Dales Skyline

The Dales Skyline extends the Yorkshire Three Peaks concept into a full circuit of the Dales' highest ground. Starting from Horton-in-Ribblesdale, it takes in Pen-y-ghent, Whernside, Ingleborough (the Three Peaks), then continues to the Howgill Fells and the less-visited ridges above Wensleydale and Ribblesdale before returning to Horton.

At around 89 km with roughly 4,500 m of ascent, it is a genuine ultra distance challenge — most runners take fourteen to twenty hours. The Three Peaks section is well-trodden but the Howgills and Great Knoutberry sections are quieter, rougher and more navigationally demanding. The Howgill Fells in particular feel remote and uncommercialised compared to the busier Dales valleys.

The route is not waymarked and requires good navigation skills, particularly on the Howgill plateau.

From Horton-in-Ribblesdale: Pen-y-ghent, Whernside, Ingleborough in the standard Three Peaks anticlockwise circuit. From Horton, continue north-east to Dodd Fell (668 m) and Drumaldrace above Wensleydale.

West across Great Knoutberry Hill (672 m) and the Dentdale watershed, then into the Howgill Fells — The Calf (676 m), Calders, Bush Howe. Long descent back to Sedbergh or direct return south via the Rawthey valley to Ribblehead and Horton.

Start and finish at Horton-in-Ribblesdale (train station, Settle–Carlisle line). The route crosses the Settle–Carlisle railway at several points, useful for timing.

Best time: May to September. The Howgill Fells are serious in winter — open, exposed and boggy.