Watershed Cave

The walk to Watershed Cave starts gently enough on the fell above Settle, but the real payoff comes when you drop into the limestone scar and find yourself staring at a proper cave mouth. Water emerges from it - hence the name - and there's something genuinely atmospheric about standing at the threshold, especially when mist clings to the hillside.

It's not a vast tourist trap with visitor facilities and gift shops. You get what you see: a natural limestone cave with water running from it, the kind of thing that reminds you why the Yorkshire Dales matter geologically. The cave itself doesn't go far back - you won't need kit or a guide - but it's the setting that wins. Walkers absolutely get it. Families with kids old enough to handle a decent fell walk will find it engaging enough as a destination, though you'll want to build it into a longer route rather than treat it as a standalone trip.

Allow a couple of hours from Settle to get there and back, depending on your pace and how long you linger. The terrain is moorland and limestone, so proper boots make sense. There's no information office at the cave itself - you're relying on local knowledge or a good map.

Stay at Ribblesdale Pods or Philpin Farm Campsite and you're perfectly placed to explore both this and the rest of the Ribblesdale landscape. Spring and summer are best when the water flow is visible but the ground isn't waterlogged.