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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Settle
Base in Settle for 2 nights if you want the Yorkshire Dales on foot and by train; skip it as a day trip from Leeds — the ride eats 2 hours each way.
Settle is a small market town in the Yorkshire Dales, population about 2,700, on the Leeds–Carlisle railway. It works as a low-key base for walking, the Settle–Carlisle line and the Three Peaks, not as a sightseeing stop: the town itself fills an afternoon, the hills fill the rest. Come by train, sleep two nights, and use it as a launchpad for Ribblehead, Malham and the Dales.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (wet, short days, some places closed)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–110 excl. bed · High £110+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Emergency 999 or 112 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | £3–4.50 |
| Pub main course | £12–18 |
| Fish and chips, takeaway | £9–13 |
| Pint of cask ale | £4–5.50 |
| Taxi within Settle | £5–8 |
| Museum entry (The Folly) | £5–7 |
| Campsite hook-up pitch, per night | about £32 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LBA · Leeds Bradford
- About 1 h 30 min by road; train via Leeds, roughly 2 h 30 min total.
- MAN · Manchester
- About 2 h by road; train via Leeds, roughly 3 h 30 min.
Typical fares
- Train Settle → Leeds
- about 1 h, roughly £12 one way (check)
- Train Settle → Carlisle
- about 1 h 40 min (check)
- Bus 580 Settle → Skipton
- about 40 min, roughly £6 (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The town is walkable in 15 minutes end to end. For the Dales you need wheels: buses 580/581 run to Skipton and Kirkby Lonsdale, Dales Bus 11 runs to Clitheroe and Horton-in-Ribblesdale, and trains run up the Settle–Carlisle line. Taxis are a one-car operation — book ahead.
See and do
Known for
- Settle–Carlisle railway and Ribblehead Viaduct
- Yorkshire Dales walking and the Three Peaks
- Settle Market (Tuesday)
- The Folly and Museum of North Craven Life
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ribblehead Viaduct and Horton-in-Ribblesdale | Train up the Settle–Carlisle line, about 25–35 min | About 1 h |
| Malham Cove and Gordale Scar | Car or taxi, about 25 min; no direct bus | About 40 min |
| Skipton | Train, about 20 min; bus 580 about 40 min | About 40 min |
| Ingleton and White Scar Cave | Car about 25 min; bus 581 to Ingleton | About 45 min |
| Kirkby Lonsdale | Bus 581, about 40 min | About 50 min |
Sleep
- Settle town centre
- Market Square, Duke St and High St: pubs, cafés and the station within a 5–10 min walk. Best for a car-free stay.
- Giggleswick
- About 1 mile west, near Giggleswick station and the A65. Quieter, cheaper, still walkable to Settle.
- Langcliffe and Austwick
- Village stays and campsites 1–3 miles out; you need a car or a taxi for evenings.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Excuse me / Sorry |
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Please | Please |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the toilet? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- Platform 2 at Settle station is reached by a footbridge with no lift; the level crossing only opens during staffed hours.
- Giggleswick station is an unstaffed halt with no ticket machine — buy on board or at Settle.
- A65 and B6480 traffic is heavy on fine summer weekends.
- Mobile signal is patchy on O2 and Three; 5G has not reached the area.
- Victoria Cave is not a show cave — enter at your own risk.
Very low crime; the real risks are weather, steep limestone ground and unlit lanes after dark. Tell someone your route on the fells and carry a charged phone.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Settle yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Settle–Carlisle railway and Ribblehead Viaduct
- Yorkshire Dales walking and the Three Peaks
- Settle Market (Tuesday)
- The Folly and Museum of North Craven Life
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Settle: www.visitsettle.co.uk/
- Settle Town Council: settletowncouncil.gov.uk/
- Wikivoyage: Settle, revision 5320010 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5320010
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Settle
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Emergency999 or 112
- NHS non-urgent111
- Police non-urgent101
No embassies in Settle; the US Embassy is in London, and most countries' consulates are in London, Edinburgh or Manchester.
English is the only language you need here.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/settle). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.