than 100 workers died from accidents, disease and harsh living conditions.