Clapham and the Ingleborough Estate

The route

Start in Clapham, one of the prettiest villages in the southern Dales, and pick up the Ingleborough Estate nature trail heading north. The route covers 16.9km, threading the estate lake, the woods and the limestone country that leads towards Ingleborough. It stops short of the summit, so it works as a rich, varied loop rather than a peak day, taking in caves, gorges and pavement instead.

The limestone

This is limestone at its most theatrical. Ingleborough Cave is a show cave you run right past; just above it, Trow Gill narrows into a steep-sided dry gorge; and higher still lies Gaping Gill, one of the largest natural chambers in Britain. On the return, the Norber erratics are worth the short detour, a scatter of dark Silurian boulders left balanced on pale limestone pedestals by retreating ice. Little of the route is truly high, but all of it is interesting.

Why it works

Few loops this length pack in so many named features. The ground is mixed: estate track, open pasture, limestone path and some rougher, rockier sections around the gorge, where wet stone gets slick. Navigation is generally straightforward on clear paths, though the open ground above the estate rewards a map in poor light. It suits a steady long run, a family-friendly outing at the lower end, or a scenic loop when the high tops are in cloud. Clapham is a proper base, with cafes, two pubs and a National Park car park with toilets, so it is easy to make a half-day of it. The lower estate sections make a good family outing on their own if you want a shorter day, with the show cave and the nature trail giving younger legs a reason to keep moving.