Pen-y-ghent

Pen-y-ghent
From the path from Horton
Highest point
Elevation	694 m (2,277 ft)
Prominence	c. 306 m. (1,004 ft)
Parent peak	Whernside
Listing	Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall
Coordinates	54°09′19″N 2°14′59″W / 54.15528°N 2.24972°W / 54.15528; -2.24972Coordinates: 54°09′19″N 2°14′59″W / 54.15528°N 2.24972°W / 54.15528; -2.24972
Naming
Translation	Hill on the border (Cumbric)
Pronunciation	/ˈpɛnᵻɡɛnt/
Geography
Pen-y-ghent Location of Pen-y-ghent in the Yorkshire Dales National Park
Location	Yorkshire Dales, England
OS grid	SD838733
Topo map	OS Landranger 98

Pen-y-ghent or Penyghent is a fell in the Yorkshire Dales. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, the other two being Ingleborough and Whernside. It lies 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of Horton in Ribblesdale. The Pennine Way links the summit to the village; the route is around 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) in length as the Way curves initially to the north before turning east to reach the summit.

The more direct route that traverses the southern 'nose' of the hill is the route usually taken by those attempting the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, as the walk is usually (but not exclusively) done in an anti-clockwise direction starting and finishing in Horton in Ribblesdale. The other main hillwalking route on the hill heads north from the summit to reach Plover Hill before descending to join the bridleway that is Foxup Road.

In the Cumbric language, exactly as in today's Welsh, Pen meant 'top' or 'head', and y is most likely the definite article (the), exactly as in Modern Welsh y. These elements are common in placenames throughout the island, and especially in Wales (compare Penyberth 'end of the hedge/copse', or Penyffordd 'head of the road/way', etc.). The element ghent is more obscure, however: it could be taken to be 'edge' or 'border'.^[1] The name Pen-y-ghent could therefore mean 'Hill on the border' (compare Kent).^[2] Alternatively, ghent could mean 'wind' or 'winds' – from the closest Welsh transliteration, gwynt ('wind'). Thus it might mean simply 'Head of the Winds'. It is also possible that ghent may have been a tribal name and that the hill may have once been an important tribal centre. It is also acceptable to write the name as Pen y Ghent rather than Pen-y-ghent.

A panoramic image of Pen-y-ghent viewed from the west, on the footpath from Horton in Ribblesdale, January 2012. Plover Hill is the lower, more distant hill to the left.

References

Bibliography

• Bibby, Andrew (2008), The Backbone of England, London: Francis Lincoln Limited
• Ekwall, Eilert (1960), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names, 4th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press

External links

• Computer generated summit panoramas Pen-y-ghent index
• Photos of Pen-y-ghent and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
• Climb Pen-y-ghent from Horton-in-Ribblesdale

Marilyns of Northern England
1. Northumberland	The Cheviot Housedon Hill Long Crag Peel Fell Ros Hill Shillhope Law Sighty Crag Tosson Hill
2. Northern Lakeland	Binsey Blencathra Knott Skiddaw
3. Western Lakeland	Blake Fell Dale Head Dent Grasmoor Great Gable Grisedale Pike High Stile Kirk Fell Lord's Seat Low Fell Mellbreak Pillar Robinson Seatallan Swinside Watch Hill
4. Central and Southern Lakeland	Black Combe Claife Heights Coniston Old Man Hard Knott Harter Fell High Raise High Rigg Holme Fell Illgill Head Kirkby Moor Lingmoor Fell Loughrigg Fell Muncaster Fell Pike of Blisco Scafell Pike Top o' Selside Whitfell
5. Eastern Lakeland	Arnside Knott Fairfield Grayrigg Forest Great Mell Fell Gummer's How Hallin Fell Helvellyn High Street Hutton Roof Crags Lambrigg Fell Little Mell Fell Place Fell Red Screes St Sunday Crag Seat Sandal Stony Cove Pike Tarn Crag Wansfell Whitbarrow
6. North Pennines and Durham	Burnhope Seat Cold Fell Cross Fell Dufton Pike Mickle Fell
7. Northern Yorkshire Dales	Baugh Fell The Calf Great Shunner Fell Hoove Kisdon Nine Standards Rigg Rogan's Seat Wild Boar Fell Yarlside
8. Southern Yorkshire Dales	Aye Gill Pike Birks Fell Buckden Pike Calf Top Cracoe Fell Dodd Fell Hill Fountains Fell Great Coum Great Knoutberry Hill Great Whernside Ingleborough Pen-y-ghent Rombald's Moor Sharp Haw Whernside
9. North York Moors to the Humber	Bishop Wilton Wold Cringle Moor Gisborough Moor Urra Moor
10. Forest of Bowland	Easington Fell Fair Snape Fell Longridge Fell Ward's Stone White Hill