Yorkshire Dales by train from Leeds on the Settle to Carlisle line

You do not need a car to get properly into the Yorkshire Dales. Trains from Leeds station run up the Settle to Carlisle line, and a handful of the stops drop you almost straight onto a footpath. It is a good year for it too, as 2026 marks 150 years of passenger travel on the line, according to the Settle-Carlisle Railway.

Getting there from Leeds

Northern runs diesel trains between Leeds and Carlisle via Shipley, Keighley, Skipton and Hellifield, joining the Settle and Carlisle at Settle Junction, every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day (Settle-Carlisle). The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority says direct trains run about every couple of hours (Yorkshire Dales National Park).

Northern's planner shows direct Leeds to Settle trains at 07:47, 09:18, 10:49, 13:18 and 15:18, with a journey of just over an hour. A new timetable starts on 17 May and runs to 12 December, so check times for your own date before you set off.

Stops after Settle run in this order: Horton in Ribblesdale, Ribblehead, Dent, Garsdale, Kirkby Stephen and Appleby, before Carlisle. Leeds to Carlisle takes about 2h40, per Seat61.

Fares

• Leeds to Settle: Northern shows fares from £5.50.
• Settle to Ribblehead: about 15 minutes, with Advance fares from £5.40.
• Leeds to Carlisle: Seat61 lists an Off-Peak day return at £38.90, though the figure is undated. Off-Peak means any train after 09:00 on weekdays and any train at weekends.
• Northern says booking in advance can save up to 60%.
• A Dales Railcard takes a third off off-peak fares on the line.

Leeds, Skipton, Settle, Appleby and Carlisle are staffed with ticket machines. Several stops in between are unstaffed, so buy before you travel. The Dales Rambler Day Ranger (£15.10 adult) covers Northern trains between Leeds or Bradford and Ilkley or Skipton, plus DalesBus, so do not assume it covers the Settle line.

Ribblehead: the easy win

Ribblehead is the stop to pick if you only want one. Northern's Ribblehead Viaduct walk is a 3.6-mile circular from the station, takes at least two hours and passes Whernside and Ingleborough. Leave the station, walk down the access road to the B6255 (Low Sleights Road) and the Station Inn is directly across. The viaduct was built with thousands of workers living in temporary camps, and over a hundred died during construction, according to Tripadvisor's attraction notes.

For a shorter outing, a short walk passes the viaduct and follows the line towards Blea Moor tunnel (Where2Walk).

Where to eat and drink at Ribblehead

Station Inn, Low Sleights Road, Ribblehead. A stone pub next to the viaduct, described by GPS Routes as walker-friendly, with a good menu, rooms and free parking. Tripadvisor reviewers praise the real ale and home-cooking style pub food, so a pint and a plate after the loop is the plan (GPS Routes).

Ribblehead Station Visitor Centre and Tearoom, Ribblehead station. Volunteer-run, with an exhibition about the line and a coffee shop selling homemade cakes. Visit Settle gives opening as 10:30 to 15:30 daily, while the Settle-Carlisle Trust has quoted slightly different hours, so check before you go (Visit Settle).

Other stops for a walk

Settle. The market town where the line enters the Dales. The national park's walking app has routes from Settle, Garsdale and Dent stations, mixing linear and circular walks for different abilities.

Horton in Ribblesdale. The start for the Three Peaks country. The Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line list an 11-mile walk from Horton to Settle via Crummackdale, graded Hiker, though that comes from a 2022 leaflet.

Dent. Seat61 says this is the highest mainline station in England, at 1,150 ft, and more than 4½ miles from Dent village. Its suggested Dent to Ribblehead walk is 9.2 miles and about 4½ hours. It starts with a mile up a narrow tarmac road onto Dent Fell and crosses the top of Blea Moor tunnel, with the viaduct and the pub at the end.

Garsdale. Another station with walks in the national park app. Through train and bus tickets run to and from Hawes, changing at Garsdale.

Kirkby Stephen. A Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line guided walk goes from here via Smardale Gill Viaduct and Smardale Nature Reserve, 11 miles, on 20 June.

Pack food and water. Some of the quieter stops have little or nothing near the station.

Free guided walks

Friends of DalesRail and the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line run free guided walks, mostly on Saturdays, graded Hiker or Explorer. The DalesRail walks use the 09:18 Leeds to Carlisle service unless stated, and some use the 07:47. Dates listed include 23 May (Winskill), 30 May (Lazonby circular), 6 June (Ingleborough) and 13 June (Horton, 10 miles) (FoSCL).

Check before you go

The line has had a rough spell. A retaining wall collapsed onto the track between Garsdale and Kirkby Stephen on 22 February, with road transport replacing trains between Skipton and Appleby, as YorkMix reported. Northern later warned of delays of up to 30 minutes on northbound trains. Look at Northern's service updates on the day you travel.