Jubilee Cave and Victoria Cave, Settle

Directions to Victoria and Jubilee Caves on Attermire Scar

1. Beginning from Greenfoot Car Park, head out of the car park towards the town, keeping the rugby pitches to your left. Continue into the town centre, towards the Talbot Arms pub on your right. Just after the pub, you will see a signpost for Castlebergh Crag on the wall to your right, immediately next to a cobbled lane heading upwards.

2. Head up the lane (it’s called Castle Hill) and at the top take the left road, that continues upwards. At the end of that road you will meet two bollards opposite you. Turn right at this point and continue up Constitution Hill.

3. Soon, you will see a wooden signpost, pointing in the direction of Langcliffe (1.5 miles). Head up the stony track that takes you away from the houses, and up onto the hillside.

4. Continue along the path for less than half a mile, heading through a gate next to the ruins of a farm building until you reach a partly crumbling stone wall on your right and a signpost for the Dales High Way, pointing right in the direction of Malham. The path rises steeply up the grassy hill. Turn right and take this route upwards, passing the craggy outcrops of Blua Crags on your left.

5. The path will head through a gate in a stone wall, and then splits into two. Both more or less end up in the same place. The left hand fork is the more minor path (but is still easy to follow). After a short distance you will see the path once again split into two. The furthest left will take you right next to a ‘mini’ cave. Coincidentally, a mini cave is a top spot for a snack stop!

6. At this point, you will have the spectacular rocky crags of Warrendale Knots ahead and to your left, with Attermire scar in the distance ahead of you. The path heads through the wall to the left of the cave. Take the path leading towards Attermire Scar, which will head along the bottom of Warrendale Knots, over a ladder stile and past the remains of an old army firing target, which is pretty cool to explore!

7. Just ahead of the firing target is a stone wall. The path heads through a gate here, and turns immediately left, following the wall (on your left) with Attermire Scar to your right. Along this path are the caves!!

8. In just less than half a mile, you will see the caverns of Victoria Cave appearing to your right. There are high up on the hillside (and you might spot some climbers there!) There is a steep path that will take you right up to the cavernous Victoria Cave and its next door neighbours. You can easily walk into the massive cave, but barriers will prevent you from accessing any more of the area in order to protect it. We took some time to explore one of Victoria caves mini neighbours. In order to explore the caves, you will need to use a torch and helmet.

9. After you have had your fill of Victoria Cave, you head back down to the path to join the one that follows the line of the wall, turn right and continue on to Jubilee Cave. which is less than half a mile further on. Before you reach the caves, you will see that the path reaches a T Junction with a wide stony track. This track is your return route, but at this point, turn right, and continue up the hill. You will clearly see the two openings of Jubilee Cave ahead of you. Go explore!

10. To return to Settle, you need to double back on yourself for a short distance, on the stony track you walked up on, then follow this all the way back down, to a cattle grid (approximately half a mile) where it meets a single track road. There is a small wooded area on your left. The path is on your left, just as the trees end. This is the Pennine Bridleway you began your walk on and it is signposted Settle 2m.

11. The path continues alongside the wall until it reaches another gate. Head through this and take the wide grassy path as it heads straight on and gradually downhill in the direction of Settle.

12. You will reach another gate, where the path meets the wall and then walk along this, keeping the wall to your right. Soon you will see the point where you started the steep climb up the hill side.

13. But now, head back through the gate in the wall, next to the farm ruin and head along the stony track back the way you came from into Settle.

14. You can take a detour to the Castleberg rock if you fancy it.

15. Or rather than heading down the cobbled area of Castle Hill, and turn left along the residential road, keeping straight on, there is a small play area located on Commercial Street in Upper Settle, only a swing and a slide, but enough to satisfy my two explorers!

Last walked September 2023