Yorkshire Three Peaks - advice

[dogfish]

Hi, I am hoping to benefit from the experience on this forum, I will outline the plan then pose a few questions if I may.

The plan is to run the The Yorkshire Three Peaks with my son, I am 48 he is 22 we run together regularly and train mostly on the North York Moors, we have both run sections of the Coast to Coast and Cleveland way and have covered distances in excess of 25 miles on a number of occasions.
We have also ran in the Lakes and although some routes were physically challenging they did not present any real route finding challenges as the on the routes we chose the paths were pretty obvious.
Although we are both very keen our weakest area is probably orienteering and navigation off the beaten track.
We plan to arrive in Horton early, do the run (hopefully) then stay over in Horton in order to partake of a couple of beers and a meal.

My questions are... armed with a map or guidebook am I likely to have difficulty route finding ? (I have not visited this area before)

Are all sections runnable, and if so would the terrain suit trail type shoes or is the traction of a fell shoe required ?

Can anyone personally recommend accommodation ? (I have found a pub called "The Crown" on the internet which states it is a popular location for this particular route) but you can't beat a recommendation

Unfortunately we do not have time to recce so we will have to just arrive and crack on with it.
This post will not be the limit of my research but nevertheless any constructive comments will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[Bob]

Away from race day the route is fairly obvious, certainly in clear weather, if the clag is right down then your navigation will need to be reasonable for the section from Penyghent to the road before Ribblehead. The race route takes a slightly different route from public rights of way and you aren't meant to use these except in the race. The standard "walkers'" route as it were follows good paths on the fells, it's the valley section that you might have issues with, though there are usually a mass of walkers doing the route.

Footwear - depends on the weather really, if it's been generally fine for the previous few weeks then trail or even road shoes will be fine, in fact I wouldn't bother with pure fell shoes as the ground is so hard underfoot that you'll have really sore feet by the end (speaks from experience ) plus there's not enough pure fell terrain to justify their use - the 3ps is more like a trail race than a pure fell race.

Hope this helps.

[dogfish]

Hi Bob,

Thanks for your quick reply, I am quite happy to use the standard walkers route, as we are just looking to complete in a reasonable time (faster than a walker will do !!) rather than race times.
I have taken on board your comments on footwear and will probably go with a well worn pair of Roclites.
I have just returned from purchasing an OS map and have a printed route guide also, which will now get some study and memorising.
Thanks again.

Colin.

[AndreaS]

I agree with Bob re: footwear: something that provides cushioning is more appropriate to the trail/rocky paths you'll encounter. Have fun, it's a great route!
Andrea

[Hes]

Hope you enjoy your run Dogfish. I recced the three peaks earlier in the year before I did the race at the end of April and it is pretty straightforward and with your OS map, you'll be fine. I have done a navigation course but you wouldn't know it and if I can get round without help, I'm sure you will. I wore roclites for my recce and the race and they were perfect. My recce was very muddy, raining and boggy and the race day was dry underfoot, sunny and windy and the shoes were good for both. There's a campsite at Horton if you can't find b&b accommodation but there are a few 3peaks experts on the forum and I'm sure they'll offer advice in due course.

[plodding bear]

The crown is indeed a nice pub, we often have a beer there after a trot round. There's also a campsite in Horton, and a bunk barn. Another nice pub is the Station at Ribblehead, again with various kinds of accomodation. But if you stay there, you're starting the route in what is traditionally in the middle, so to speak. I'd second what's been said about trail shoes being the most appropriate unless it's been raining a lot and then you might like the extra grip of a fell shoe, although you'd have to be more careful on the rocky bits...
I'm sure you'll enjoy it, the only real navigational challenge is which route to take from Pen-y-Ghent over to the God's Bridge/farm area.

[Stolly]

Dogfish, if you’re following the 3 peaks fell race route, the bit up and down Pen y Ghent is a doddle - you basically follow the Pennine Way up PyG using the sign posted track from the road through Horton, midway between the campsite and the 3 peaks café. On the way up, at the end of the cart track section by Horton Scar, you reach a gate - the path right takes you to the top of PyG, straight on is Foxup Moor and left is up a hill (Whitber Hil). Here you go straight up the path to the top of PyG and then back down the same way back to this gate. You then climb the path to the top of Whitber Hill and turn left, when the wall on your left stops, and follow the track down into Sell Gill where you pick up the Horton to Hawes section of the Pennine Way. This you follow north for three quarter’s of a mile or so to a stile on your left, at what I call Long Mires. Its here that the 3 peaks walkers route joins from your right and if hop over the stile the path all the way to the road is pretty obvious. Downloading the 1:25000 race route map from the 3 peaks fell race web site is very helpful.

By the way, having said all that, the 3 peaks walkers route is far more fun to run than the fell race route in this section from the Pen y Ghent trig, a bit more difficult to navigate too (unless you were doing it on a Saturday morning when at this time of year there are loads of sponsored walkers staggering round) but with much more interesting terrain (aka bogs) to get through.

Once you hit the road section you just follow that to Ribblehead and then either follow the walkers route which takes a very runnable but sizeable loop to the top of Whernside or try and follow the race route (through the second tunnel on the left), which takes a straight line up the sheer side of Whernside. This route though is unmarked and unpathed so you may prefer the walkers route. Alternatively take the same second tunnel and follow the path through Winterscales farm and take the path on your right (dotted black line on the map) parallel to a wall of sorts all the way up the steep side of Whernside - this brings you out below the trig so you have to hack up to the trig and then follow the same ridge path back.

The descent off of Whernside is obvious as is the route up Ingleborough to be honest. The route off of Ingleborough shouldn’t be confused with the other paths off the top plateau which go to Little Ingleborough or Ingleton - if the cloud is down and you’re in any doubt just ask to be pointed to the Horton path or back track the way you came up the last climb and branch right as the path divides. Then its just a case of 'running' down a 5.5 mile drag all the way back to Horton

At the minute the ground is really hard and dry so trail shoes will be fine but two weeks ago the ground was really wet and muddy, extremely so in places. Trail shoes are as good as anything though as the ground conditions on this route cover a bit of everything.

Have fun

[dogfish]

Many thanks to all those who have replied.
Looks like its on for this weekend, booked in at The Willows B&B, eating (and drinking) in the Crown.
Route marked on OS map, written route plan done, with alternatives.
Camelbak sterilised, Roclites on standbye and off to get a few last minute bits tomorrow.
Bring it on !!!!

[dogfish]

Stolly,
Thanks again for the variations you have provided, are these routes permitted at all times or just on race days ?
I have marked your variations on my map with a different colour and if all are at my disposal I will probably wait until I can see the terrain and pick the most runnable (for us)

From what I can tell it would seem that the walkers route is around 25 miles and the race day route is approx 23.25 would you agree with this ?

Cheers ... Colin.

[Stolly]

All of the routes go through open access land, although the fell race route up Whernside does require you to cross a wall. The fell race organisers ask that this route is not used in the lead up to the race, but the race does attract 900 runners so you can see why. The walkers route is just short of 25 miles, although it may be half a mile shorter if you go up Pen y Ghent via Brackenbottom. The steep climb up Whernside is mainly why the race is shorter but don't think its easier; its not .

I'm thinking of having a trot round this Saturday morning so maybe I'll see you somewhere on the way