• Settle to Carlisle Line Guide
• Southbound line guide - Carlisle to Settle
• Settle-Carlisle Days Out - German translation

Southbound line guide - Carlisle to Settle

The City of Carlisle is an ancient border settlement with a fine cathedral and castle. The red sandstone buildings at the front of the station are not the castle - these are the old court house and toll bar for entry into Carlisle. There is a pleasant shopping area, via which the cathedral, castle and Tullie House Museum can all be reached.

Carlisle Citadel station is the beginning of your journey. Some 8 different railway companies used the station prior to the grouping of railway companies in 1923. As you leave the station on the train, the West Coast Main Line heads south to your right as the line curves to the left. Shortly after, the Settle-Carlisle line commences at Petterill Bridge junction where the line to Newcastle (The Tyne Valley Line) verges off to the left. This line was opened in 1839, some 37 years before the Settle-Carlisle which was opened in 1876.

Between Carlisle and Armathwaite the line passes three closed stations - Scotby, Cumwhinton and Cotehill. Some of the station buildings still remain.

After passing Cotehill, the line passes Low House Signalbox on the left, along with its level crossing. In a short distance is Dry Beck Viaduct with its 7 arches. The line then approaches Armathwaite station. On the left as you enter the station is the restored signalbox, maintained by the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line. Armathwaite is a pleasant Cumbrian village and features a working watermill and superb walks along the River Eden which the line follows until Ais Gill Summit.

The line now follows one side of the narrow gorge cut by the River Eden. There are some spectacular views down into the gorge on the left between here and Lazonby and Kirkoswald. As the line approaches Lazonby and Kirkoswald, the old goods shed on the right is now occupied by Bells of Lazonby bakery. The station is named after twin villages on either side of the river.

The river gorge then ends and the valley opens. The river crosses under the railway through Eden Lacy viaduct, with the river verging off to the right. Shortly before arriving at Langwathby station, there is a stone circle on the hillside to the left of the line. It is not visible from the train. Long Meg and Her Daughters stone circle is a 300 foot ellipse with 1 large stone and 66 small stones representing Long Meg and her 66 daughters! They were reputedly turned into stone for committing heinous acts on the Sabbath.

The red sandstone station buildings at Langwathby station are now the Brief Encounter Café-Restaurant. The famous film itself was produced at Carnforth, near Lancaster, despite the scene being set in Southern England. Close to Langwathby is Eden Ostrich World where you can visit and feed the ostriches!

The hills of the Lake District become visible on the right of the train in the far distance. Another river joins the Eden in this section. This is the River Eamont which flows out of Ullswater in the Lake District. On the left of the line are the high mountains of the Pennines. The mountain with a white radar station on it is Great Dun Fell, and immediately to its left is Cross Fell which is the highest Pennine peak at 2930 feet above sea level.

A large industrial works on the right of the line are those of British Gypsum at Kirkby Thore. Gypsum (a calcium compound) used to be mined here to produce plasterboard. The line speed for this section is slower as there has been subsidence affecting the stability of the land. However, gypsum is now obtained as a by-product from the desulphurisation process at Drax power station near Selby. This is transported by rail to Kirkby Thore. A covered conveyor belt can be seen passing under the line after the works which used to transport gypsum from the mine to the works.

The line then arrives at Appleby. On the approaches to the station the square tower and turrets of Appleby Castle can be seen to the right of the line. Appleby station won the Best Small Station in the National Rail Awards 2003. Bishop Eric Treacy, a renowned railway photographer, died here in 1978 and his life is commemorated by a plaque on the station buildings. The town holds a gypsy horse fair each year when local fields and streets are taken over.

Ormside viaduct marks the last crossing of the River Eden, followed by Helm Tunnel. Shortly after this tunnel is the halfway point between Settle and Carlisle. Crosby Garrett village is effectively cut in half by the railway which passes over the village on a Crosby Garrett viaduct. Crosby Garrett tunnel follows soon afterwards.

The line then crosses Smardale Viaduct as it curves to the left. This viaduct is the highest on the line at 135 feet above the valley bottom. If you look to the end of the valley on the right as you approach the viaduct you may just be able to see another viaduct on the now closed Kirkby Stephen to Tebay line. This line passed under the last arch of Smardale Viaduct. The turreted building on the left is Smardale Hall.

Kirkby Stephen station is then reached. It has a clock which remains at 10.01. The Queen was due to arrive at the station at 10.00 in 1991 and the clock had long since stopped. The hands were changed to show 10.01 and it is said that the Queen commented that she was on time again! The hands have not moved since. Kirkby Stephen is a pleasant market town 1 ½ miles from the station. It has a large Parish church locally known as the Cathedral of the Dales.

Shortly before the next tunnel (Birkett tunnel) you can get a glimpse of Lammerside Castle in the valley bottom on the left. The line is climbing all the time to reach Ais Gill Summit, the watershed and highest point on the line. Again in the valley bottom in about 3 minutes the ruins of Pendragon Castle can be seen just before a small village in the valley.

