Ribblehead Viaduct

A 400 m long Victorian railway viaduct of 24 stone and brick arches, standing 104 ft (32 m) high over Batty Moss. It opened in 1876 and is also known as Batty Moss Viaduct. The railway remains in use, so a train may pass while you are there. The setting puts you among the Three Peaks, with Whernside and Ingleborough filling the skyline.

This is not just a pretty structure. Hundreds of navvies died during construction through accidents, fights and smallpox. The railway company paid to expand a local graveyard, and memorials commemorate the workers. Nearby scheduled monument evidence covers a railway construction camp and a prehistoric field system: bricks were made on site and limestone was quarried near Ribblehead Station.

The approach is a wide, firm gravel bridleway, generally level, with no steps or gates. Manual wheelchair users may need assistance with the road crossing. The site is exposed and remote with little shelter, so poor weather affects both comfort and visibility. There are no toilets at the viaduct; the nearest public facilities are at the Horton-in-Ribblesdale car park.

There is an optional circular walk from Ribblehead station of about 3.6 mi (5.8 km), which needs at least 2 hours. Dress for open moorland whichever option you choose.