Settle Walks
Family friendly walks in and around the Settle area of the Yorkshire Dales
Are you looking for a family walk in and around Settle?
Well hi there! I can certainly help you out with that one!
Settle is a bustling market town on the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is renowned for its quirky flowerpot festival in the Summer (definitely worthy of a Summer Bucket list!) and is surrounded by some of the most famous peaks in the dales, Pen y ghent and Ingleborough. The gateway to Ribblesdale and the famous Ribblehead viaduct with Yorkshire’s highest mountain Whernside beyond, Settle is a pretty cool place to explore with the kids and we thoroughly recommend you do!
Here, you’ll find walks that start and end in the centre of Settle itself. You’ll also find walks from Stainforth, Clapham and Ingleton and all the way up to Ribblehead too.
There will be caves, waterfalls, famous mountains and epic industrial ruins. Told you Settle was special.
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Thank you for taking the time to have a look at my website and for reading this now!
I set up the Reluctant Explorers and maintain the website and attached social media accounts in my spare time, around mum-life and two jobs. It was designed to provide access for parents to free resources to help get more families outside and exploring in nature. These walks have all been created by myself and the kids and we have walked each one ourselves (and re-walk them regularly to keep the information as up to date as we can).
If you would like to support us and can afford a few pennies, you can make a donation to our ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ page. Simply tap the button below to head there!
The Star Guides
Each of our has been walked by our own 6 feet (in the sense of us being three actual humans, not in a kind of weird monster-like way!) Often, they have been walked several times and sometimes, they have been walked so often that they have been added to. This website has been growing alongside the OG Reluctant Explorers and now they can handle a little bit more - maybe yours can too.
I will say. As parents we know our kids better than anybody. I have done my best to include as much information as I can in each individual walk, so you can make your own judgement as a family. So the star ratings are just a guide to get you started.
⭐ Little Monkeys:
Walks suitable for younger children up to preschool (and beyond!) Shorter length walks with occasional pushchair access, no technical or tricky terrain. Perfect for those who are just getting out of the pushchair (and then back in again… and then back out…. and then… you know how it goes!)
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers:
Walks suitable for pre-schoolers and younger kids. Medium length/ difficulty walks. In these walks, there may be some more challenging terrain, but they are still fairly short.
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers:
Walks suitable for older children. Not necessary longer length, but they are more technically challenging in the terrain, and on occasion the distance as well.
The Walk Emojis
I’m renowned for a heavy used of emojis in my regular life, so why on EARTH should my website be any different?! Here is a guide as to what they all stand for.
Essentially, it’s a brief look at what you can expect from the walk, but in emoji form. (I’m campaigning for a pram emoji. It would make my pushchair friendly walk life MUCH easier.)
👶 Suitable for Pushchairs (see? no pram emoji)
🎒 Suitable for Carriers (that’s a rucksack, not a weird satchel. Closest thing to a kid carrier I could find!)
🚘 Car Park/ On Street Parking (plain sailing there - all of our walks have places to park, although if possible try….
🚌 Public Transport (PLEASE! To try and alleviate parking problems and to just in general be an excellent egg.)
🐶 Dog Friendly (plenty of those!)
🥾 Sturdy Footwear or Wellies (I’d say for most, walking shoes/ boots, for some, wellies)
🛝 A park or play area (I try my hardest to find one, or at least tell you where the nearest one is!)
🦆 Ducks to Feed (bring your duck food!)
🍦 Ice Cream! For Ice cream is truly a WONDERFUL addition to a family walk!
☕ As is coffee (for the adults obviously - I’m not going to subject you to a caffeine fuelled reluctant explorer THE HORROR!) This one means you can find coffee, tea or hot chocolate (ok - that one’s for the WHOLE family!)
🍻 Because I know how a family walk can go, you’ll be relieved to know that I’ll also tell you if there’s a pub at the end!
💦 Water play/ paddle/ swim (Check out our advice on Wild Swimming with Kids and the RLSS Water Safety info)
✨📚 Cool history, geology, something blummin’ awesome to talk about.
👻 Legendary Story. Ghosts, horrible history, witches and trolls!
🌳 Walking Games - they all have these!
Oxenber Woods from Austwick
📍 Austwick, near Settle
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📏2.5 miles
🚘🌳🥾✨🚌🍻🐶🎒🍧🛝
A beautiful amble to Oxenber Woods from the stunning village of Austwick (and I mean STUNNING - it’ll send you immediately to Right Move to check the property prices!
