Get on the Right Track at Chapel-le-Dale and book a lovely Dales Cottage for a relaxing break.
This hamlet and wide, u-shaped dale in North Yorkshire is the perfect spot for a family holiday or for anyone interested in scenic walks, old railway lines or potholing. Geologists will marvel at this landscape, but ordinary families will get a kick out of the amenities here, as well as the natural wonders.
Numerous established walking routes of short and long duration wind their way through the dale and it’s possible to access famous long distance walks and join them for a while. For an easy circular walk that lasts around four hours, you can start and finish at nearby Ribblehead. In addition, the Ribblehead Quarry Nature Reserve Walk is a 1.5-mile walk that takes in the disused quarry, limestone pavement and a Viking Age settlement. The Ingleton Waterfalls Trail is four and a half miles of ancient oak woodland, gorgeous Dales views and fabulous waterfalls. For limestone pavement, potholes, wild flowers and ferns, the 42-hectare Southerscales Nature Reserve is a walker’s favourite.
As for doing short to moderate sections of long distance paths, there are plenty of opportunities. Most famously of all, the Pennine Way passes through the head of Chapel-le-Dale. A Dales Highway stretches for 90 miles from Saltaire to Appleby-in-Westmoreland and The Dales Way is an 80 mile route beginning in Ilkley and finishing in Bowness-on-Windermere. The Three Peaks Walk is also easily accessed from Chapel-le-Dale. This is quite a challenge, if attempting to reach the summit of all three fells, or you can choose from just one at Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-Ghent.
St. Leonard’s Church is very pretty and has Grade II listed building status. Its origins are in the 17th century with some added features from the 18th century. In common with many other buildings in the area, it uses the local limestone. Inside the church, visitors find memorial tributes to workmen that lost their lives working on both the Settle-Carlisle Railway and the nearby Ribblehead Viaduct.
Ribblehead Viaduct is one of the most architecturally pleasing structures in the Dales. Its 24 arches loom impressively in the landscape. Often photographed, it is a Grade II listed building. Near the viaduct, there is Ribblehead Station, which contains a treasure trove of railway memorabilia in the gift shop. The station’s visitor centre is also a must for anyone interested in the history of the local railway and the campaign to save the Settle to Carlisle line. The timetable for trains includes both steam trains and diesel trains.
Railway enthusiasts all around Europe have heard of the famous Settle – Carlisle Railway. Ready for passengers to travel on it in 1876, it was a major triumph of engineering and took six years to construct. The 72 miles incorporates some of the best views ever seen from a train window and it was a popular journey right from the start.
The area around Chapel-le-Dale is just as interesting underneath the ground as it is above ground. Fortunately, there are caves that are open to the public, so families can get a taste for the world of stalactites and stalagmites. White Scar Cave at Ingleton invites people to join, what is the longest cave tour in the UK. Tours last around 80 minutes. Afterwards, you can enjoy the café, shop, and visitor centre or picnic areas. Another show cave worth visiting is Ingleborough Cave, where the floodlit passages and concrete paths make it public-friendly. Many people pick up a leaflet and follow the trail from the village of Clapham to the cave. This walk is a pleasant route through woods and unusual trees.
From the dry stone walls, flocks of sheep and walking paths to sitting in a pub with a roaring fire eating Yorkshire Pudding or speeding through the landscape in a shiny, steam train, families take back lots of memories of good times in this little corner of the Dales.
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