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 I think I can help you out! These walks all start from places that are in and around Settle and the surrounding areas!

Here, you’ll find walks that start and end in bustling hub of Settle town itself. You’ll also find walks from Stainforth, Clapham and stretching as far as Ingleton and all the way up to the Ribblehead Viaduct!

It’s kind of like the celebrity area of the Yorkshire Dales.

It’s got your famous Yorkshire Three Peaks of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen y Ghent. It’s got some of the most famous waterfalls in the Yorkshire Dales, it’s got the epic Ribblehead Viaduct, which is quite frankly ICONIC, and it’s got a hell-a-lot of caves!

And THAT is why I love this area! What about you?

Walk Difficulty Ratings

All of our tried and tested kid friendly walks have been divided into 3 categories dependant on difficulty, length and terrain:

⭐ Little Monkeys:

Walks suitable for younger children. Shorter length walks with occasional pushchair access.

⭐⭐ Little Adventurers:

Walks suitable for pre-schoolers. Medium length/ difficulty walks.

⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers:

Walks suitable for older children. Longer length walks with some difficult terrain.

Walks at a Glimpse

Here is our quick look key so you can identify what each walk has without taking too long!

👶 Suitable for Pushchairs

🎒 Suitable for Carriers

🚘 Car Park/ On Street Parking

🚌 Public Transport Links

🐶 Dog Friendly

🥾 Sturdy Footwear or Wellies

🧒 A park or play area

🦆 Ducks to Feed

💦 Water play/ paddle/ swim

✨ Cool history or geology

👻 Legendary Story

🌳 Walking Games

The Ribblehead Viaduct at Sunset
Child walking into mouth of cave wearing headtorch and helmet

Kinsey Cave and Giggleswick Scar

📍 Settle (Yorkshire Dales National Park)

⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers

📏 7 miles

🚘🌳🥾✨🐶🎒🚌 🧒

This circular walk is one for the budding adventurers out there, with a cave to hunt down and legends of highwayman!

Plus…. Park anybody?!

The entrance to jubilee Cave

Victoria and Jubilee Cave

📍 Settle, Ribblesdale, Yorkshire Dales South Central

⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers

🥾🚘🎒✨🌳🧒🚌🐶

This walk is just brilliant. One of my favourite walks EVER! I like to call it…. The One With All The Caves (sorry, Friends reference!)

But it really DOES have all the caves! Jubilee Cave, Victoria Cave and mini caves with no name! So take your headtorch and become a true explorer!

Schoolboy's cave on Giggleswick scar

Schoolboy’s Tower, Giggleswick Scar

📍 Giggleswick, near Settle, Yorkshire Dales

⭐⭐Little Adventurers

🚘🎒✨🌳🐶

📏 2.5 miles linear

This is a fabulous short walk for an incredible view! If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, there is a cave to be found on this walk too! (Although, locating the cave is only suitable for older explorers as it is located on very steep ground)

Stainforth force in the winter

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! Watefall? Check! Giant abandoned lime kiln…. Check!

Catrigg Force near Settle

Catrigg Force, Stainforth

⭐⭐ Little Adventurers

📍 Stainforth, Ribblesdale. Yorkshire Dales

🚘🎒🥾💦🌳🚌🐶

📏 Less than 2 miles linear there and back again

Catrigg Force is located up from the village of Stainforth in the Yorkshire Dales. It’s a linear walk, there and back again to a stunning spot in a little wooded clearing.

It’s a great place to go on a hot Summer’s Day! Or ANY day for that matter!

Scaleber Force waterfall

Scaleber Force

⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers

📍 Settle, North Yorkshire

🎒🥾🚘💦🌳🐶

📏 1 mile

This spectacular fall is located in a magical wooded gorge, owned by the Woodland Trust. The linear 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!)

(The difficulty rating has been awarded on terrain, as access to the waterfall is down steep steps)

Sitting in front of Force Gill

Force Gill, Whernside

📍 Whernside, Ribblehead. The Yorkshire Dales

⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers

🚘🚅🥾🎒✨👻💦🚌🐶

📏 6 miles there and back again

This cracking waterfall is found on the ascent to Whernside, the biggest of the Yorkshire Three Peaks. The walk takes you past Ribblehead viaduct and Blea Moor tunnel… a train lover’s dream!

Exploring Yordas cave near Ingleton

Yordas Cave, Kingsdale

📍 Kingsdale, South Yorkshire Dales (near Ingleton)

⭐⭐ Little Adventurers

🚘🥾💦🎒✨🌳👻🐶

📏 Less than 1 mile - explore!

This ex Victorian show cave is spectacular, has a 30 foot waterfall hidden inside and was once home to a giant.

And the walk is short and sweet.

Oh and watch out for the ghostly army hanging around Kingsdale too!

Looking into Gaping Gill

Gaping Gill, Clapham

⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers

💦🚘🥾🎒🌳✨🧒🐶🚌

📏 8 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. But not just that, you can watch the beck disappear underground into Gaping Gill. And if all else fails, there’s a park at the end!

One of the rocks of the Norber Erratics

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.

Ok?

The Norber Erratics are a whole cluster of geologically weird rocks. Rocks balanced on top of one another in ridiculously 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.

Sitting on the trig point of Whernside

Whernside

📍 Ribblehead, Yorkshire Dales National Park

⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers

📏 Circular walk, 11 miles

🥾🎒🚘👻💦🌳🚌🐶

Whernside is the largest peak in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and it is a fantastic achievement for a budding peak bagger!

This is a circular walk to the summit of Whernside, which is kid friendly and will also take you to one of Whernside’s waterfalls too!

The summit of Pen y Ghent viewed from the path

Pen y Ghent and Hull Pot

📍 Horton in Ribblesdale, Yorkshire Dales National Park

⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers

📏 Circular walk 7.5 miles

🥾🎒🚘💦🌳🐶 🚌✨🧒

Want to bag yourself one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks? Pen y Ghent may be the smallest of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, but it is a fabulous walk for a young explorer!

This circular walk will take you to the summit of Pen y Ghent, and to Hull Pot too.

Ingleborough trig point with kids sitting on it in the cloud

Ingleborough

📍 Ingleton, Yorkshire Dales National Park

⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers

📏 Linear walk 7 miles

🥾🎒🚘🌳🐶 🚌✨🧒

Want to bag yourself one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks? Ingleborough is the second highest and this walk starts and ends in the super village of Ingleton, where you’ll find the play park and more!

Scroll using the arrows for all our Family Friendly Walks

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