When excavated, Victoria Cave was found to contain the bones of hippopotamuses, elephants and spotted hyenas from 130,000 years ago.
The rocky outcrops of Attermire Scar
2 Turn L along the grassy path, passing through a small fenced area. Follow the grassy path alongside the wall to reach a small farm road. Turn L along the road for a few hundred metres. As the road descends to Stockdale Farm, look for the track on the L 3.6km.
3 Turn L through the gate and follow the rocky track up as it climbs the rough limestone plateau between Settle and Malham. As the path levels out, pass through a gate and run ahead to second gate. Continue ahead to a footpath junction 6km.
4 Turn L, following the footpath alongside the wall signposted ‘Pennine Bridleway Langscar Gate’. Gradually descend in a NW direction across several fields and gates to reach a junction where the Pennine Bridleway joins a track 7.1km.
5 Turn L along the Pennine Bridleway, climbing gradually to a gate. Continue ahead following a good track as it undulates around the north side of the limestone plateau. Pass through several gates before running past a small patch of coniferous woodland 11.5km.
6 Continue ahead, as the track becomes more substantial, aiming for a small notch in the limestone escarpment. Pass through this and descend to meet the outward leg of the route at a gate. Continue to descend back to the starting point 13km.
Last section of the Settle Loop with Pen-y-ghent and Fountains Fell behind
ROUTE 2
Crummackdale
| Start/finish | Roadside parking near Austwick: SD 769 691 |
| Distance | 12km (7½ miles) |
| Ascent | 325m (1070ft) |
| Grade | Level 3 |
| Time | 2hr |
| Terrain | A mix of grassy paths, walled lanes and fields |
| Map | OS Landranger 98: Wensleydale & Upper Wharfedale |
| Refreshments | Pub and shop in the village of Austwick |
| Public transport | Buses 580 and 581 from Skipton to Kirkby Lonsdale |
This is a hidden gem of a route, featuring one of the best examples of Yorkshire Dales scenery. Crummackdale is often missed in favour of runs up the higher peaks of Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent. The run is filled with geological interest, passing through the world famous Norber Erratics, as well as limestone pavement and layers of Moughton Whetstone, a banded mudstone used to make whetstones for razors. The run passes places such as Beggar’s Stile and Thieves’ Moss.
The run begins just outside the village of Austwick and climbs up on to the plateau east of Ingleborough, before following a short section of the Yorkshire Three Peaks route. The second half heads south and west, crossing through the limestone pavement of Moughton, before dropping back down to the start using an ancient walled lane.
The moon setting over Norber
1 Take the track W towards Clapham for 30 metres. Turn R over stile and run along the grassy track through the field to a wall. Turn R up to a wall corner. Cross through the small wooden gate and follow the path alongside the wall to the corner. Bear R and climb to meet a path. Turn R and follow the path for approximately 50 metres to a small, flat, grassy area and fingerpost. Turn L, taking a small path up through a short rocky section. Bear R then L, following one of the small grassy paths diagonally N up through the Norber Erratics to a wall corner marked by a ladder stile at SD 765 702 1.2km.
Running through the Norber Erratics (photo: Adrian Dellbridge)
Erratic deposits
The Norber Erratics are boulders of Silurian sandstone deposited by the last ice age. They lie on the surface, overlying the beds of limestone below.
2 Cross the wall and go straight ahead for a few metres to reach a small, stony path. Turn R and follow this path as it contours around the valley. After 400 metres, fork L on a grassy path heading for a notch in the limestone outcrop. Run through the notch and take one of the small paths heading N for approximately 500 metres, to reach a large cairn at Long Scar, adjacent to a grassy bridleway 2.8km.
3 From the cairn, run back to the bridleway and follow it NE to a bridleway junction. Continue ahead, following the Pennine Bridleway markers, to reach a gate crossing the track 4.8km.
4 Pass through the gate and continue ahead to reach the Sulber Nick path/track junction. Turn R, signposted ‘Horton in Ribblesdale’. Continue to follow this path for 1km before the path drops down to a gate. Continue ahead for 200 metres to a path junction and fingerpost 6.5km.
5 Turn R up the grassy path to a wall corner signposted ‘Austwick’. Go through the gate and continue ahead, with the wall on your R, to a stile. Turn R, cross over the stile and follow the path to reach the head of Crummackdale. Descend the grassy path into the valley to reach the intake wall and gate 8.2km.
6 Run down the grassy track and walled lane for 2.5km to a track junction. Turn R and then L after 30 metres to cross the stream, using the lower of the two bridges 10.5km.
7 Follow the path up to the wall. Cross using the stone stile. Continue ahead as the path crosses several fields and stiles, and cross over a small stream using a small bridge. Follow the path up through the field to reach the track just below the starting point. Turn R back to the start 12km.
ROUTE 3
Pen-y-ghent
| Start/finish | National Park car park, Horton in Ribblesdale: SD 807 725 |
| Distance | 11km (7 miles) |
| Ascent | 560m (1840ft) |
| Grade | Level 2 |
| Time | 2hr |
| Terrain | A mixture of good paths and tracks with a short section of road |
| Map | OS Landranger 98: Wensleydale & Upper Wharfedale |
| Refreshments | Pubs and café in Horton in Ribblesdale |
| Public transport | Train via the Settle–Carlisle line or Bus 11 from Settle |
From some angles Pen-y-ghent has the profile of a sleeping lion or the sphinx rising high above upper Ribblesdale. The run is straightforward, reaching the summit of one of Yorkshire’s iconic mountains in just a few kilometres. Pen-y-ghent is often the first peak climbed when walking/running the Yorkshire Three Peaks.
The route follows the main path ascending Pen-y-ghent from the west, summiting via the rocky