To find woodland in the Yorkshire Dales is actually a rarity, making this a super special walk with a big hill to climb, bluebells (if you’re visiting in Spring) a beck to throw stones and splash in and the play park at the end!
Kinsey Cave and Giggleswick Scar
📍 Settle (Yorkshire Dales National Park)
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📏 7 miles
🚘🌳🥾✨🍻🛝☕🍦👻🐶🎒🚌
Caves ‘in the wild’ (as we call them) are often reserved for those brave souls who specialise in exploring the underground. There are some though, that are great to take a nosey around with no expertise needed. These caves have level access and wide openings.
Kinsey Cave is one of those! All you need for this one is a headtorch and a helmet!
This circular walk starts and ends in Settle and so you have the benefit of all the essential town centre amenities (you know, like the ice cream parlour and the play park) and then takes you past the historic schoolboy’s tower and Nevison’s Nick (with its very own highwayman legend).
Cool huh?
Victoria and Jubilee Cave
📍 Settle, Ribblesdale, Yorkshire Dales South Central
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📏 4-6.5 miles dependant on the route
🥾🚘🎒✨🍦☕🛝🌳🧒🚌🐶
MORE caves in the wild!
Victoria Cave (pictured at the top of the page) is a humungous cavern on Attermire Scar and Jubilee is its slightly smaller cousin. Both are accessible by those with absolutely no caving experience whatsoever as they have large and level entrances.
All you need to bring is your torch and a helmet (because if you’re like me, you’ll bang your head!
This walk starts in Settle and heads up to Attermire Scar. There is both a short and longer version to suit older and younger hikers!
Stainforth Force and the Hoffman Kiln
📍 Stainforth, near Settle South Yorkshire Dales
🥾🎒🚘💦🍻✨🌳🚌🐶
📏 4 miles
This is a bloomin’ stonker of a circular walk! So. Much. Going. On! Waterfall? Check. Giant abandoned lime kiln? Check. Ghost story? Check. Trains?? Check.
Pub at the end…? Check.
This circular walk from Stainforth is one of our favourites in the Dales and we hope you love it too!
Catrigg Force, Stainforth
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Stainforth, Ribblesdale. Yorkshire Dales
🚘🎒🥾💦🌳🚌🐶
📏 Out and back - 1 mile Longer circular 2.5 miles
We love Catrigg Force! This walk started off as a super short linear when the kids were very young and has evolved into a mini circular for older explorers. Both are excellent bite-sized walks to the very lovely Catrigg Foss!
There are stepping stones, a nature reserve, waterfalls and the pub at the end for the grown ups!
Scaleber Force
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📍 Settle, North Yorkshire
🎒🥾🚘💦🌳🐶
📏 1 mile (rating is 3 stars due to the slippery steep access)
This spectacular fall is located in a magical wooded gorge, owned by the Woodland Trust. The out and back walk is short and sweet, but you won’t be disappointed, nor will you want to leave!
A perfect wander for a late Summer’s Day (or on any day for that matter!)
Force Gill, Whernside
📍 Whernside, Ribblehead. The Yorkshire Dales
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🚘🚅🥾🎒✨🍦🍻👻💦🚌🐶
📏 6 miles there and back again
Who fancies an adventure to a waterfall?
This one is great for those who aren’t quite ready to tackle the full height of Whernside, but want a truly wild adventure! (Or for those who just want an epic wander to a waterfall!)
This one starts at the Ribblehead Viaduct and takes you past Blea Moor tunnel and the aqueduct over the railway, then up to the stunning waterfall, before heading back the same way. The views are INCREDIBLE and there’s ice cream and the pub at the end!
Yordas Cave, Kingsdale
📍 Kingsdale, South Yorkshire Dales (near Ingleton)
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
🚘🥾💦🎒✨🌳👻🐶
📏 Less than 1 mile - less of a walk more of an explore!
This ex Victorian show cave is spectacular.
Another ‘cave in the wild’ which is accessible through a large level entrance (which actually has the original Victorian entrance steps still in place) it also has a 30 foot waterfall hidden inside!
Oh and it was once home to the giant Yorda. Remember your big torch and helmet for this one.
Gaping Gill, Clapham
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
💦🚘🥾🎒🌳✨☕🛝🍦🍻🐶🚌
📏 5-6 miles linear (there and back again) walk
📍 Clapham, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire Dales National Park
A walk with a wow factor!
This spectacular walk will take you along the Ingleborough Estate Nature Trail, past Ingleborough Show Cave, through Trow Gill and to an epic paddle spot just underneath one of the Yorkshire 3 peaks, Ingleborough.
