A visually pleasing circular climb and descent from Settle town centre. There’s some excellent limestone scenery to be seen, passing Atamire and Great Scar, in addition to some stunning views towards The Three Peaks.

The Settle Loop is one of the first sections of the new Pennine Bridleway to be opened, which when completed will  total 250 miles of packhorse routes, bridleways and drove roads connecting Derbyshire to Northumberland.

We recon this route works well only in one direction. Use the tarmac to climb, then the descent back to your start point is all off-road and downhill. The route is well signposted (look for the acorn logo), you can also get a route map from the tourist information office in Settle.

The riding is fast but not overly technical and the views are spectacular.  In terms of terrain, the last two miles are the most fun, with some fast steep sections and natural jumps. It’s a popular walk too, so watch out for other users.

Best avoided on a weekend if you like your own space. Another ride on the favourites list.

Terrain: Very steep tarmac climb to start. Grassy and rocky sections, gravel bridleways. Very muddy after rain.

Start Point:  GPS N 54 04.124 W 2 16.612 Settle – Accessible by train from Leeds or Bradford. By car you can park in Settle town centre for two hours, roughly the duration of the ride.

• Start the seriously leg bursting tarmac climb out of Settle, Albert Hill, which progresses into High Hill Lane towards Atamire Scar. Turn left onto Lambert Lane, which turns into Stockdale Lane.
• At the end of Stockdale Lane turn left onto the start of the bridleway, which takes you to Twin Bottom, the highest point of the ride.
• That’s it; from here it’s pretty much downhill all the way back to Settle, There’s not too much to say about this route in terms of directions because it’s so well signposted.
• Just keep following the Pennine Bridleway signs.

Settle is full of cafes, pubs and stuff, take your pick. Ye Old Naked Man Café appears to attract outdoor types if that’s your thing (this region is a cavers paradise). The last time we visited we tried a town centre chippy (there’s a few) and the fish was grim.