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Great Whernside from Hunters Sleets

Map for walk up Great Whernside from KettlewellOur second ascent of Great Whernside starts from Hunters Sleets, the area at the top of the pass between Coverdale and Wharfedale. This starting point cuts 1,000ft off the climb, and allows us to approach the summit along the northern ridge, which offers great views of Nidderdale and towards Wensleydale.

The only flaw with this route is that the area close to the road is rather wet, so be prepared for some squelching!

Ascent: 930ft
Length: 5.4 miles
Map: Yorkshire Dales - Northern and Central Areas (OS Explorer Map Active) (OS Explorer Map Active)
Last Walked:

1: SD 986 757

West face of Great WhernsideWe start by the side of the road as it passes across the long flat summit of the pass. There are a number of places to park on this stretch of road, but we are going to assume that you have parked at the largest of these areas, at the top of the climb up from Wharfedale. Two main paths lead east across the grass Coverdale from Great Whernsidetowards Great Whernside - one heads right, running close to Tor Dike and the drop down to Wharfedale, while the other heads off to the left, heading towards the left hand side of the massive bulk of the mountain.

Take this left hand route, and follow it across the grass to a wall that runs parallel to the road. A gate passes through this wall at the tip of a shallow "V". Pass through this gate, and then follow the path as it heads left, climbing gently up the lower slopes of Great Whernside. Our path is marked by a series of posts set into the hillside, and is fairly clear all the way to the ridge line. This path runs north east below the steepest parts of the western slopes of Great Whernside, which we bypass to the north.

2: SE 009 764

About a mile and a third after passing through the gate our path finally reaches the ridge line that joins Little Whernside and Great Whernside, passing through a wall that runs along this ridge.

Little WhernsideFrom this vantage point Little Whernside is a very tempting diversion, but both the drop down into the gap between the two hills and the climb up Little Whernside are bigger than they first appear, and the ground is universally swampy, making it a rather unpleasant walk, which adds nearly three miles and over 350 feet of ascent to the walk (we tried it and I don't recommend it).

Pen-y-Ghent and Ingleborough from Great WhernsideInstead turn right after passing through the gate in the wall, and follow the path as it climbs up the northern edge of Great Whernside. This is quite a steep pull - half of the total climbing on the walk comes in the next half a mile, but the reward for this climb is a fantastic ridge walk that only gains 200 feet in a mile and a half on the way to the summit.

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Summit of Great WhernsideThe first part of this path runs across a grassy hilltop, but this changes at Blackfell Crags, where the line of rocky outcrops that mark the summit begins. There is also a rather handy stone built shelter here - a very useful stopping point on a windy day. Continue along the ridge top path until it reaches the summit cairn.
4: SE 000 748
Blackfell TopThe point at which our route back splits from the path along the ridge is marked by a pole with a yellow painted top. At first this new path runs just to the left of the ridge, passing just below the stone shelter. After passing the stone shelter and Blackfell Crags the path begins to drop down rather more rapidly, before passing through a stone wall that runs up the side of the hill.
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Kettlewell from Great WhernsideJust beyond this wall the path drops down a little more steeply, before reaching something of a ledge in the side of the hill. We are also now close to the top of the pass between Wharfedale and Coverdale. Soon after we pass through the wall, a path leaves to the left, running down a steep groove in the hillside to reach the pass. Turn onto this path, taking care on this first steep part of the climb down. Follow it across the top of the pass (this part of the path is very wet in places). This brings us to a second gate through our original wall from step one - pass through this gate and follow the path back to the road.

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