Walk - The Ribblesdale Geology Trails

The Ribblesdale Trails area has a unique character, but have you ever thought why? Much of it results from the rocks beneath your feet, the effects of ice and the way human activities have influenced the land since the ice melted. Millions of years of earth history have culminated in the landscape, plants animals, land use that make the area so attractive.

The two trails (that can be downloaded for FREE below) - Settle-Attermire and Stainforth-Winskill - provide an opportunity to explore the classic Carboniferous geology, and related cultural and industrial archeology, of the Settle-Stainforth area.

 

This 8km (5 mile) circular walk starts in Settle Market Place and takes you through one of the most stunning landscapes in Craven where tectonic faulting has played a major part in shaping the landscape.

On the north side of the fault system, all the surface rocks are Carboniferous Limestone, formed in shallow tropical seas between 325 and 340 million years ago.

On the south side, surface rocks are either younger Millstone Grit or Bowland Shales.

The walk includes an area with caves set into limestone scars that are of importance for prehistoric archaeology.