Gaping Gill is the point where the water of the beck disappears underground through a gigantic massive hole. It really is special to go and see particularly if there’s been a decent amount of rain!
Just make sure to stay well back from the edge - what lies beneath is a 100 foot drop into the gigantic cavern below. The cave is only accessible to the public on a winch day when the local caving clubs lower intrepid explorers down.
The Norber Erratics
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
💦🚘🥾🎒🌳✨🍻🍦🛝☕🐶🚌
📏 5 miles circular walk
📍 Clapham, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire Dales National Park
If you are looking for weird rocks, I can give you weird rocks.
The Norber Erratics are a whole cluster of geologically weird rocks. Absolutely ridiculously old rocks balanced on top of smaller, slightly less old rocks in incredibly precarious ways….
It’s the rock equivalent of your oldest child sitting on top of your youngest child for no other reason than…. because they can (and because of glacial erosion, transportation and eventual melt - that’s the rocks. Not the kids.)
Whernside
📍 Ribblehead, Yorkshire Dales National Park
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📏 Circular walk, 8.5 miles
🥾🎒🚘👻🍦🍻💦🌳🚌🐶
Whernside is the largest peak in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and it is a fantastic achievement for a budding peak bagger!
But this route, well it won’t take you the Yorkshire Three Peaks way. We think this route is better for kids, avoiding the steep and often slippery descent, oh and you might be lucky enough to get the ice cream van at the bottom of the climb too!
Pen y ghent and Hull Pot
📍 Horton in Ribblesdale, Yorkshire Dales National Park
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📏 Circular walk 7.5 miles
🥾🎒🚘💦🌳🛝🐶 🚌✨
Pen y ghent may be the smallest of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, but it is my favourite of the three!
This family friendly route up Pen y ghent tackles the small scramble on the ascent, which we think is much better than tackling it the other way round! You can also take a detour to Hull Pot too and after heavy rain, you might catch it in full flow too!
Ingleborough
📍 Ingleton or Clapham, Yorkshire Dales National Park
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📏 Linear walk 7 miles - Alternative longer circular is 10 miles
🥾🎒🚘🌳☕🍦🍻🛝👻🐶 🚌✨
Ingleborough takes second place to Whernside in the highest peaks in the Yorkshire Dales, but it is truly legendary (and I mean in a literal sense).
There is so much to learn about Ingleborough, so the conversations will never run dry!
And both options end up with the play park too (if you have the energy).
Ribblehead Circular
📍 Settle (Yorkshire Dales National Park)
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📏 4 miles
🚘🌳🥾✨🐶🎒🚌 🧒
This is a bite-sized walk of epic proportions.
Ribblehead viaduct is a true sight to behold, the structure towering a whole 32m above your heads and with its 24 railway arches, you can see why this gigantic viaduct attracts thousands of visitors every year.
On easy terrain, this four mile circular will give you epic views of Ingleborough and Whernside which sit either side of the viaduct, and if you’re lucky you might even catch a train going over!
So make sure you choo-choo-choose this one! (Nope. I’m not even sorry!)
Staying in the Settle area?
We have a Visit with Kids guide to provide you with all the family friendly inspiration you need! Think family friendly walks, local attractions and importantly, where to find the ice cream (and the play park!)
There are two guides covering this area and the nearby areas so why not check out our…
Visit Settle and Ribblesdale with the Kids Guide
Visit Sedbergh, Dentdale and the Westmorland Dales with the Kids Guide
Scroll using the arrows for all our Family Friendly Walks
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![Swimming in Janet's Foss Yorkshire Dales]()
Waterfall Walks
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![Malham cove walk for kids]()
Pushchair Friendly
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![Pinhaw Beacon trig point walk near Skipton]()
Peak Bagging Walks
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![The Park at Greenhow Nidderdale]()
Walks with Play Parks
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![Gordale Scar in Malham Yorkshire Dales]()
Organised by Location
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![Walking in the woodland in Wensleydale]()
Woodland Walks
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![Playing on the shore of Embsay Reservoir Yorkshire Dales]()
Reservoir Walks
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![The ruins of Bolton Abbey]()
Bolton Abbey Estate Walks
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![Leaping over the stile at Almscliffe Crag]()
Walks Under 2 Miles
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![Child walking into a pub in Appletreewick]()
Walks with Pubs and Cafes
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Leave No Trace
The Yorkshire Dales is our home, and the home of so many others who care deeply about this beautiful space.
Should you visit, make sure to:
Take home anything you bring, leave no rubbish behind.
Make the world a better place by picking up any rubbish you see, even if it isn’t yours.
Leave everything else as you found it.