Settle with Kids: Family Things to Do in the Gateway to the Dales
2 The Square, Grassington: Honest Verdict for Solo Young Travellers
Ride a heritage railway, walk behind a waterfall and explore limestone caves in and around Settle, with practical tips for families staying in North Yorkshire.
Settle town: a compact base for young families
Settle’s centre is small enough to walk in an hour. Start at the market square, where the Shambles and the Town Hall face each other across cobbles. The river Ribble runs just south of the shops, with a grassy bank below the bridge that is ideal for a picnic or a kickabout. The Settle–Carlisle railway station sits on the edge of town, a five-minute walk from the square. For rainy hours, the library on Limestone View has a children’s corner and free Wi-Fi.
Most family hotels and B&Bs cluster along Station Road, Duke Street and Commercial Street, with a handful of self-catering cottages towards Kirkgate. Parking is limited in the square, so look for stays with their own car park if you are driving. The town hosts a Tuesday market and a busy Saturday one; both are good for fresh fruit and local cheese. Expect to pay around £90–£150 per night for a family room in summer, less in March and November.
Rails, rocks and waterfalls within 30 minutes
The Settle–Carlisle line is the area’s star attraction for children. From Settle station you can ride north to Ribblehead in about 20 minutes, crossing the 24-arch viaduct; a return ticket is modest and the views from the window are the point. At Ribblehead there is a short, flat walk to the viaduct base. Southbound, trains run to Skipton in roughly 40 minutes, where the castle and the canal basin make an easy half-day. Check the timetable before you go: services are less frequent on Sundays.
West of Settle, the Yorkshire Dales National Park offers three child-friendly classics. Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, about 30 minutes by car, is a 4.5-mile circular walk past Pecca Falls and Thornton Force; allow three hours with stops. White Scar Cave, near Ingleton, runs guided tours through a limestone passage with low ceilings in places. Malham Cove, 20 minutes east, has a stepped path to the top of the limestone pavement; the view is worth the climb, but keep hold of younger children near the edge.
Wet-weather options and where to stay
If rain sets in, head to Skipton’s Craven Museum and Gallery, which has a hands-on section for children and is free. The Ingleton Open Air Pool is seasonal and unheated, so save it for a warm July or August day. In Settle itself, the Museum of North Craven Life at The Folly has a small dressing-up area and a garden. For a bigger day out, Kirkby Lonsdale is 30 minutes by car and has a riverside walk and independent shops; the Devil’s Bridge area is popular but the rocks are slippery when wet.
For families, I would book a hotel on Station Road or near the market square rather than a remote cottage. You can walk to dinner, reach the station without a car and still drive to Ingleton in half an hour. If you want a pool or a larger room, consider Skipton or Kirkby Lonsdale instead; both have more hotel choice and are within 40 minutes. The best months are May, June and September: school groups are fewer, the waterfalls are full and the weather is usually kind.
What to skip and how to plan your days
Skip the drive to Malham Cove on a summer weekend unless you arrive before 10am; the village car park fills quickly and the lane becomes a bottleneck. The same applies to Ingleton’s waterfalls trail on bank holidays. Giggleswick Scar, just across the river from Settle, offers a shorter walk with wide views and no parking charge; it is a good substitute when the main honey pots are busy. The Hoffman Kiln at Langcliffe is interesting for older children but not worth a special trip with toddlers.
Plan one full day out and one local day. A rail trip to Ribblehead in the morning, lunch in Settle, then the riverbank in the afternoon covers a lot without a car. Keep a £5–£10 note for car parks, which mostly take coins, and check opening times: several Dales attractions close on Mondays and Tuesdays outside July and August. Book accommodation early for the June and September weekends, when the Settle–Carlisle line runs extra services and rooms in town sell out first.
Before you book
The questions people ask about Grassington, answered with this month’s numbers.
No. The town is walkable, the railway station connects to Ribblehead and Skipton, and buses run to Ingleton and Malham. A car helps for White Scar Cave and the waterfalls trail, but many families manage without one for a short break.
May, June and September offer the best mix of drier weather, full waterfalls and fewer crowds. July and August are busiest and the Ingleton pool is open, but popular car parks fill by mid-morning. Winter is quiet, with some attractions closed.
Look at hotels and B&Bs on Station Road, Duke Street or near the market square. You can walk to meals and the train, and drive to Ingleton in about 30 minutes. Family rooms typically cost £90–£150 per night in summer.
