Jubilee Cave and Stockdale Lane from Settle

The route

Start in Settle and climb straight out of town on the lanes and fields above Langcliffe. It's steep for the first 2km and you'll gain over 150m before you've warmed up. The gradient eases as you reach the edge of Langcliffe Scar, and at about 3.5km you pass Jubilee Cave, tucked into the scar on your left. Victoria Cave, where prehistoric hippo and hyena bones were found, is a short detour a few hundred metres south if you want to add it.

The high ground

From Jubilee Cave the route runs east across the limestone upland, holding 400-450m for several kilometres on grassy tracks between walls and clints. This is the part of the run to enjoy: firm underfoot, open views north up Ribblesdale and east towards Malham Moor, and hardly anyone about. At around 8km you turn south and climb to the high point of the day on Stockdale Lane, roughly 520m.

Stockdale Lane and back

The return follows Stockdale Lane, part of the Pennine Bridleway, west past Stockdale Farm with the crags of Attermire Scar and Warrendale Knotts above you to the right. It's a walled stony track that's quick in the dry and rutted after rain. Lower down, the lanes and field paths drop you back into the top of Settle, with the last kilometre on steep tarmac.

Why it works

At 17km with around 440m of climb, this grades Hard on our scale, mostly for the distance and that early climb. The terrain itself is kind: no scrambling, no bog to speak of and clear tracks for most of the way. It's one of the most runnable ways to see the limestone country around Settle, and it overlaps only partly with the Settle Loop, so it's a good second route if you already know that one.