Rye Loaf Hill

17 Sept

Location (summit): SD 864 633

Getting there: Simplest (and steepest!) approach to the summit is from the Dales High Way, approx 1km to the north, crossing a stile near Stockdale Farm. Join the Dales High Way from Malham or Malham Tarn to the east, (YDNPA/National Trust parking respectively), or Settle to the west, passing the breath-taking Attermire Scar

Height (marked by trig point on summit): 547m

Prominence: 44m

Map: OL2 Yorkshire Dales (Southern and Western Area)

OS Maps API | Basic Map ZXY (EPSG:27700) | Leaflet

Set deep in ‘limestone country’, this distinctive, yet little-explored, dome-shaped peak hides a secret history that is yet to be unearthed.

Easily visible from the A65, the main artery through the southern Dales, it doesn’t stretch the imagination too far to understand how this hill got its name. The bell-shaped peak, looking much like a fresh loaf, gives the hill a shape that hides its miniscule prominence. What is less well-known is that the hill was formerly known as ‘Inglehow’, a clue that points to a possibility that, like its namesake, it served as a beacon, possibly for the Roman garrison, based to the west in Settle, or as a part of a system of lookouts along the Roman Ilkley-Kendal road.

The trig point on the summit, with the remains of the cairn/shelter, and Pendle Hill in the background

The summit is marked by a trig point, but more curiously a makeshift stone shelter exists which appears to have been constructed with stones from a much older cairn, the remains of which encircle the summit. The cairn appears to have been of a significant size, and an indentation exists within the centre, giving further credence to the theory that the site was once of ancient importance. The shape of the summit helps to provide some spectacular views, from the ever-Pendle Hill to the south, and the Yorkshire Three Peaks of Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough to the north.

The summit of Rye Loaf Hill, looking north towards the Yorkshire Three Peaks

Getting to the summit requires some amount of exertion - keeping to the simplest route just past Stockdale Farm requires a short but very steep ascent up the side of the ‘loaf’, travelling a little further east presents a slightly easier (though longer) option. Another approach comes from the nearby Kirkby Fell - here you are very much off-piste and need to cross a wall and fence at some point, which makes the route tricky.

The steep approach to the summit, from Stockdale Farm

Although the hill is a stone’s throw (no pun intended) from some of the most famous limestone features in the Yorkshire Dales, the summit is gritstone-based, with some peat, particularly on the slope facing Kirkby Fell.

It’s impossible to mention Rye Loaf Hill, without referring to some of the spectacular sites nearby. Immediately across from Rye Loaf Hill are several limestone scars and a cave visible in the hillside. Indeed, Rye Loaf Hill is best added to a route including the numerous caves in the nearby Attermire Scar. Attermire Cave and Victoria Cave in particular have rich histories.