Pinhaw Beacon from Lothersdale

The route

Start from Lothersdale or the Elslack Moor road and climb onto Pinhaw Beacon, making a 5.7km loop with around 230m of climbing, much of it on a stretch of the Pennine Way. It is short but not soft: the climb is steady to the trig point at 388m, and the ground is open moor rather than manicured trail. The summit comes quickly, leaving most of the loop to enjoy the views and the run back down.

The beacon

Pinhaw Beacon overlooks Lothersdale from the moor between Skipton and Colne, a modest 388m top with a trig point, a cairn and a plinth. Beside the trig sits a topograph installed in recent years, complete with a Shakespearean-style sonnet paying tribute to the NHS. The view is the draw: west into Lancashire and towards Pendle, north to the Yorkshire Dales, a lot of country for such a small hill. As a beacon site it was once part of the chain of signal fires that ran across the north to warn of invasion.

Why it works

This is a route for a quick hill fix or a first moorland run. The distance is short, the Pennine Way gives a clear line for much of it, and the summit is easily reached, so it suits an evening loop, a recovery run or a family outing with older children. The moor is boggy off the main path and the top is exposed, so navigation still matters in cloud and wet feet are likely. The Hare and Hounds in Lothersdale and the Tempest Arms at Elslack give you a pub at either end. Save it for a clear day and the view repays the short climb many times over. It makes an ideal introduction to moorland running before you take on the bigger South Pennine days.