Pennine Bridleway

Cyclist on the Settle Loop
section of the Pennine Bridleway

The Pennine Bridleway is a new 350 mile (560km) long National Trail in the north of England. Funded by Natural England and with the support of a £1.8 million Sport England award, the Bridleway enters the Yorkshire Dales National Park at Long Preston and weaves through the Yorkshire Dales via Settle, Malham Moor, Feizor, Austwick, Selside, and Newby Head, leaving the National Park at the Cumbria County Council boundary above Garsdale - a total length of 52 miles (84 km).

You can download maps of the route in the Yorkshire Dales National Park using the links below:

• Map one: Long Preston to Stainforth, incorporating the Settle Loop (PDF file, 3.05MB)

• Map two: Stainforth to Sulber (PDF file, 3.20MB)

• Map three: Sulber to Cam Fell (PDF file, 3.12MB)

• Map four: Cam Fell to Cowgill Head,Garsdale Common (PDF file, 3.27MB)

• Map five: Garsdale Common to Hellgill Bridge (PDF file, 2.79MB)

• Map six: Hellgill Bridge to Stennerskeugh (PDF file, 2.76MB)

The route in the Yorkshire Dales National Park is now fully constructed, but we are still finalising legal agreements with Network Rail for the three locations where the route crosses the Settle to Carlisle railway line. Technically, anyone going on to Network Rail property whilst using the route is committing a trespass until the agreements are in place. At present, we are uncertain when the agreements will be finalised.

One of a family of 15 National Trails in England and Wales and the first to be designed specifically for horse-riders, off-road cyclists and walkers to enjoy, the entire Pennine Bridleway will eventually run from the High Peak Trail in Derbyshire to Byrness, Northumberland.

It follows an interesting mix of old pack horse routes and drove roads (often sensitively refurbished and upgraded), linked with newly created stretches of bridleway. The trail takes in some of the best scenery of the North of England and passes through the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Parks.

The Bridleway is a massive project and the route is opening in stages. The first 120 miles from Derbyshire to the Mary Townley Loop in the South Pennines is already open, whilst the first major section in the Yorkshire Dales – the Settle Loop – opened in August 2005.

For information about the whole of the Pennine Bridleway visit the Pennine Bridleway website.

Contact details

Peter Lambert, Pennine
Bridleway Project Officer

Peter Lambert
Pennine Bridleway Project Officer
Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
Yoredale
Bainbridge
Leyburn
North Yorkshire
DL8 3EL

0300 456 0030

Pennine.Bridleway@yorkshiredales.org.uk

The Pennine Bridleway Project Officer is employed by the Authority on behalf of Natural England to manage implementation of the Pennine Bridleway and to supervise contractors working on the route.