Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill.
Five and a half miles and around three hours: the Ribble Way north through riverside meadows to the packhorse bridge at Stainforth, then the steep stony climb of Goat Scar Lane to Catrigg Force, and a high return across Winskill with the whole of Ribblesdale below. Start at Langcliffe village green a mile north of Settle, where there is limited roadside parking and a bus from Settle station; the alternative is the pay-and-display car park in Stainforth, which fills early at weekends. The beck at Catrigg and the Ribble both give a drink and there is a safe shallow paddle at Stainforth Bridge, but sheep graze the whole route so keep the dog on the lead, the viewing path at the top of the fall runs along an unprotected lip, and the meadow section is crossed by a run of narrow stone squeeze stiles that a Labrador simply will not fit through.
Four miles and around two and a half hours through the finest limestone amphitheatre in Craven, past Warrendale Knotts and the cave mouths of Victoria and Jubilee, with a long steep climb out of the town to start and rocky, slippery ground in places. Start from Settle market place; parking is pay-and-display and Settle station on the Settle-Carlisle line is five minutes away, which makes this one of the few Dales walks you can do properly by train. This is open access limestone grazing with sheep everywhere and short leads required from 1 March to 31 July for ground-nesting birds, there are ladder stiles over the walls that no dog can climb, and the cave entrances and scar edges are unfenced drops.
Seven and a half miles and about three and three quarter hours along the top of Giggleswick Scar, over to the hamlet of Feizor and back down the Ribble at Stackhouse, with one steep pull onto the limestone and some genuinely slippery ground where the path crosses bare rock. Start at Settle railway station on the Settle to Carlisle line, which puts the walk within reach without a car and saves the scramble for parking in the market place. Sheep are on the scar and the Feizor pastures throughout the year so the lead stays on, and there is a short and unpleasant stretch beside the A65 at Buck Haw Brow where traffic comes fast round a bend; the Ribble at Stackhouse is the payoff, with easy shingle access for a swim, but expect several tight limestone squeeze stiles above Feizor that a broad dog will have to be lifted through.
Family-run park on the banks of the River Ribble two miles north of Settle, close to Stainforth Force. Two dogs are welcome per pitch, with a securely fenced exercise field for off-lead runs and the river for a paddle; leads elsewhere on site. The on-site Knights Table restaurant welcomes well-behaved dogs too.
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