Ingleborough is the second highest mountain in the Yorkshire Dales. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, the other two being Whernside and Pen-y-ghent. Ingleborough is frequently climbed as part of the Three Peaks Challenge, which is a 24 mile (38 km) circular challenge walk starting and finishing in Horton in Ribblesdale. If done anti-clockwise Ingleborough is the last hill climbed, and ascent is from Chapel-le-Dale.

The name Ingleborough is derived from the Old English word burh, meaning "fort on the hill". On the top of Ingleborough the remains of an old walled enclosure has been discovered inside which foundations of Iron Age huts have been found
The summit is a broad plateau half a mile in circumference carpeted with dry turf. There is an Ordnance Survey trig point (number S. 5619) at the highest point, near the south-western corner. Just to the north is a well-built windshelter with a view indicator or toposcope built into its centre. Between them is a large cairn. At the point where the Ingleton path reaches the summit rim is an even larger cairn; this, remarkably, is the remains of a battlemented round tower (a hospice), built in 1830. The celebrations on the day of its opening ceremony became so alcoholic, however, that parts of it were thrown down there and then, the rest being destroyed later. Along the northern and eastern edges is the shattered wall of a military camp, believed to be Roman.

The hill fort which covers 15 acres (61,000 m2) and which the defensive wall can still be seen although much robbed for stone, contains the remains of several stone circles. It is now thought that this was in fact Celtic, the Brigantes tribe the largest tribe in Iron Age Britain a collection of smaller units amalgamated into one tribe. The fort was known to the Romans as the Kings fort. It maybe that this was a base for Venutius after his 'divorce' from Cartimandua the Brigantes Queen who was a supporter of the Roman invaders, unlike Venutius who led several rebellions. What we do know is that this fort was used all year, which was unusual for such a location, but we must not forget that at the time of the Romans the climate was much milder, the Romans for example cultivated grapes in Newcastle

Location: Inglebourgh

Photographer: D B Flynn