Middle Tongue
Very hot, very technical, and very remote
Summary
A long, partly trackless, hike in the hills above the valley of Langstrothdale. Middle Tongue is one of the most remote fells in the Dales, even the most experienced hiker would find it a long day out. Crossing expansive areas of moorland, it’s a walk I am glad I did on a hot summers day where the ground was extremely dry. With fantastic views throughout, including the three peaks, it’s a rewarding hike. Despite having sore legs at the end.
The Hike
Yockenthwaite moor, also called Middle Tongue, has been on my radar for quite some time. After reading a few blog posts on how to get there, I knew it would be a long and challenging day. Mainly because of its trackless summit - therefore navigation was key.
I set off from the George Pub in Hubbleholme, continuing along the road towards Buckden. From Buckden, the route rose upwards along a steep gravel track, offering a glorious backdrop of the Wharfedale valley. While I reached the top, I continued along the plateau towards Cray. It was summer, which meant that the fields were rich in wildflowers, particularly buttercups, painting the landscape a glorious yellow.
I leisurely made my way down towards the (pub) at Cray. The route carried on alongside the Wharfedale Valley and a meadow full of buttercups. While the temperature was rising, it meant that the route was incredibly quiet. I continued along, enjoying the peace and quiet of the Dales before venturing onto a remote part of the hike. I wasn’t sure what to expect. As the route rose gradually, visibility became very sparse. It made it very difficult to cover any sort of ground. It's no surprise that Yockenthwaite moor is rarely visited. Although I was becoming very frustrated with the lack of path.
As I gained elevation, the three peaks of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-Ghent became very prominent. Cotton-grass swayed in the summer breeze as I stood there admiring the view. I've never had the opportunity to see Yorkshire peaks together before. I felt very lucky to have such a grand view all to myself. Meanwhile, I continued upward, zigzagging through the wild and lumpy landscape. It was hard work not having a path to follow, resulting in taking me a lot longer than anticipated. Regardless of the difficulty or length, I genuinely love the challenge of being in places rarely visited by others.
After a long couple of hours traversing over the lumpy moorland. The trig of Middle Tongue became visible. Finally, I was making progress, although I was tired from my mission trying to locate the Trig. I decided to rest against the trig, admiring the view of the three peaks and the rolling fells. The area was filled with cotton grass as it swayed in the wind. It’s only at certain times of the year that the fluffy white seed heads present themselves at certain times of the year – Late April to June.
Meanwhile, after lunch, I had the challenge of descending back down to Hubbleholme. I couldn’t find a path anywhere. That’s one of the disadvantages of remote fells - you spend half of your time navigating through terrain that has barely been walked on. The only option was to descend downwards, following faint sheep tracks. I still enjoyed the challenge. Although, I always find descending harder than ascending purely because my thighs seem to seize up. It was incredibly warm too!
Eventually, I did arrive on a path. I looked back and still couldn’t work out exactly where the path was meant to be. Perhaps there wasn’t one? Who knows? It was a fun little adventure to have all to myself. However, by this point I was very tired, slightly dehydrated and felt I had had too much sun. The end was near and I couldn’t wait to have a nice cold pint in the George Inn.
Arriving at Yockenthwaite was a welcoming sight. I had done the hardest part of the hike. All I had left was to follow the path along strains woods, through Hubbleholme wood and down to the River Wharfe. I felt completely done in - The heat, lack of path, and elevation had made it far more difficult than I had anticipated. I was happy to have ticked off another Dales 30, but unsure if I would ever visit it again.
If it’s solitude you are after than Middle Tongue is a place well worth the visit.
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