As part of the North Pennine SOTA shenanigans on 25/07/26, Gary (M8GGQ) and I completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge!
The morning started following a poor night’s sleep, owing to the feral children that had conquered the campsite in the evening. While half asleep, I crammed a bowl of granola into my mouth, prepared my kit, and set off to Horton-in-Ribblesdale with Gary. We set off at around 06:00 and enjoyed a very pleasant walk to the top of Pen-y-ghent, making it to the top at 07:15.
At the top of, we worried that there wouldn’t be enough people awake to contact. But luckily we got both Mark G7SXR and Tony M9OUD within seconds of turning the radio on. Many thanks to Tony, who climbed Cracoe Fell at an ungodly hour to support our activation. We struggled to get anyone else afterwards, but was only using the stock antenna on the handheld at that time. Since we were hiding behind a wall, we were completely rejecting our signal in all directions, except East. So I set up the slim-jim and we easily managed another four contacts within minutes. The entire activation of Pen-y-ghent took less than fifteen minutes - A remarkable achievement at that time of day!
In high spirits (and still in good weather) we headed towards Whernside. The walk from Pen-y-ghent to Whernside is epic. The path really did feel like it kept going and going. But in good weather and good company, we made it to Ribblehead Viaduct in no time. As we were walking towards the viaduct, we noticed a big massive white square parked up in the layby. “Is that Mark’s van?” I said to Gary, and sure enough, Mark G0UOK jumped out of his van with a big smile on his face, instantly offering provisions, food and water.
The wind had been bad all day, but remained dry until this point. Then the wind dragged some horrendous weather with it, and as we crossed Ribblehead valley, we got battered with rain on our left. And then, as we ascended Whernside, we got battered on the right as well, giving us a nice even soaking of rain on both sides!
Despite the worsening weather, we both thoroughly enjoyed this part of the hike. I would consider the ascent to Whernside to be one of the highlights. The first part of the day had been quite noisy and claustrophobic, with all the hikers bunching up at Pen-y-ghent. The fog made for a very atmospheric and spooky walk. It also seemed much quieter after this. Either because the fog had separated us from many other hikers, or because the weather had made them cry off - a respectable decision.
Every metre of elevation gain up Whernside resulted in poorer conditions. The rain was uncomfortable, but the wind was dangerous. At this point on, we barely had no chance to take any photos, as the walk became very much a ‘head down, keep walking’ affair. After walking for an inexplicable amount of time, we made it to the top of Whernside and were very grateful to make six contacts within fifteen minutes.
The walk up Whernside, although difficult, was great. However, the route down was something else entirely. Our trekking poles were essential on this part of the walk, since all the turquoise-coloured rocks were completely polished. It was difficult to maintain a reasonable pace while also trying to maintain three points of contact.
But, descended we did - And we were absolutely soaked at this point. Wearing a waterproof jacket felt largely pointless at this stage, since it had soaked through. My trousers were saturated and both Gary’s and my boots were brimmed with water. We noted a farmer selling “clean, dry socks” for £3, at a very strategic location at the bottom of Whernside, but we decided that this would be ultimately pointless since our boots were already spongified at this point.
Before our ascent to Ingleborough, we were delighted to once again see Mark’s van. So we headed to ‘MarkDonalds’ for some much needed respite against the elements. This break, although it added on nearly 30 minutes to our challenge, was definitely worth it. My eczema had flared up terribly at this point, since my arms were drenched in cold water. So I was grateful to be able to change my cheesy, foul-smelling soaked jacket for a fresh one at this point.
The break gave us a total second-wind and bouts of new energy, and we rushed up the first part of Ingleborough without problem. Although, when we hit the sudden, steep gradient at the top, we started to flag massively. Due to the direction of the wind, we were partially sheltered on our ascent to Ingleborough. But upon the arrival at the top, we got completely battered by the wind and rain once again. We did not hang around on Ingleborough for long at all, which is a shame because, in nice weather, it is a lovely summit. We concluded our activation of Ingleborough in 7 minutes and descended immediately to get out of the wind.
After this, since the summits were complete, it felt like more of a case of trying to just get back to the car and back to the camp site for a well-needed shower. This part of the path was quite uninspiring - With no view, slippy surfaces, and once again being saturated with water, the last leg of the hike felt like such a chore. We were massively relieved to see Horton-in-Ribblesdale emerge from the fog, and felt super happy to press stop at 11 hours and 5 minutes!
We headed back to the campsite, feeling simultaneously energised and dishevelled after having walked 24 miles. I was awarded with a freezing cold shower at the campsite, which made it feel like I was getting soaked by the rain for one last time - what a kick in the teeth!
The day concluded with a well-earned visit to the campsite’s pub, and possibly the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had while camping!
Many thanks to everyone who wished us good luck and everyone who rooted for us; everyone who we contacted on the radio; and the random guy who gave me a cookie on top of Whernside. An additional massive thank you to Mark G0UOK for his support from the HamVan.
MarkDonald’s drive-through? No! More like “he drives to you!”
Catch you on the next one,
73
