Passengers travelling on the Settle Carlisle line from Sunday, April 5, will be able to travel onwards to the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
This year, the Settle Carlisle line celebrates 150 years of providing passenger services, and travellers this summer will have more options on where they can travel onwards.
Two summer bus services are opening up Swaledale and Wensleydale to visitors travelling on the Leeds-Settle-Carlisle line, providing links into the Yorkshire Dales National Park every Sunday.
Northern DalesBus 830 is picking up passengers at Ribblehead Station, within sight of the world-famous viaduct, and calling at Hawes before tackling the breathtaking Buttertubs Pass into Swaledale, visiting the picturesque villages of Muker, Gunnerside and Reeth on the way to the historic town of Richmond. The bus will connect at Ribblehead with the 9.09am train departure from Leeds and return in good time to connect with the early evening train home.
Meanwhile, Wensleydale Explorer Bus 857 is providing a service from Garsdale Station to Hawes, Askrigg (the original home of All Creatures Great and Small) and Castle Bolton (for historic Bolton Castle). It provides great opportunities to visit the many attractions of Wensleydale, including Wensleydale Creamery and the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes. The first morning bus from Garsdale Station connects with both the 9.09am train from Leeds and the 9.24am train from Carlisle. The bus service provides several return options, with a final departure to the station from Hawes at 4.05pm, or the slightly later option to Ribblehead.
Northern DalesBus 830 and Wensleydale Explorer Bus 857 are part of the DalesBus network, managed by the Dales and Bowland Community Interest Company, a subsidiary of charity, Friends of the Dales. Both bus services run every Sunday until October, 18, 2026 and are supported by the Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company, Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line, York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority and Castle Bolton.
The Wensleydale Explorer Bus combines with the recently improved Garsdale Station Shuttle service on Monday to Saturday to provide several return journeys between Garsdale Station and Hawes every day of the week all summer.
Single fares on all these services are just £3 for any journey, and there is no need to pre-book so you can simply turn up and go. Bus passes are accepted on all journeys.
John Carey from DalesBus said:
Whilst our railway line passes through undoubtedly one of the most scenic areas of the country, the relative isolation of the stations makes onward exploration difficult but for connecting public transport. Integrated transport is vital to encourage a modal shift away from the private car.
Pete Myers, Chair of Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company, said:
In our 150th anniversary year of providing a passenger service on the Settle Carlisle line, having a bus service which connects with the Northern trains on our line highlights the benefits of providing sustainable tourist routes into the National Park.
We are delighted to be able to support these DalesBus services which open up the Yorkshire Dales National Park to our passengers on the Leeds-Settle-Carlisle line. These services enable people to use public transport and reduce car congestion in the National Park, providing a more sustainable and green way to visit our beautiful countryside.
Timetable leaflets providing additional information, together with a series of free guided walks, are available at stations along the Leeds-Settle-Carlisle line and online via the DalesBus website at www.dalesbus.org and the Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company website at
