Little Whernside

Often overlooked in favour of its 'Great' neighbour, this peat-clad Tump offers a wilder, lonelier experience than the more famous Dales peaks. Rising between Wharfedale and Nidderdale, the terrain is notoriously boggy, but the reward is a tranquil summit looking directly down onto the shimmering Angram and Scar House reservoirs.

• •The name 'Whernside' likely derives from the Old English 'cwern', meaning millstone, indicating that the gritstone found on these slopes was historically used to produce hand-mills for grinding grain.
• •To the north lies Dead Man’s Hill, part of a ridge that formed an ancient corpse road once used by residents of Upper Nidderdale to transport their dead to the church at Horsehouse for burial.
• •The summit offers a clear, bird's-eye view of the Victorian engineering at the head of the Nidd valley, specifically the massive stone dams of the Angram and Scar House reservoirs.
• •The 'Little' in its name is strictly relative; while it sits lower than its neighbour Great Whernside, the absence of a paved path means you will likely work much harder for this summit than you would on the Three Peaks.