Skipton 6 Peaks

The route

This 42km loop is a true challenge run, a tour of the six hills that look down on Skipton. Heading out from the town the route first tackles the twin tops of Sharp Haw and Rough Haw on Flasby Fell, the pointed pair that dominate the western skyline. From there it works east and north onto the Barden Moor plateau, a vast tract of access-land heather and gritstone.

The summits

The high ground carries you over Crookrise Crag Top and Embsay Crag, both fine gritstone edges with steep drops and far views, before the moorland crossing to Rylstone Cross and on to Cracoe Fell. The Cracoe war memorial, a gritstone obelisk raised in 1922, marks the highest point of the round at around 500m. Each top has its own feel, from the sharp little summits of Flasby Fell to the brooding expanse of Barden Moor, and linking all six makes for a long, satisfying day with roughly 650m of total climbing.

Why it works

This is the ideal big local objective, demanding endurance and steady navigation rather than mountain skills, yet never far from a road or the town. The Barden Moor sections are open access land that can close on shoot days and where dogs are restricted, so check before you go. With Skipton's parking, station and cafes at the start, the logistics are simple, leaving you to focus on ticking off all six tops.

Getting there

Skipton, the self-styled gateway to the Dales, has frequent trains on the Airedale line and plenty of parking, so the start is straightforward. The route climbs gently at first over Flasby Fell before the bigger moorland crossing, so pace the early tops and save something for Cracoe Fell late in the day. On a clear round the views stretch from Pendle Hill in the south to the high Three Peaks in the north.