At 723m (2,372ft), Ingleborough is the second highest of the Yorkshire Three Peaks but is probably most people's favourite with the interesting route up from Clapham providing a great scene-setter for the fine views from the top. On a clear day you can easily see Morecambe Bay off to the west. Ingleborough's instantly recognisable stepped profile is due to the alternating layers of limestone, sandstone and shale (geologists call this the Wensleydale or Yoredale Group) which form the bulk of the mountain beneath its gritstone cap.
Ingleborough is also interesting for its archaeology. Many visitors have no idea that the rocks laid out on the top were part of an Iron Age or even earlier ritual site. Aerial photography shows that the mountain top once had a stone wall around it and there are also the remains of circular stone structures. These have been identified as Iron Age huts, part of a defensive hillfort belonging to the Brigantes, a northern tribe who fought the Roman invaders in the second century AD. Recent research now suggests that the circular structures may in fact be burial cairns, now almost eroded away. The height of the mountain apparently reaching up to the sky may well have been significant for these early people. Read more about the archaeology on Ingleborough on our Out of Oblivion website.
We have placed several interpretation panels alongside tracks up to the summit which tell visitors about the mountain's history and geology and also ask people not to damage the site by shifting stones about to build cairns. We have also created a really useful smartphone app for people wanting to visit the Three Peaks area, find the links for downloading it from your app store here. The app costs £1.99 and all the profit goes towards helping maintain the path network in the area.
