Yorkshire Dales Three Peaks Loop

Seventy-five kilometres through the Yorkshire Dales carry you across limestone country where dry-stone walls grid the hillsides and three great peaks — Pen-y-ghent, Whernside, and Ingleborough — define the horizon above Ribblesdale. Starting at Horton-in-Ribblesdale, a railway village beneath the Three Peaks with a pub car park that campervan drivers know well, the route arcs through high moorland on the exposed B6255 past Ribblehead Viaduct before dropping into Malhamdale and finishing at Ingleton, gateway to a famous waterfall trail. This is steep, demanding driving: gradients bite near Ribblehead, wind scours the open B6255, and weather shifts within an hour from sunshine to horizontal rain. A VW T3 handles the Dales well if you respect the terrain — second gear on climbs, engine braking on descents, and a watchful eye on coolant temperature across treeless moor where there is nowhere to hide from the elements.

Ribblehead Viaduct is the route's engineering marvel: twenty-four arches of Victorian brick carrying the Settle-Carlisle railway across Batty Moss at 400 metres above sea level, with Whernside rising behind it. Park at the Ribblehead lay-by for photographs but not overnight — use Horton or Ingleton campsites instead, since the viaduct viewpoint has no facilities and attracts traffic at all hours. Malham Cove, a curved limestone cliff and pavement above the village of Malham, rewards a half-day walk to the top where the rock surface splits into clints and grikes like a natural chessboard, and Gordale Scar lies a further mile upstream for adventurous walkers. Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, at the route's end, threads five falls through ancient woodland behind the village — buy a ticket at the entrance and allow two hours on foot. Spread this across two days: Horton and Ribblehead on day one, Malham Cove and Ingleton on day two. Avoid the Three Peaks Challenge weekend in late April when fell runners flood the roads around Horton.

Campervan overnighting works best at Horton-in-Ribblesdale, where the pub car park sometimes tolerates motorhomes with permission from the landlord, or at Ingleton's dedicated camping and caravan site with electric hook-ups. Settle market town offers fuel, groceries, and parking between the two halves of the route. On the B6255, pull into lay-bys rather than stopping on the carriageway — the road is narrow, unfenced, and livestock wander freely across tarmac. T3 drivers should avoid the highest moorland in ice, fog, or gale-force wind; turn back rather than push through when visibility drops. Malham Cove access lane is steep but short, manageable in first gear with patience.

Late May brings lambs in the walled fields and full flow at Ingleton's falls after spring rains. September delivers crisp light on Malham's limestone pavement without Three Peaks crowds or April's fell-running chaos. High moorland roads ice over from November — check Met Office forecasts before crossing Ribblehead, and carry warm layers even in summer. Two days is the minimum; add a buffer if lambing season or the Three Peaks weekend falls during your visit.