Ribblehead Station Tearoom formally launches after a £60,000 refurbishment
In the 150th Anniversary year and following substantial upgrades and improvements including underfloor heating and insulation to protect the fabric of the building, Yorkshire Stone flag floor and tasteful interior design befitting of the station’s heritage and status, a full catering kitchen and enhanced internet connectivity to improve the visitor experience and a new menu delivering high quality meals and treats made on site or supplied by local producers the Ribbelhead Station Tearoom has been operating under the combined banner of the Friends of the settle-Carlisle Line and the Settle-Carlisle Railway Property Company since April 2026.
The formal launch week of the 13th to the 19th July has been carefully selected to celebrate another important landmark for the line, which is celebrating 150 years of passenger transport services this year, and that is the 40th Anniversary of the station re-opening in 1986.
During the 1970s all the stations along the line except for Settle and Appleby were closed to regular stopping services. Some occasional special trains did still stop thanks to Dales Rail and the Ramblers fighting to keep things going but there were no buildings open to welcome those alighting.
In July 1986 regular daily services stopping at those stations along the line resumed and the campaign to save the line was in full swing.
When the Settle-Carlisle Railway Trust took on the lease of Ribblehead Station it was in a critically poor condition and that organisation, supported by others along the way including the Railway Heritage Trust have worked continually to maintain and improve the building and bring it into everyday use as a valuable part of the community and a tourist asset for the thousands of national and international visitors who come to the iconic location every year. This year’s upgrades are next iteration for the building which now offers daily access to high quality hospitality and can also be hired by groups to provide a quirky and unique setting for business meetings, family parties or charity trips out into the glorious Yorkshire Dales.
During ‘launch week’ which will see the ribbon formally cut on Thursday 16th, there will be other events every day which reflect and celebrate the station’s place at the heart of community, nature, history and culture.
Monday 13th sees the launch of ‘Your Ribblehead’ a project which will run for a whole year capturing people’s memories and stories about this remarkable site. Commercial Manager Anna Jackson explains how this project came about: ‘Since we re-opened the tearoom at the end of April we have received a number of visitors who come with a very special purpose – to remember and reminisce. One lady turned up clutching a black and white photograph showing a little girl in the station entrance holding the hand of a very smart looking station master. The photo was taken in 1959, the girl in the picture was the lady holding the photo and the station master was her father. There have been many other such instances in the few weeks we have been operating and we really want to capture these and share them with everyone so the Your Ribblehead project will give people the opportunity to do just that. People can visit the newly launched Settle-Carlisle Railway website and upload their images and stories or even better they can call in in person and add them to the display.’
Wednesday and Friday bring the opportunity to explore the history, nature and cultural connections offered by the landscape and setting of Ribblehead with a ‘Footsteps in Time shanty site tour and interactive theatre piece, a folk music evening of local music written about the area all around Ribblehead entitled The Fiddler from the Mountain of Fire and a presentation about eh work of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the accolade of Wild Ingleborough being confirmed as one of the 12 King’s National Nature Reserves and a guided tour through the disused quarry admiring the flora and fauna and a visit to a pre-historic long house.
The week closes with an exploration of ‘the darker side’ of Ribblehead’s history and a chance to hear from the author of ‘Murder on the Ribblehead Viaduct’ I two short sessions looking at how to write your own crime novel inspired by the magnificent surroundings! Or for those looking for a less eerie ending there is a beautiful afternoon tea and a passing visit by a steam train!
Running alongside the launch week is the Line’s ‘Flowerpot Trail’ which sees sculptures made almost entirely from flowerpots installed at stations along the line representing the history and heritage of the Line. Installations include Belter, the navvy at Ribblehead (named after an original navvy who lived and worked there on the line), a ‘terrible knitter’ at Dent and of course a buddy for Ruswarp at Garsdale plus a nod to our train operator Northern with a railway conductor complete with flag and whistle at Kirkby Stephen.
Visitors are encouraged to buy their Settle-Carlisle Passports to help them fully enjoy the week, the opening events and the trail which contains details about every station on the line and family friendly activities and challenges to get involved with.
There really is something for everyone and all details can be found on the website at www.settlecarlislerailway.org.uk