As the line curves to the left it is approaching Ais Gill Summit, running along the flanks of Wild Boar Fell. If you look close to the line and to the left after the bridge you will see Hell Gill Force which is the last visible sign of the River Eden. The line passes under another bridge and Ais Gill Summit is reached which is 1169 feet above sea level, 1119 feet higher than Carlisle. The summit is marked by maroon signboards on either side of the line. Shotlock Hill tunnel and Lunds viaduct follow before Moorcock tunnel brings the line into Garsdale. Before arriving at the station of the same name, the line crosses Dandry Mire viaduct. This was originally planned as an embankment but the very boggy nature of the ground meant that a viaduct built up from the bedrock was necessary.

Garsdale station used to be a junction station for the line to Hawes which closed in 1959. Look for the attractive row of railway cottages on the right as you leave. The highest water troughs in the world used to be situated near here, where steam locomotives and early diesels used to pick up water at speed. The line then curves to the left and enters Rise Hill Tunnel.

Dent station is the highest main line station in England at 1150 feet above sea level. It is some 4 miles from the village of the same name and some 500 feet higher. As the line leaves the station remains of snow fences can be seen on the left on the hillside. Despite this, in 1963 the snowdrifts were over 20 feet deep and they blocked the line! In the winter of 1947 the line was blocked for 2 months. The views to the right down Dentdale are superb.

Arten Gill viaduct is then crossed as the line curves slightly to the right. It is named after the stream which is crossed. A short while after is Dent Head viaduct as the line curves again to the right. The view to the right and looking backwards down Dentdale is superb.

The line then enters Blea Moor Tunnel. It is 1 ½ miles long and 500 feet above the moor above it. It was dug simultaneously from 16 faces primarily by hand. On leaving the tunnel, Blea Moor signal box is passed. Shortly after, Ribblehead viaduct can be seen from the left of the train and looking straightforwards. It has 24 arches and every sixth arch is a stronger arch known as a King arch. It is 104 feet above the surrounding moorland which was covered with a shanty settlement whilst the line was being built. Some 6000 men at any one time worked on building the line between 1869 and 1876. It is also possible to see shakeholes where water percolates into the limestone. A couple of miles down the valley to the right is Chapel-le-Dale church where a memorial exists for those who died building the line in this area.

Directly behind you is Whernside which is the second peak in the Three Peaks challenge walk. To your right is the flat-topped peak of Ingleborough, the third peak. Both are over 2300 feet above sea level. Ingleborough has an extensive network of underground tunnels and caves beneath it, and its flat top one saw a Roman hill fort and even chariot races!

Ribblehead station was derelict until recently when the Settle & Carlisle Railway Trust repaired and refurbished the station buildings. They are now an award-winning visitor centre for the line.

The landscape between here and Horton-in-Ribblesdale has changed again as wild fells gives way to moorland as the line follows the upper Ribble valley. The many clusters of small humps in the landscape are known as drumlins and are a legacy of the last Ice Age.

Horton-in-Ribblesdale station has also been refurbished by the Settle & Carlisle Railway Trust. The gardens are tended by volunteers from the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line. The village itself lies on the Pennine Way and is the start and finish of the Three Peaks walk. Directly across the valley to the left is Pen-y-Ghent which is the first peak. It is over 2200 feet and its base is limestone with a sandstone top. The café in the village keeps a time clock of all those undertaking the 24-mile walk.The gradient downhill stops for a short distance as the line crosses over the site of a glacial lake bed. The descent continuing, Helwith Bridge is reached where the River Ribble crosses under the railway. The two are almost level here. A short distance after the river crosses under the railway again on the first Sheriff Brow viaduct, the river having lost height rapidly. The river then sweeps under the railway for a third time, this time considerably lower than the railway. This is the second Sheriff Brow viaduct. The line is now descending down the Stainforth Gorge. This was created in the last Ice Age when the River Ribble's previous path was blocked by ice and the river was forced to cut a deep and narrow gorge to drain into the Irish Sea via Settle.

The line is now approaching Settle station. The Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line have restored the former Settle signal box which is now open for visitors to look round. The station buildings incorporate a plaque unveiled by Richard Whiteley to commemorate the line's 125th anniversary in 2001. The well-tended station was Highly Commended in the Station of the Year Competition 2001. Looking West from the station (right) you will see a dome on the hill - this is Giggleswick school chapel where Russell Harty taught and Richard Whiteley attended as a pupil. The other stone buildings around the chapel are the main school buidings. The market town of Settle is very pleasant and has a selection of cafés, gift shops and pubs.

Trains then continue to Leeds via Skipton and Keighley.

I hope that you enjoyed your journey on the Settle-Carlisle and that this line guide has assisted you in viewing items of interest along the line.

John Peter Buckley
Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line

Second edition - 17 January 2004

© John Peter Buckley

						The summit of the line is 1169 feet at Ais Gill