Visit Settle - About the Settle Area

The Settle Area

A rural idyll with a bustling traditional market town at its heart

The Settle Area is 185 square miles of wonderful countryside, spectacular landscape and fascinating heritage
that lies on the south-western edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the
north-eastern edge of the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Area straddles the border between North Yorkshire and Lancashire
and is just a short distance from Cumbria and the Lake District.

The ancient market town of Settle is the 'capital' of the area and home to many places to shop, eat, stay and be entertained.
The town is surrounded by characterful villages, each with its own distinctive personality and charm.

Ribblesdale is the largest dale in the area.
The smaller dales are Malhamdale, Chapel-le-Dale, Crummackdale, Clapdale and Silverdale.

Lying within the area are the magnificent Three Peaks of Yorkshire (Whernside, Ingleborough & Pen-y-Ghent)
and the spectacular landscape of Malham Cove, Goredale Scar and Malham Tarn.

Stainforth Foss, Catrigg Foss, Scaleber Foss and Janet's Foss are the grandest and most accessible
of the picturesque waterfalls waiting to be discovered, although there are a myriad of smaller falls
and cascades dotted throughout a landscape in which the sound of bubbling water is an ever-present companion.

	Settle
	Settle is an ancient market town with a market charter granted by Henry III in 1249. The town is located at the gateway to Upper Ribblesdale at the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales. Current population is approx. 2600.

	Giggleswick
	Giggleswick is a picturesque village on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is located to the immediate north-west of Settle and has a population of approximately 1270.

	Langcliffe
	Langcliffe is a pretty village on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and bounded by the River Ribble to the west. Located to the immediate north of Settle, the village has a population of approximately 333.

	Stainforth
	Stainforth, a pretty village in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, is situated to the east of the River Ribble with Little Stainforth (or Knight Stainforth) to the west. The village nestles under Stainforth Scar, 2½ miles north of Settle. Population is approx. 230.

	Rathmell
	Rathmell is a village that lies on road between Settle and Clitheroe. It is 3 miles south-west of Settle and has a population of approximately 305.

	Long Preston
	Long Preston is a village in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is located 4 miles south of Settle and has a population of approximately 750.

	Austwick
	Austwick is a picturesque village on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is 5 miles north-west of Settle and has a population of approximately 480.

	Clapham
	Clapham is a picturesque village in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is located 6 miles north-west of Settle and has a population of approximately 640.

	Hellifield
	Hellifield is a village on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is located 6 miles south-east of Settle and has a population of approximately 1430.

	Wigglesworth
	Wigglesworth is a village that lies outside the National Park, on the road between Settle and the Forest of Bowland. It is located 6 miles south of Settle and has a population of approximately 380.

	Horton in Ribblesdale
	Horton in Ribblesdale is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and lies 6 miles to the north of Settle. The village has a station on the Settle-Carlisle line. Population is approx. 430.

	Malham
	Malham is a picturesque village in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is located 6½ miles east of Settle and has a population of approximately 240.

	Tosside
	Tosside is a village that lies on the edge of the Forest of Bowland, straddling the Yorkshire/Lancashire border. It is located 8½ miles south-west of Settle and has a population of approximately 150.

	Ribblesdale
	Ribblesdale is the upper valley of the River Ribble which rises in the hills above Ribblehead and flows 75 miles to join the Irish Sea near Lytham. The river flows southwards ...

	Malhamdale
	The upper end of the valley of the River Aire is known as Malhamdale. Malham Tarn is at the head of the dale which then runs through Watlowes Dry Valley, over Malham Cove and through the villages of Malham, Kirky Malham, Hanlith and Airton. Below ...

	Crummackdale
	Crummackdale (or Crummack Dale) is a small, sparsely populated dale lying to the north of Austwick. Austwick Beck rises at the head of Crummackdale and flows westward into the River Wenning and then the River Lune which enters the Irish Sea at Lancaster.

	Clapdale
	Clapdale is a small Dale lying to the north of Clapham Village and below the southern slopes of Ingleborough. The head of Clapdale is Trow Gill, a ‘dry', limestone ravine.

	Silverdale
	Silverdale is a small, side dale of Ribblesdale lying to the south of Pen-y-ghent. The dale is bounded by the southern slopes of Pen-y-ghent to the west and Fountains Fell to the east.

	Chapel-le-Dale
	Chapel-le-Dale stretches in a south-westerly direction from the Ribblehead Viaduct to the outskirts of Ingleton. The sides of the Dale are the slopes of Ingleborough to the east and Whernside to the west.