Penhill Preceptory and Crags Loop

This is a closed loop with a total distance of 12.82 km / 7.97 miles, with about 398 m of climbing and roughly 4 hours of walking for most people. Primary access is the roadside parking on the A684 at the east side of West Witton, and the loop starts and finishes there.

You begin on the road and footpaths through West Witton, then start climbing by Grassgill Lane and the Witton Steeps and Middleham Peat Road approach. The gradient earns you the Penhill Preceptory remains, after which the route opens onto the fell, crosses Penhill Crags and the 526 m summit and Beacon ridge past the Robin Hood's Well area, then drops back on paths and tracks down the eastern flank of the hill to the start. The payoff is the ridge: a long, open edge with Wensleydale spread out below you.

Call it a solid moderate, around 6 out of 10. The climb is sustained rather than technical, but the upper half has steep grassy slopes, rocky crag ground and uneven moorland underfoot, so sure-footedness matters more than fitness alone. The route is mostly unpaved, and the summit ridge is fully exposed to wind and weather with little natural shelter, so carry layers and be ready to turn back in poor visibility.

The attractions are the limestone crags, heather and moorland on top, and the wide views along the dale. The Penhill preceptory and the earlier field system at Temple Farm are a protected scheduled monument, so treat the earthworks gently and stay on the paths across them.

Earlier and later in the day generally works best for the crags and the valley, when low light picks out the edges and the field patterns below. Midday from the ridge tends to flatten everything out.

Dogs are allowed on the public rights of way here. The route crosses working farmland, so expect gates and livestock and keep dogs on a lead around stock. From March to July use a short lead to protect ground-nesting birds.

The first stretch involves road and village walking before the good stuff begins, and the descent on the eastern side is a workmanlike return rather than a highlight. Route-finding on the open fell needs attention, and some walkers record slightly longer distances and 4 to 4.5 hours depending on the line taken and how long they linger on top. This is the shorter Penhill loop only, not the longer West Witton walk that carries on to the river and its falls.