Pen-y-ghent
Pen-y-ghent near Horton-in-Ribblesdale North Yorkshire
The name might sound as if it's straight from the Welsh mountains, but there's nothing more Yorkshire than the county's most iconic peak (2,273ft), which rises above the trailhead village of Horton-in-Ribblesdale. It's instantly recognisable – a whaleback or Sphinx-like, depending on your preference – and is fairly easily tackled in a well-trodden, six-mile, three-to-four-hour route from Horton which returns via the gaping chasm of Hull Pot and down charming green lanes back to the village. Pack a picnic and you can shelter behind the walls at the top for some magnificent views – it always seems to be buffeted by the winds up here. The other thing to note is that the route is generally pretty busy (less so in winter), since it's one of the famous "Three Peaks" (Whernside and Ingleborough are the others) that charity fund-raisers and adventure walkers knock off in a hardcore 25-mile circuit that usually starts in Horton. Battle scars are compared in Horton's Pen-y-ghent Café, in the middle of the village, where you can find out all about the route up the mountain beforehand – and sink a big mug of tea afterwards.
