Settle and Attermire Scar

This is a closed loop that starts and finishes in Settle Market Place, and the 4 miles / 6 km figure is the whole circuit, not a one-way leg. Keep it separate in your planning from the longer Settle-to-Malham walks that use some of the same ground.

Allow around 1 hour 45 minutes at a steady pace. An hour and a half is realistic only if you keep moving and do not stop at the cave or the viewpoints, which is most of the reason to come.

The walk earns its height immediately. From the market square it goes up Constitution Hill and Banks Lane in one long, steep pull, rising from roughly 163 m in town to about 420 m on the upper part of the route. It is graded strenuous, and the climb is front-loaded, so the first section is the hardest part of the day.

Above the lane the route joins the Pennine Bridleway, then turns off to Victoria Cave before skirting beneath the crags of Attermire Scar. This is the core of the loop: open limestone country, cave mouths set into the hillside, and the scar rising directly above the path. From the higher ground you get views back over Settle and Ribblesdale, with Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent on the skyline.

The return drops back to the top of Banks Lane and retraces the lane down into town, so the descent is on familiar ground.

Boots with grip are worth having rather than trainers, and poles help on the descent if your knees dislike steep lanes.

• Parts of the route are rocky, and grassy sections can get muddy and slippery.
• Field walking is uneven, with gates and a kissing gate along the way.
• Navigation is straightforward if you follow the signed path and the bridleway line, but this is not a surfaced or accessible stroll.

The loop begins in Settle market square. There are several car parks in Settle, including street car parks and the Station Road car park. Toilets, shops, cafes and pubs are in the town, so the practical plan is to park, walk the loop, and eat afterwards.

Dogs can use the public rights of way on this route. Keep them on a lead on rights of way and wherever livestock is present, and use a short lead from March to July because of ground-nesting birds.

This is limestone country, which means caves, limestone pavement and sink holes near the path. Stick to the path around the cave and the scar, keep away from the edges above and below the crags, and take care where wet rock and mud combine on the steeper ground. Children and dogs need close supervision on the upper section.