Penhill Beacon from West Burton

Seven miles and about four and a quarter hours up the great whaleback that dominates Wensleydale, climbing steeply out of the village to the Templar preceptory ruins and then along the scar edge to the beacon cairn, with peaty, tussocky moor for the last mile. Start on the green at West Burton, where parking is free but limited to a dozen spaces on the verge; there is no useful bus, so arrive early. The northern edge of Penhill is a long unfenced drop of forty feet or more and in mist it is easy to walk a dog straight over it, so keep the lead on and stay back from the lip; sheep graze the moor all year with ground-nesting birds on it from March to July, the becks below the scar are the only water, and the wall crossings on the climb include two ladder stiles that a big dog will need lifting over.