Three Peaks recce

What with the HPM (42 miles) the weekend before last, the Haworth Hobble (32 miles) last weekend and the Edale Skyline fell race (21 miles) coming up next week, it was time for some serious tapering this weekend (joke in brackets)... and therefore yesterday me and Hester (and Harry) decided to 'take it easy' and go for a trot around the 3 Peaks (of Yorkshire), which on the route we ended up taking amounted to the best part of 24 miles with 4,700 feet of climb. 

Hester is running the fell race at the end of April and therefore a reconnoitre or two of the route in advance is always a good idea. And because I live just down the road from the three peaks (Pen y Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough) I like to think that I know these three fantastic hills and various routes around and over them like the back of my hand. For sure I usually end up running the route 3 or 4 times each year and visit the hills themselves individually no end of times. 

Anyway it was a lovely run with us deciding to take the longer walkers route up Whernside, rather than the fell race straight up the side route, as the snow was deep, wet and slick on the tops and anything off path high up was exceedingly dodgy.

Harry queuing to get up the last rocky bit of Pen y Ghent

Hester and Harry 'sprinting' up Whernside

Into the snow zone on Whernside

Harry in the snow on the side of Whernside

The rubble strewn descent off Whernside with Ribblehead Viaduct to the left and Park Fell ahead

The final bit of climb up Ingleborough

Ingleborough wind shelter ahoy!

Coming off of Ingleborough with Pen y Ghent ahead - second lap anyone?

Hester heading for the finish in front of her favourite hill Pen y Ghent

Ze route around ze 3 peaks