Trail running in Ribblesdale
8
routes
Which route should I choose?
8 routes in Ribblesdale, from 6.6 km to 41.5 km. If it is your first time here, start with the easy group below. Every route has a free GPX file, a TRP grade and a note on parking and transport.
Checked: 8 run by TRP. Each route page says which.
First trail run here
Low effort, easy ground, shortest first.
- Settle, Stainforth and the Waterfalls · 9.8 km · 144 m · Moderate
- Settle Limestone Loop · 15.2 km · 328 m · Moderate
- Clapham and the Ingleborough Estate · 16.9 km · 259 m · Moderate
Under 10 km
An hour or so, whatever your pace.
- Victoria Cave and Attermire Scar · 6.6 km · 276 m · Hard
- Settle, Stainforth and the Waterfalls · 9.8 km · 144 m · Moderate
A long day out
Over 25 km. Take food, take a map.
- Yorkshire Three Peaks Circuit · 41.5 km · 1,505 m · Expert
- Fountains Fell and Pen-y-ghent from Settle · 36.8 km · 966 m · Very Hard
- Fountains Fell and Pen-y-ghent from Horton-in-Ribblesdale · 33.4 km · 994 m · Very Hard
By train or bus
Starts you can reach without a car.
- Victoria Cave and Attermire Scar · 6.6 km · 276 m · Hard
- Settle, Stainforth and the Waterfalls · 9.8 km · 144 m · Moderate
- Settle Limestone Loop · 15.2 km · 328 m · Moderate
- Clapham and the Ingleborough Estate · 16.9 km · 259 m · Moderate
- Fountains Fell and Pen-y-ghent from Horton-in-Ribblesdale · 33.4 km · 994 m · Very Hard
- Fountains Fell and Pen-y-ghent from Settle · 36.8 km · 966 m · Very Hard
Compare all 8 routes in one table
| Route | Distance | Climb | Grade | Ground | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria Cave and Attermire Scar | 6.6 km | 276 m | Hard | fell | Bus or train |
| Settle, Stainforth and the Waterfalls | 9.8 km | 144 m | Moderate | path | Bus or train |
| Settle Limestone Loop | 15.2 km | 328 m | Moderate | path | Bus or train |
| Ingleborough from Chapel-le-Dale | 15.6 km | 611 m | Hard | fell | Drive, parking listed |
| Clapham and the Ingleborough Estate | 16.9 km | 259 m | Moderate | path | Bus or train |
| Fountains Fell and Pen-y-ghent from Horton-in-Ribblesdale | 33.4 km | 994 m | Very Hard | fell | Bus or train |
| Fountains Fell and Pen-y-ghent from Settle | 36.8 km | 966 m | Very Hard | fell | Bus or train |
| Yorkshire Three Peaks Circuit | 41.5 km | 1,505 m | Expert | fell | Bus or train |
MODERATEClapham and the Ingleborough Estate
You get the full Ingleborough approach, the show cave, the dark cleft of Trow Gill and the perched boulders at Norber, without committing to the summit itself.
No car needed
Checked Jul 2026
VERY HARDFountains Fell and Pen-y-ghent from Horton-in-Ribblesdale
Two contrasting Dales summits in one long loop, with the lonely moorland of Fountains Fell giving way to the unmistakable stepped profile of Pen-y-ghent.
No car needed
Checked Jul 2026
VERY HARDFountains Fell and Pen-y-ghent from Settle
Town-to-summit running at its best, starting from Settle's cobbles and reaching the wild tops of Fountains Fell and Pen-y-ghent before the long loop home.
No car needed
Checked Jul 2026
HARDIngleborough from Chapel-le-Dale
Vast plateau views on a clear day stretch from the Lake District to the Pennines, with the descent through classic limestone karst.
Checked Jul 2026
MODERATE
Settle Limestone Loop
You get a proper sampler of Ribblesdale from one town: limestone scars and green pasture on the tops, the River Ribble in the valley, and Settle's cafes waiting at the end.
No car needed
Checked Jul 2026
MODERATE
Settle, Stainforth and the Waterfalls
You link two very different waterfalls in one short loop: broad Stainforth Force, where salmon leap in autumn, and Catrigg Force, hidden in a deep wooded ravine you would run straight past without the sign.
No car needed
HARD
Victoria Cave and Attermire Scar
You climb straight to Victoria Cave, a huge fault-line cavern that gave up bones of ancient hippo and bear, set in the theatrical limestone cliffs of Attermire Scar.
No car needed
EXPERTYorkshire Three Peaks Circuit
Three summits, 1,505m of ascent, and a finish back in Horton means that you have definitely earned a drink.
No car needed
Checked Jun 2026