How England's greatest railway line was saved

Telegraph

19-02-2025

Of all the places to get holed up as Storm Eowyn wreaked havoc over the British Isles last month, I had the good fortune to find myself in the rather lovely holiday home located directly inside the railway station of Horton-in-Ribblesdale in North Yorkshire.
I was in that part of the world to rediscover the joys of the Settle-Carlisle line – widely acknowledged to be the most scenic stretch of track in England – which in 2025 is marking its 150th year of active service.
Over the course of three days, I planned to do the route several times, noting its many highlights, including the Ribblehead Viaduct and the glorious valleys, Pennine peaks and iconic dry-stone walls that line the way. I also planned to spend nights in at least two of the stations along the route – a unique take on this spectacular travel experience.
But that was before Eowyn struck and I had to scale back my travel plans and hunker down – in a railway station.
Getting caught in a storm in Settle-Carlisle country felt surprisingly felicitous; this fabled line has had more than its fair share of turbulence in the century and a half since it opened to freight traffic on Aug 1 1875 and to passenger trains the following May.
It was a bit of a miracle that it came into being at all. The mighty Midland Railway company originally pressed parliament to allow it to build the line – the last great stretch of mainline railway constructed in Britain – so that it could run its trains to Scotland without having to use the line of the rival London and North Western Railway company. When the two train giants came to an agreement, Midland was denied permission to renege on its pledge and found itself obliged to build a train track stretching for 73 miles through some of the most intractable terrain in the country.
It was a labour of many years, involving 6,000 navvies (many from Ireland) who toiled their way up hills, down valleys, through bogs and blasted their way – sometimes at the cost of life – through vast slabs of stone to create a line that boasted the highest station in England (Dent at 1,150ft), 14 tunnels and 22 viaducts, including the landmark 24-arch Ribblehead.
The line narrowly survived the whirlwind that came in the form of the 1963 Beeching Report that advocated the shutdown of great swathes of Britain's rail network – though by 1970 services had been reduced and just two stations – Settle and Appleby – remained in active use.
Its greatest escape, though, came in the 1980s when British Rail announced its intention to close the line – by then, it argued, little used and costly to maintain – only to come up against a groundswell of opinion determined to keep it open to service the local community, longer-distance travellers between Leeds and Glasgow and lovers of scenic train journeys worldwide.
The Minister of State at the Department of Transport who in 1989 declared the line would remain open was one Michael Portillo – a man who has subsequently become something of a rail legend himself, and who often says that saving the Settle-Carlisle line was the best thing he ever achieved in government.
As I made the first of the train journeys I was able to make on my recent trip, I sat across from a couple who had been active in the campaign to keep the line alive in the 1980s and who still treasure the letter of thanks they received for playing their part in that famous victory.
It was a slightly forbidding afternoon with low-lying mist, a hint of drizzle and a slight portent of the storm ahead. But it was incredibly atmospheric.
'Even in the driving rain, it is all beautiful here,' said one cheery enthusiast as the train emerged from the 2,629-yard Blea Moor Tunnel to enter Cumbria and reveal the majesty of Dentdale. 'You've got to take the positives.'
I've seen Dentdale in glorious sunshine in the middle of summer, but there was something very striking about seeing this valley in winter in all its starkness, a starkness amplified two days later when in the same place I spotted a rainbow framed against brooding dark clouds, pierced by shards of light.
The vision of Dentdale as you come out of the Blea Moor Tunnel is one of the scenic highlights along the route. The Ribblehead Viaduct is clearly another. Towards the end comes the wildness of the Mallerstang Edge and the rippling calm of the River Eden. Earlier on, thrillingly, as you emerge from Settle, you spot the distinctive contours of Pen-y-ghent, the first of the three Yorkshire peaks which together with Whernside and Ingleborough are so beloved of hikers seeking a proper challenge.
Alas, the dastardly arrival of Storm Eowyn prevented me from making my own ascent of the peaks, but from my most welcome bolthole in Horton-in-Ribblesdale station, I needed only to walk onto the platform to have a magnificent view of Pen-y-ghent, coated at the peak with a light smattering of snow.
At the station, I met up with Adrian Quine, a leading figure in the Settle & Carlisle Railway Trust, one of three organisations that have teamed up to maintain and preserve the wonderful heritage of the line – including restoration of original features and recreation of 1950s-style signs and widening the possibilities for travellers wanting to expand their experience of it.
Quine waxed lyrical about the new overnight accommodations and showed me two others – the Station Master's House at Ribblehead (complete with a room with a view of the viaduct) and the very attractive Platform Cottage at Kirkby Stephen, a classic Cumbrian market town containing a splendid parish church known as the 'Cathedral of the Dales'.
He waxed lyrical, too, about other innovations – the charming cafe adjacent to the old ticket office at Horton-in-Ribblesdale, the guided walks along stretches of the track offered by volunteers and the myriad attractions of the settlements adjacent to all the stations along the route.
'Each station is worth stopping at and each is close to lovely walking territory,' he said. 'We are trying to breathe new life into an old asset – and at the same time provide real opportunity for the local communities.
'Rather than enjoy the line for an hour or two, we want to encourage people to spend a weekend or even a week here. We also want to broaden the appeal beyond the traditional train enthusiast.'
I certainly appreciated the closer connection I had with the area by spending more time in it and as I strolled around Kirkby Stephen, I took in a history that stretches from the Stone Age through to Romans, Vikings, Normans and that more recent magical age when sweet shops sold pear drops dispensed from large jars.
In the summer, Kirkby Stephen is fuller and the fells are teeming with walkers. But I enjoyed its quiet majesty on a wintery Saturday afternoon. Later, back in the Platform Cottage at Kirkby Stephen station, I woke in the middle of the night and peered out of the window at the crystal-clear sky. The stars were aligned in a stupendous display of celestial splendour.
The storm had passed, as have so many on a railway line described by the late Bishop of Wakefield, the Rt Rev Eric Treacy, as one of the greatest man-made wonders of the world. I looked forward to the morning and getting back on track – to Carlisle and then on to Scotland.
How to ride the Settle-Carlisle line
Northern is the main provider of services on the Settle-Carlisle line, running several trains a day from as little as £8.80 return. The trains are diesel, the seats comfortable and there are charging points and intermittent Wi-Fi. On select services, there is a trolley service providing hot and cold drinks and snacks. For a small fee, tickets can also be booked on Trainline.
Steam specials
A number of specialist operators run day-trip charter trains along the Settle-Carlisle route pulled by a steam locomotive, but these usually involve much longer journeys from as far afield as London. Operators include the Railway Touring Company, Steam Dreams, Saphos Trains and West Coast Railways. See websites for dates and prices.
Stay in a station
It is possible to arrange stays in a number of renovated railway-themed properties at stations along the Settle-Carlisle line; from £100 a night, though minimum stays apply. See Settle Carlisle Trust for full details and to book.
Further information
Practical tips and useful detail on the work of restoration, the historical perspective and new visitor attractions along the line can be found at Settle Carlisle, Settle Carlisle Trust and Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line.