Ribblesdale, Yorkshire

Get to Settle station in plenty of time – not just to make sure you don’t miss the train that takes you to the summit of this ride but also to admire the wonderfully evocative old platforms and buildings. (If you try this ride with children, challenge them to find Mickey and Minnie Mouse). The views from the train are terrific and the Settle to Carlisle trip boasts many superlatives. It was the last great mainline railway line to be constructed in Britain, the last to be built almost entirely by manual labour and it includes the highest station in England – at Dent, where you alight.

Leave Dent station via the track and, at the road, turn left and follow the road sharply downhill. Turn left at the T-junction in Cowgill. To view Arten Gill Viaduct, follow a bridleway at Stone House Farm just after crossing a river bridge then return to the road. Pass under Dent Head Viaduct.

At a major T-junction with the B6255 turn right and enjoy mile after mile of glorious, gentle downhill cycling. You will see the distinctive crouching lion profile of Pen-y-Ghent to your left and, around another corner, the 24 arches of the iconic Ribblehead Viaduct. On a crisp winter’s day it looks all the more dramatic – and inhospitable. The viaduct was built between 1870 and 1874 by about 2,000 navvies. They lived in appalling conditions in shanty town-style settlements with romantic names like Sebastopol and Jericho. Nearly no trace of them remains but you can just about make out where the former brickworks used to be, and a dip denotes the location of a former engine inspection pit. A small visitor centre within Ribblehead station tells the story of the viaduct and railway.

At the viaduct turn left on to the B6479 signed to Horton in Ribblesdale. Follow the road through Selside and then through Horton. This village marks the start of the famous Three Peaks Walk, which takes in Peny- Ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside. Walkers traditionally check out from the Pen-y-Ghent Cafe and check in at the end to record their safe return. They’re walking the same distance that you’re cycling – and with much more ascent!

Turn right at Helwith Bridge signed to Austwick. After 700m turn a sharp left on to the unsigned minor road. Stainforth Force, a small, three-cascade waterfall close to a pretty humpbacked bridge is the ideal spot for a mid-afternoon rest. To reach the falls, turn left at the crossroads in Little Stainforth. Leave your bike just before the bridge, pass through a gap in the wall on your right and walk for about 100m. Return to Little Stainforth and turn left at the crossroads to Settle. In the town turn left at the T-junction and follow signs to the station.

Terrain

The entire route on roads and is mainly downhill but with a few short, sharp climbs.

How to get there

By car: Settle lies just off the A65 between Skipton and the M6. You can park at Settle station for £1 for the day.

By public transport: Settle lies on the Leeds to Carlisle railway line.

Map

Ordnance Survey Landranger map 98.

Grid ref: SD 815 635

More infomation 

Settle Tourist
Information Centre

01729 825192

www.settle.org.uk/tourism