Whernside: “I hiked to the highest point in Yorkshire - people queued for pictures at the top”

When summer crowds reach their highest, hiking becomes a question of queues and limited parking spaces.

As one of the Three Peaks – alongside Pen-y-Ghent and Ingleborough – Whernside is one of the most popular hikes in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The track also attracts onlookers hoping to spot steam trains crossing the Ribblehead Viaduct, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in May 2026.

The 12.5km route starts and ends on Blea Moor Road. I usually follow the golden rule of starting as early as possible, but this time, I arrived at a civilised 10am.

As expected, roadside parking was already limited. However, the overcast weather seemed to have discouraged some of the usual crowds. Saturday had been sunny, but on Sunday, Whernside’s summit was covered by clouds.

I began the hike clockwise, climbing up the steepest section rather than jarring my knees on the descent. The fields beneath Whernside were quiet with just a few other walkers; we politely smiled and held gates for each other.

The bottlenecking began on the ascent, as I met 30-40 hikers descending carefully down the steep steps.

The hikers were a mixed bunch: some trail runners leaped past, grim-faced walkers with backpacks looked to be attempting the Three Peaks, while other groups took their time, picking their way down the slope.

Once I reached the ridge, it was more peaceful. There were regular spells of a minute or so with nobody else in sight. The weather could have influenced this; bleak skies threatened rain, and people seemed to be beelining for the trig point. I wasn’t complaining, though, because the views were great.

The summit itself is a stone marker, with seating available against curved drystone walls. There was a consistent group of 15-20 hikers at the summit. Some sat clustered against the walls, eating packed lunches, and others queued for pictures.

If you wanted a seat, it was luck of the draw – reliant on someone standing up to continue their hike. Otherwise, though, it was a quiet atmosphere.

Unlike the 45-minute queues at major summits like Mt Snowdon, also called Yr Wyddfa, I only waited for two minutes to get a photo of the stone marker.

Beginning my descent via a gentle sloping ridge, I crossed a wooden footbridge, watched a train rush through Blea Moor Tunnel, and greeted a handful of walkers along the way.

Heavy crowds only reappeared once I arrived at the track beneath the Ribblehead Viaduct, just 15 minutes away from my car.

At 4pm, there seemed to be a second wave of visitors. These new arrivals were admiring the Ribblehead Viaduct rather than hiking Whernside.

The vehicles parked along Blea Moor Road had begun to leave, but Gauber Road was now lined with cars.

Large groups shuttled between a Yorkshire Dales ice cream van and another parked food truck. I joined them for a celebratory scoop of rocky road ice cream.

For mid-August, the crowds didn’t spoil this route. With cheery smiles and offers to help other hikers with their photos, I was pleasantly surprised at how sociable it felt.

Yes, I could have hit the jackpot with off-putting weather. However, it stayed remarkably dry, and there was even a brief sunny spell at the summit.

In hindsight, I could have avoided parking difficulties by catching the Settle-Carlisle train to Ribblehead Station, disembarking a few hundred metres up the road.

Overall, though, while I usually avoid hiking Whernside in summer, I won’t be so hesitant to return.