Settle is a Town in the county of North Yorkshire.
Settle is a charming market town in the Yorkshire Dales, surrounded by dramatic limestone landscapes and steeped in history. Nestled at the foot of Castleberg Crag and close to the River Ribble, it has long been a hub for travellers, traders, and outdoor enthusiasts. The town’s weekly market, which dates back to 1249, continues to draw visitors, with stalls offering local produce, crafts, and speciality goods in the bustling marketplace. Traditional stone buildings line the streets, housing independent shops, cosy cafés, and welcoming pubs that add to Settle’s character.
One of the town’s most famous landmarks is the Settle–Carlisle Railway, one of the most scenic railway routes in the UK. Opened in 1875, the line passes through the stunning Dales countryside, crossing the iconic Ribblehead Viaduct on its way north. The station itself is a beautifully preserved Victorian gem, and heritage trains still run along the route, offering visitors a nostalgic journey through some of England’s most striking landscapes.
Settle is a gateway to outdoor adventure, with miles of walking and cycling routes leading into the surrounding hills and valleys. The nearby limestone formations of Attermire Scar and Victoria Cave provide spectacular scenery and a glimpse into prehistoric history, while the famous Three Peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside, and Ingleborough attract hikers from far and wide. The vast underground caverns of White Scar and Ingleborough Caves also lie within easy reach, offering an awe-inspiring subterranean experience. Whether exploring its rich heritage, enjoying the town’s welcoming atmosphere, or setting off into the wild beauty of the Dales, Settle remains a timeless and captivating destination.
There are great places to visit near Settle including some great waterfalls, ruins, historic monuments, hiking areas, villages, towns, caves, mountains, rivers and streams, cities, hills, limestone pavements, historic buildings, castles, country parks, geological features, parks, gardens, old mines and ancient sites.
Settle's best nearby waterfalls can be found at Catrigg Force, Lockin Garth Force, Gaping Gill, Clapdale Waterfalls, Aysgill Force, Great Douk Cave Waterfall, and Ingleton Waterfalls Trail.
The area around Settle boasts some of the best ruins including Bolton Abbey, Byland Abbey, Easby Abbey (ruin), Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, Rievaulx Abbey, Norton Tower (ruin), and Fountains Abbey (ruin).
Settle has some unmissable historic monuments nearby like Bolton Abbey, Culloden Tower, Rylstone Crag and Rylstone Cross, and Robin Hood's Well (Fountains).
Settle's best nearby hiking areas can be found at Deepdale, Nidderdale, Cotterdale, Southerscales, Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, Embsay Crag, and Brimham Rocks.
Askrigg, West Burton, Bainbridge, Aysgarth, Levisham, Pool-in-Wharfedale, and Hardraw are some of Settle best villages to visit near Settle.
Settle has some unmissable towns nearby like Hawes, Skipton, Richmond, Middlesbrough, Harrogate, Settle, and Helmsley.
Great Douk Cave, Yordas Cave, Gaping Gill, White Scar Cave, Janet's Cave, Horseshoe Cave, and Jubilee Cave are great places to visit near Settle if you like caves.
The area around Settle's best mountains can be found at Ingleborough.
The area around Settle features a number of interesting rivers and streams including River Wharfe, Whitfield Beck, Mill Gill, Walden Beck at West Burton, and Hardraw Beck.
There are a number of cities near Settle including York, and Ripon.
Addlebrough, Embsay Crag, Warrendale Knotts, Blua Crags, Sugar Loaf Hill, Attermire Scar, and Rylstone Crag and Rylstone Cross are great places to visit near Settle if you like hills.
There are a several good limestone pavements in the Settle area like Southerscales, Malham Cove, and Warrendale Knotts Limestone Pavement.
Don't miss York Minster, Culloden Tower, Marton House, Norton Tower (ruin), Church of St Peter - Rylstone, and Beggar’s Bridge's historic buildings if visiting the area around Settle.
Don't miss Skipton Castle, Richmond Castle, and Bolton Castle's castles if visiting the area around Settle.
There are a number of country parks near to Settle including Brimham Rocks.
Settle has some unmissable geological features nearby like Brimham Rocks, Malham Cove, and Grassington Lead Mines.
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, Fountains Abbey (ruin), and Studley Royal Water Garden are great places to visit near Settle if you like parks.
There are a number of gardens near to Settle including Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden.
The area around Settle's best old mines can be found at Grassington Lead Mines.
Settle's best nearby ancient sites can be found at Jubilee Cave, Victoria Cave, and Schoolboys Tower.
Settle History
There are some historic monuments around Settle:
Places to see near Settle
History of Settle
During the English Civil War, the Cliffords, the lords of the manor were Royalists, but their subjects were not. John Lambert of Calton in Malhamdale, was a general in Cromwell’s army and his troops camped at Settle in August 1651 while on the road to an encounter in Lancaster. Daniel Defoe wrote “Settle is the capital of an isolated little kingdom of its own surrounded by barren hills.”:p.163 Because of its remoteness Settle saw mostly local commerce. The old roads were pack horse trails:p.105 and drovers’ roads along hilltops:p.6 because the valley was soft and swampy before field drainage and the dredging of stream estuaries.:p.105 In the 1700s textile industrialists supported by traders and landowners campaigned for a turnpike to connect with growing industrial towns. The minute book for the Keighley and Kendal Turnpike Trust shows that most investors were mill owners from the Giggleswick district. In 1827 the trust, having miscalculated the cost of road maintenance, was in debt by £34,000.:p.172 When in 1877 the trust was terminated, the investors received on average 54% of their deposit. The investors had benefited in that Settle was now well connected and its cotton mills boomed. The mill owners imported coal and, like the heavy industries that exported agricultural lime and sandstone masonry, welcomed the turnpike for access via carrier waggons to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Gargrave. The first passenger stagecoach arrived in 1763. The Mail Coach was running regularly in 1786. The Union coach for passengers ran each way on alternate days in the early 1800s, and daily by 1840.:p.5
