Guest walker Mark Reid takes a cheerful walk through the Happy Valley.

SETTLE is a bustling market town set amongst the rolling limestone hills of Ribblesdale. During the 17th Century the town prospered as traffic increased along the old packhorse routes through the hills.

Wealthy farmers and traders rebuilt their homes in stone, indeed one of the delights of the town is its many 17th Century cottages. In the 18th Century the Keighley to Kendal Turnpike came through Settle which heralded a new era of coaching inns, Georgian mansion houses and more organised industry including cotton mills along the River Ribble, some of which are still in production as paper mills. But perhaps the town is most famous as the starting point of the Settle and Carlisle Railway, one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world.

Stainforth, and its sister village of Little Stainforth across the river, were originally joined as one settlement centred on the 'stony ford' as this was the route of the monastic road and later an important packhorse route between Lancaster and York.

The beautiful arched packhorse bridge across the Ribble was built in 1670 by Samuel Watson, a member of a prominent local Quaker family who also built Knight Stainforth Hall.

Below the bridge is the dramatic Stainforth Force, where the River Ribble plunges into a deep pool over limestone ledges.

From Stainforth Bridge, our route follows the old packhorse trail up through the Happy Valley over to the isolated farming hamlet of Feizor, first settled by the Vikings as this was 'Fech's shieling'; it later developed as a monastic grange as both Fountains and Sawley Abbeys owned land in the area.

A moorland trek leads from Feizor over to the impressive Giggleswick Scar, a huge limestone escarpment caused by the Mid Craven Fault, although a large quarry has eaten away a section of it.

The name of the delightful village of Giggleswick is thought to be derived from the Saxon 'Gikel's farm'.

In the heart of the village is St Alkelda's Church, one of only two churches dedicated to the memory of this Saxon princess strangled by the Danes because of her faith.

Mark Reid is the author of 'The Inn Way' series of guidebooks(www.innway.co.uk)

Fact file

Distance: 8 miles

Time: Allow 3 hours

Start: Settle Market Place

Map: OS Explorer Map 'Yorkshire Dales Southern & Western Areas'

Parking: Throughout the town centre.

Refreshments: Pubs at Settle and Giggleswick; no facilities en route.

Terrain:The section from Settle to Stainforth follows the riverside path alongside the River Ribble. Take care near Stainforth Force as the surrounding limestone rock may be slippery. The section from Stainforth to Feizor and back to Giggleswick is along grassy moorland tracks.

How to get there: Settle lies just off the A65 between Skipton and Ingleton.

Directions

From the centre of Settle, head out of the corner of the Market Place passing the Royal Oak Hotel and follow the road down passing beneath the railway viaduct to reach the bridge across the River Ribble. Turn right immediately after the bridge along an enclosed path that leads straight across the playing fields. The path soon joins the river - follow the clear riverside path to the left then head up to the left (skirting playing fields) and through a wall gap to the right. Head straight across field to reach another wall gap, then follow the clear path straight on, with the Ribble to your right, to reach the road, then turn right into Stackhouse.

Follow the road as it bears round to the right (Stackhouse village up to your left) then take the track to the right after the house (signpost 'Locks') down to the river and weir. Turn left along the riverbank (signpost 'Stainforth Br') and follow the clear footpath with the Ribble on your right for one and a half miles until you reach Stainforth Force. Continue along the path passing the waterfalls on your right up to reach Stainforth Bridge, where you turn left along the road up into Little Stainforth.

At the crossroads in the centre of Little Stainforth head straight up the lane (signpost 'Feizor') passing a farm on your right, through the gate ahead then straight on along a track up to reach a ladder stile to the left of a gate (signpost). Cross the stile then follow the winding track heading up across the grassy moor to reach a ladder stile over a wall across your path. After the stile head straight on along the clear grassy path across the moor and follow it down to another ladder stile (signpost 'Feizor'). Carry straight on (crags up to right) along the path over a series of ladder stiles then down a rocky valley towards Feizor. As you reach the farm buildings on the edge of Feizor, head straight on through two bridle-gates then over a ladder stile onto the road in the centre of the village.

Turn left along the road then, at the cobbled ford, take the track up to the left (signpost 'Stackhouse 2') and follow it up through a gate then carry straight on along the stony track up across the grassy moor. The track soon becomes a wide grassy path which you follow straight on to join a wall on your left.

Continue straight on alongside this wall then, where the wall turns sharp left by a large solitary tree, continue straight on for a further 200 yards then follow the grassy track to the right (signpost 'Buck Haw Brow 1m') down to reach a ladder stile beside a gate. After the stile carry straight on along the clear grassy track over the moorland to another ladder stile, then straight on through a wall gate, after which the track drops down slightly to reach a wall-gate (signpost 'Giggleswick').

After this wall-gate, follow the clear grassy path straight on heading across the rough pastureland to quickly reach the top of the escarpment of Giggleswick Scar, where you carry straight on along the very clear undulating grassy path along top of Giggleswick Scar for about one mile until you reach a signpost just before the large quarry (large cairn of 'Schoolboys Tower' just across to the right). Follow the path to the left over limestone terrain skirting around the top of the quarry then head down to the right alongside the wall with the perimeter fence of the quarry now on your right. Follow this path down. After a short distance, head along the narrow path bearing to the right skirting around the quarry (keeping close to the quarry perimeter fence on your right) heading across the steep hillside. The path joins a clear track after a while, which you follow for a short distance then where this track bends away to the left continue straight on alongside the perimeter fence. Follow the fence-line bending sharply to the right after a short distance (signpost) then steeply down the limestone escarpment (quarry still on your right) to reach a metal gate to your right. Head through the gate and follow the path steeply down through woodland to reach the main road by the quarry entrance. Head across the main road along the road opposite and follow this lane down into Giggleswick.

Follow the road straight on through the village passing the church on your left then follow Bankwell Road straight on. The road bends round to the right and passes Bankwell House after which turn left along a narrow alleyway that leads down to the river. Turn left along the riverbank and follow the path to reach the road bridge. Walk up onto the bridge and turn right along the road back up into Settle.

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 09:00 Saturday, November 27, 2004