The northerly dales’ ancient market town of Settle has remained something of a well-kept secret. Resident Richard Handscombe shares some of the reasons to visit
Morning
Start your day off with a Naked Man breakfast. This curiously named café carries a date stone denoting the gruesome C17th century practice of displaying gibbet cages containing the corpses of petty criminals. You’d better make sure you pay the bill!
Enjoy the friendly market town ambience as you visit independent shops such as The House that Jack Built, Warren & Wright Jewellers, Castleberg Outdoors, Limestone Books, Gladrags, The Studio and Cottontail Crafts.
Stroll along the Riverside Walk making a detour to see the pioneering community-owned Settle Hydro at Bridge End Mill which inspired similar renewable energy projects across the world. Pop into the Watershed Mill, a former C19th weaving shed for some more retail therapy and visit the Potting Shed to see this year’s Flowerpot Festival exhibits under construction.
Afternoon
There are many options for a light lunch such as the Wonky Cake, Miss Victoria's Garden or takeaway from Forage & Feast.
Walk off the calories with a hike in the hills to Victoria Cave where the fossilised remains of hippos and elephants dating back 120,000 years were discovered in 1837. A less energetic walk to the top of Castleberg Crag overlooking the town is also magnificent.
The remains of the Hoffman Kiln, built in 1873 are worth a visit - a feat of engineering which is one of the largest and best preserved in Europe, with 22 individual burning chambers in a continuous circuit. It’s free to explore and you can venture inside the eerie arched tunnel punctuated by shafts of sunlight from the flues for an atmospheric experience.
If the weather isn’t great, or the outdoors isn’t your thing, then the Museum of Northern Life in the Folly, a wonderful Grade 1 building itself, gives a fascinating insight into the history of the area.
Tuesday is market day, and on second Sundays there's an Artisan Market. On Thursdays (Easter-October) you can take a Guided Heritage Walk around the town from the Tourist Information Centre.
If you’re a train enthusiast, why not take a trip on the iconic Settle to Carlisle line.
Evening
There are plenty of dining options. Enjoy the ambience of a Yorkshire Dales pub with an early dinner and a beer in The Talbot Inn, or the Golden Lion, an unspoilt historic coaching inn. Then for a real treat, take in whatever is showing at the world’s oldest music hall, Victoria Hall on Kirkgate. Opened in 1853, this remarkable historic venue survives as a Grade II listed building and an award-winning social enterprise bringing arts and culture to the town.
The eclectic programme features live music, cinema, theatre and entertainment supplemented by community events, cafes, classes, markets and more. Drawing audiences from a wide radius, it is the jewel in the crown of cultural entertainment in the region.
DON'T MISS IN 2024....
Settle Flowerpot Festival
Running throughout the summer you cannot fail to be entertained by the exhibits of the Flowerpot Festival, which are everywhere in and around the town from July to September. The Festival unites Settle as individual households, businesses and community groups come together to contribute their creative installations. Guaranteed to raise a smile, more than 250 flowerpot displays adorn the streets of the town and it is estimated that several thousand flowerpots are used to create the diverse and entertaining exhibits. You can expect to see everything from potty depictions of celebrities to wacky wildlife wonders. There is no theme, so anything goes. Three trail sheets are available to guide you.
SENSE OF PLACE
Settle is an ancient Yorkshire Dales town, given its market charter in 1249 by Henry III. It is overlooked by the famous Castleberg Crag and the magnificent Three Peaks beyond. Walkers and nature lovers of nature are drawn here by the distinctive limestone backdrop and the diversity of the landscape, which is stunning all year round. Lovers of Dales towns and villages come to enjoy a break in a unique higgledy-piggledy place which has retained its character and is unspoilt by modern architecture.
The Folly
Built in 1679, The Folly is a distinctive Grade 1 listed building. With an intriguing and somewhat mysterious history, it is now home to the Museum of North Craven Life, and a fine coffee shop which, impressively, was winner of the Museum Cafe of the Year in 2023.
Hoffmann Kiln
This hidden gem just a couple of miles outside Settle, is quite awe inspiring. Built in the 1870's, it is a testament to the ingenuity of the Victorians to burn limestone to produce quick lime, calcium oxide, which when mixed with water produced slake lime for putty used in building or as fertiliser for the land. The kiln is now a free visitor attraction. Photography fans love capturing the moody shafts of light inside.
The Courtyard Dairy
On the outskirts of the town, don’t miss visiting this Cheesemonger of the Year in the World Cheese Awards! A visit here is a real treat for the eyes, nose and tastebuds. It is a true emporium of British cheese, with local artisan cheeses taking centre stage. It also features a small cheese-making museum and its own café.
Settle to Carlisle Railway
A trip on this world-famous line traverses some of the most impressive and beautiful countryside in Britain - 74 miles, 14 tunnels and 21 viaducts - including the magnificent Ribblehead Viaduct, just up the line from Settle. Although part of the regular UK rail network, the line is frequently visited by express trains pulled by historic steam engines.
