54°12′54″N2°20′24″W / 54.215°N 2.340°W /54.215; -2.340
Ribblehead is the area ofmoorland at thehead of theRiver Ribble in the area known asRibblesdale, in theYorkshire Dales National Park,England.
Ribblehead is most notable forRibblehead railway station andRibblehead Viaduct on theSettle to Carlisle railway. It is inNorth Yorkshire with its nearest town beingIngleton. It has some accommodation catering mainly forhikers and a small local population. It is also a point on theDales Way andYorkshire Three Peaks walks, in sight of major local peaks includingIngleborough andWhernside.[1]
TheRoman road across Batty Moss crosses the railway line just north of Ribblehead station, just before the viaduct begins and past the Station Inn. The modern B6255 road follows its line.[1][2]
Plans to update Cam High Road, a smaller Roman road, to allow for commercial forestry are being opposed.[3][needs update]
Archaeological research revealed the presence of a Scandinavian farmstead, with three large buildings around a paved farmyard, including a longhouse and a smithy, and suggesting that the present weathered conditions date from later than this farmstead of around the 9th century.[4][5]
The viaduct across Batty Moss was constructed between 1870 and 1874 by theMidland Railway as part of theSettle-Carlisle Line.[6]
The area is part of thecivil parish ofIngleton.
The ecclesiastical parish is St. Leonard, Ingleton, and there is a small church dedicated toSt. Leonard atChapel-le-Dale.[7]
The area is served byRibblehead railway station, and Summer SundayDalesBus routes 830, 831, 832 fromDarlington orMorecambe stop at the station.[8][9]
