Ribblehead

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title: "Ribblehead" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["geography-of-north-yorkshire", "ribblesdale", "river-ribble"] description: "Area near the River Ribble in North Yorkshire, England" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribblehead" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Area near the River Ribble in North Yorkshire, England ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Ribblehead_Ausgrabung.jpg" caption="Ribblehead excavation 9th century (North Yorkshire)"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Viking_kitchen_-geograph.org.uk-_237343.jpg" caption="The domestic kitchen found during the excavation"] ::

Ribblehead is the area of moorland at the head of the River Ribble in the area known as Ribblesdale, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, England.

Ribblehead is most notable for Ribblehead railway station and Ribblehead Viaduct on the Settle to Carlisle railway. It is in North Yorkshire with its nearest town being Ingleton. It has some accommodation catering mainly for hikers and a small local population. It is also a point on the Dales Way and Yorkshire Three Peaks walks, in sight of major local peaks including Ingleborough and Whernside.

History

Roman road

The Roman road across Batty Moss crosses the railway line just north of Ribblehead station, just before the viaduct begins and past the Station Inn. The modern B6255 road follows its line.

Plans to update Cam High Road, a smaller Roman road, to allow for commercial forestry are being opposed.

Viking farmstead

Archaeological research revealed the presence of a Scandinavian farmstead, with three large buildings around a paved farmyard, including a longhouse and a smithy, and suggesting that the present weathered conditions date from later than this farmstead of around the 9th century.

Settle and Carlisle Railway

Main article: Ribblehead Viaduct

The viaduct across Batty Moss was constructed between 1870 and 1874 by the Midland Railway as part of the Settle-Carlisle Line.

Community

The area is part of the civil parish of Ingleton.

The ecclesiastical parish is St. Leonard, Ingleton, and there is a small church dedicated to St. Leonard at Chapel-le-Dale.

The area is served by Ribblehead railway station, and Summer Sunday DalesBus routes 830, 831, 832 from Darlington or Morecambe stop at the station.

References

References

1. "Yorkshire Dales - Southern & Western Area Whernside, Ingleborough & Pen-y-ghent". Ordnance Survey.
2. [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3023012 B6255 crosses the railway line], [[Geograph]] project
3. (26 January 2013). "Lorries threat to peace of Dales". The Yorkshire Post.
4. "Settlement on Gauber High Pasture Rock". Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.
5. King, A. (1976). "Gauber high pasture, Ribblehead—an interim report".
6. Williams, Frederick Smeeton. (26 April 2012). "The Midland Railway: Its rise and progress". Cambridge University Press.
7. "Chapel-le-Dale: St Leonard, Ingleton". Church of England.
8. "Bus Services in York".
9. "Service 831: Ingleton - Ribblehead - Hawes". Dalesbus.

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