Settle for nothing less than authentic Dales charm

While our TV screens have showcased a few Yorkshire dales over the years under the auspices of ‘Herriot country’ and ‘Bronte country’, the northerly dales’ ancient market town of Settle has remained something of a well-kept secret without such commercial literary branding.

Those who seek it out, however, will tell you that Settle is a fantastic base for enjoying the attractions of magnificent surrounding countryside including the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the Lake District National Park and the neighbouring Forest of Bowland National Landscape. It is also, as any local will tell you, a hugely rewarding place to live thanks to a vibrant community spirit.

With a charter first granted by Henry III in 1249, the town’s name derives from the Old English word ‘Setl’ – meaning a seat, an abode or a dwelling – probably because of its lofty setting in the Pennines.

It is a picturesque and unspoilt place with lots to see and do for visitors and a great environment for those lucky enough to live there. At the gateway to Upper Ribblesdale, it remains a hub for the many rural villages and upland farms in the surrounding area, once linked by pack-horse trails and drovers’ roads. These ancient routes survive as scenic footpaths and bridleways to explore across the distinctive limestone landscape.

Settle offers a thriving range of independent shops, galleries, cafes, traditional pubs and places to stay – in fact around 400 Airbnbs! Despite a modest population of only 2600, the town has all the amenities essential to a busy community – health centre, dentists, veterinary practice, schools, college, swimming pool, library, Post Office, building society, professional services, supermarket, petrol stations and parking. It is served by the world-famous Settle-Carlisle railway line and is just off the A65, a main arterial north-south trunk road skirting the Yorkshire-Lancashire border.

Immediately overlooking the marketplace is Castleberg, a 206 feet (63 m) limestone crag, while Yorkshire’s modest mountains are a backdrop for the town known as ‘The Three Peaks’. Flat-topped Ingleborough 723m (2372ft), Whernside 736m (2415ft) and Pen-y-ghent 694m (2277ft) pose a “seriously tough” challenge to those who dare to attempt a 12-hour gruelling circuit of all three summits in twelve hours. It’s not for the faint-hearted, yet thousands of pounds have been raised for countless charities by those adventurers willing to tackle the test and affirm it’s worth it for the spectacular views alone. Undertaking them one at a time is an easier option, of course!

For those less equipped for scaling the rough terrain, back down in the town much of Settle is designated as a Conservation Area worth exploring, with many 17th and 18th-century buildings including stone cottages and fine houses around steep lanes and narrow ‘ginnels’. The town boasts an impressive 76 listed buildings, some of which are open to visitors including  The Folly (Grade I) which features The Museum of North Craven Life, and the world’s oldest music hall, Victoria Hall (Grade II).

Opened in 1853, this remarkable historic venue survives as an award-winning social enterprise bringing arts and culture to the town. The eclectic programme features live music, cinema, theatre and entertainment supplemented by community events, cafes, classes, markets and more.  The calibre of the artists it attracts to this rural setting holds its own against many a city venue.

The Settle-Carlisle railway line is another surviving icon of the Victorian age still going strong thanks entirely to the dedication of the voluntary community supporting it. The railway has survived attempts to close it in the 1960s ad the 1980s which were met with local and national outrage. It is deemed to be the most scenic line in England and the last to constructed almost entirely by hand. Work began in 1869 and lasted seven years with 6,000 men working on it, many of whom died in the harsh conditions. The fictional 2016 TV series Jericho depicted the shanty town and construction of the majestic Ribblehead Viaduct just 12 miles north of Settle.

The Hoffman Kiln completes the hat-trick of unique industrial heritage gems that Settle can boast. The Craven Limeworks just outside the town features an informative trail round the Hoffman Kiln and other industrial revolution remains. Built in 1873, this feat of engineering is one of the largest of its kind and best preserved in Europe, with 22 individual burning chambers in a continuous circuit. Free to explore, venturing inside the eerie arched tunnel with shafts of sunlight from its flues is an atmospheric experience. Visitors can park at the nearby hamlet of Stainforth, walk along the River Ribble by the picturesque Stainforth Foss waterfall and on to explore the lime works.

Downstream, the Ribble powers Settle Hydro which is another example of the local community coming together to pull off a groundbreaking project. In 2009, with scarcely any other forerunners in terms of the technology or the legal and administrative set up for the scheme, a small team of pioneers embarked on a massive learning curve to create a complex renewable energy community project ahead of its time. These entrepreneurs – who had never considered themselves to be ‘green warriors’ – unwittingly became the go-to experts for other water power projects across the globe, with hundreds of visitors tapping into their experience.  From Australians, Kenyans, Canadians and representatives from Obama’s administration through to Germans working on wave turbines, the unassuming Settle Hydro with its Archimedes Screw provided inspiration, expertise and a benchmark for development.

Watershed Mill provides dedicated space dubbed The Potting Shed” where many of the displays are made and flowerpot workshops are held there for schoolchildren and several community groups. Inspired by anything and everything from nature to fictional characters and celebrities, there have been some amazing creations to see over the years, including, in 2018, a 10ft climber mounted on the face of Castleberg Crag which lit up with 600 LEDs at night, and a large blue crayfish suspended from the ancient Settle Bridge over the River Ribble in 2021.

Free to enjoy and attracting as many 15,000 visitors over the July – September months, the nature of the festival meant that it was able to go ahead through the COVID pandemic as all the exhibits are outdoors and no one has to touch anything; people could just visit to enjoy the creative fun on display.

Foodies visiting Settle are inevitably drawn to The Courtyard Dairy. Andy and Kathy Swinscoe’s multi award-winning business (currently Cheesemaker of the Year at the World Cheese Awards) champions small artisan cheesemakers from across Europe. Featuring not only a heavenly selection of cheeses to sample and buy, the Dairy is home to a museum telling the history and story of farmhouse cheese and Rind, a restaurant run by London’s cheese, pizza and wine aficionados, The Cheese Bar.

To find out more about the little known secrets of Settle, visit the community run websites https://www.visitsettle.co.uk/ and https://www.settleflowerpotfestival.co.uk/