Ingleborough Walk from Clapham

7 miles (12 km)

This walk climbs to Ingleborough Cave and Ingleborough Mountain from the Yorkshire village of Clapham. It's a challenging 4 mile hike to the top of the mountain from the village centre.
The walk starts in the village and heads north on a nice footpath running along Clapham Beck. There's also a pretty artifical lake and some peaceful woodland trails on this opening section.
The route then passes the famous Ingleborough Show Cave before ascending to Gaping Gill. This natural cave is one of the unmistakable landmarks on the southern slopes of�the mountain.�The cave is a striking 98-metre (322�ft) deep�pothole�with the stream�Fell Beck�flowing into it.
The next stage takes you past Little Ingleborough before continuing to the Ingleborough summit. At (723�m or 2,372�ft)�it is the�second-highest mountain�in the�Yorkshire Dales. It's located in the south-western corner of the�Yorkshire Dales, at the highest point of a triangle of land with corners at�Ingleton,�Ribblehead�and�Settle. The hill is connected to its nearest higher neighbour, Whernside, by a low col or�mountain pass�at Ribblehead at approximately 971 feet (296�m).
On the summit you will find an�Ordnance Survey�trig point�at the highest point, near the western corner. Just to the north is a well-built windshelter (cross-shaped to provide shelter whichever way the wind is blowing) with a�toposcope�built into its centre. This shows all the landmarks you can see from the summit including Wild Boar Fell, Great Shunner Fell, Great Whernside, Ilkley Moor, Kinder Scout and Scafell Pike in the Lake District. After taking in the wonderful views the route descends back to the village on the same paths.
For a longer circular route see the Ingleborough Circular Walk from Clapham.

Ingleborough Walk from Clapham Ordnance Survey Map - view and print off detailed OS map

Ingleborough Walk from Clapham Open Street Map - view and print off detailed map

Ingleborough Walk from Clapham OS Map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Ingleborough Walk from Clapham Open Street Map - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Pubs/Cafes

In Clapham village head to the Old Manor House for refreshments after your walk. The historic mullioned farmhouse was built in 1640 and has since been renovated to house the Clapham Bunkhouse (Group Accommodation) and The Reading Room Cafe/Bar licensed to sell hot food, alcohol, arts, crafts and gifts. It's got a great menu and sells some fine real ales. You can find it on Church Avenue at postcode LA2 8EQ.
The New Inn is another good option, set in an 18th-century coaching inn overlooking the Clapham Beck (Postcode:LA2 8HH). There's also the Game Cock in Austwick which is a traditional Dales pub on the village green, serving good British food with a French/Mediterranean twist (postcode: LA2 8BB).

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

The area surrounding the mountain is also designated as a National Nature Reserve. The limestone habitats promote a range of interesting wildflowers including Yorkshire primrose, limestone pavement with bloody crane's-bill, calcareous grassland with common rock-rose and limestone rock outcrops, cliffs and scree with juniper. Wildlife also thrives with the northern brown argus butterfly, curlew and roe deer to look out for in the area.�
The Dales High Way passes over the mountain. This long distance waymarked trail explores many of the highlights of the Dales, running from Saltaire to Appleby-in-Westmorland for a distance of approximately 90 miles.