CHAPTER 8: The Greta Headwaters

130 Chapter 8: The Greta Headwaters
Ingleborough was often in the past the site of a beacon.
The ‘borough’ (as we saw with Low Borrowbridge and
Over Burrow) may be associated with an old fortification.
In fact, the Ordnance Survey is bold enough to mark
‘fort’ on its map. The fort is variously believed to have
been built by the Romans, by the Brigantes (against the
Romans) and by pre-Roman Iron Age settlers. But David
Johnson, in his 2008 book on Ingleborough, doubts that
it was a fort at all. He does not consider that the remains
of the wall, which some call ramparts, that run round
the rim of the summit plateau are substantial enough to
indicate any defensive role. Also, the lack of water on
the plateau makes it an implausible defensive retreat.
This fact also leads Johnson to doubt that the score
or so of circular remains that can be seen on the plateau
are those of hut circles, as is usually stated. Ancient
people were hardy, but not necessarily masochistic, as
they would need to have been to choose to live here,
completely exposed to the elements, of which there
are many on the top of Ingleborough. He considers the
remains to be those of ring cairns and that in ancient times
the top of Ingleborough served symbolic or ceremonial
functions rather than military or residential ones. Much
like today, in fact.
These ancient remains should not be confused with
the great pile of stones on the western rim. This was a
hospice-cum-tower-cum-shooting-box. It was left to
fall into ruin after damage was caused at a boisterous
opening ceremony in 1830. Recalling this event in the
Lancaster Guardian in 1897, Joseph Carr described the
tower as “one of the wonders of Lunesdale” – note the
Lunesdale. Still standing is the cross-shaped wind shelter
erected in 1953. This provides endless entertainment for,
sitting in one quarter, one cannot help eavesdropping on
conversations in the other three quarters. These are often
disputes over the identification of distant peaks. One
can hardly intrude to point out the view indicator in the
middle of the cross.
Ingleborough’s distinctive profile is a consequence
of its geology, which is similar to that of Whernside and
Wild Boar Fell. The top 30m or so are of hardwearing
millstone grit. This sits atop 250m of conglomerate rocks
(the Yoredale series), mainly shales and sandstones, with
a little limestone, all covered with peat except where
exposed on the crags. Below this is a 200m layer of
limestone (the Great Scar limestone), which is visible
on the lower slopes of the mountain. These are all
sedimentary rocks of the Carboniferous period that have
Whernside and the Batty Moss Viaduct from below The Arks, Ingleborough
This is Chapter 8 of The Land of the Lune (2nd edition), http://www.drakkar.co.uk/landofthelune.html, Copyright © 2010 John Self