Horton-in-Ribblesdale Webcam – Settle-Carlisle Line Trains

The Horton-in-Ribblesdale Webcam watches the Settle-Carlisle line where it passes Horton-in-Ribblesdale station in the Yorkshire Dales of North Yorkshire. Camera 1 looks north toward Ribblehead and Carlisle: the double track runs away from the lens and bends to the right, with a high grassy bank, a stone wall and a line of trees on the left. A second camera, on its own tab, watches the junction for the siding into Heidelberg Materials’ Horton Quarry, which carried its first loaded trains in 2025 after six decades without a rail link. Northern passenger trains between Leeds and Carlisle run past both cameras, and limestone trains now leave the quarry on weekdays. On misty autumn mornings the far end of the cutting fades to gray well before the curve.

About Horton-in-Ribblesdale

Horton-in-Ribblesdale station opened on 1 May 1876 and stands 260 meters (850 feet) above sea level, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of Settle and 76.4 kilometers (47.5 miles) from Leeds by rail. It lost its passenger service on 4 May 1970 and reopened in July 1986, and the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust restored the waiting room in 2002. Northern runs roughly one train every two hours in each direction. The station sits on the Long Drag, the almost unbroken 1 in 100 climb that ends at the line’s summit of 351 meters (1,151 feet), just inside the southern portal of Blea Moor Tunnel.

The village had 428 residents at the 2011 census and lies in Ribblesdale, west of Pen-y-ghent. Horton Quarry, now run by Heidelberg Materials, has worked limestone since at least 1889, and sidings at the southern end of the station once took its wagons. Goods traffic ended in 1964, and for about 60 years the stone left by road. VolkerRail began rebuilding the link just south of the station in February 2024, the first loaded trains ran in June 2025, and Network Rail marked the official reopening on 15 July 2025. The seven-year scheme also replaced a level crossing with a bridge, and the link moves about 1,600 tonnes of limestone every weekday by rail instead of by lorry.

Railcam UK runs both cameras in association with the Friends of the Settle and Carlisle Line, the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust and the Settle and Carlisle Property Company. The operator says Camera 1 was one of its first cameras on the line, and it is one of more than 100 cameras on its subscription service. The Quarry Siding tab looks along the line past the end of the stone platform to the points where the siding turns off, with gray lineside cabinets and yellow safety rails beside the track. Railcam UK notes that loaded trains bound for the south reverse at Blea Moor, further up the line.

Weather and Climate in Horton-in-Ribblesdale

At 260 meters (850 feet) in the Pennines, Horton has a cool, wet upland climate. Ten-year reanalysis averages for the station put January highs near 5 C (41 F) and lows close to 1 C (34 F), so frosty winter mornings are frequent. July is the warmest month, with highs around 17 C (63 F) and nights near 11 C (52 F). The Met Office station at Malham Tarn, higher up at 391 meters (1,283 feet), records much the same pattern, with January highs of 4.8 C (40.6 F), July highs of 17.4 C (63.3 F) and about 1,590 millimeters (62.5 inches) of rain a year.

Rain falls in every season. April is usually the driest month, at around 80 millimeters (3.1 inches), while each month from October to March brings roughly 145 to 190 millimeters (5.7 to 7.5 inches). In autumn the bank beside Camera 1 turns brown and gold, and low cloud can hide the far end of the track altogether.

Things to Do Near Horton-in-Ribblesdale

Horton is the traditional starting point for the Yorkshire Three Peaks walk, a 41.8 kilometer (26 mile) circuit over Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough with about 1,524 meters (5,000 feet) of ascent, which walkers aim to finish inside 12 hours. Pen-y-ghent rises to 694 meters (2,277 feet) 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) east of the village, and the Pennine Way reaches its summit in about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). Off Horton Scar Lane, about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the village, a short path leads to Hull Pot, a large open chasm in the hillside. The Ribble Way also passes through, and St Oswald’s Church keeps a complete Norman nave from the early 12th century.

The railway is the easiest way to see more of the dale. One stop north, Ribblehead station is less than 800 meters (half a mile) from the Ribblehead Viaduct, whose 24 arches carry the line 32 meters (104 feet) above the valley floor for 400 meters (440 yards). Built between 1870 and 1875, it stands about 8 kilometers (5 miles) northwest of Horton in a straight line. Heading south instead, the train reaches Settle in about 10 kilometers (6 miles).

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more Yorkshire trains, another high mountain railway and a market town elsewhere in the Dales, try these cameras.

• Damems Loop Webcam
• Finse Railway Station Webcam
• Hawes Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Horton-in-Ribblesdale located?

Horton-in-Ribblesdale is a village in North Yorkshire, England, in the Yorkshire Dales. Its station is on the Settle-Carlisle line, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of Settle.

What can you see on the Horton-in-Ribblesdale Webcam?

Camera 1 looks north toward Ribblehead along the double track as it curves right below a grassy bank and a stone wall. The Quarry Siding tab looks past the platform end to the points for the Heidelberg Materials siding. Both show Northern passenger trains, and the siding camera also catches limestone trains entering and leaving the quarry.

What is the weather like in Horton-in-Ribblesdale?

Cool and wet. January highs are near 5 C (41 F) and July highs near 17 C (63 F), and nearby Malham Tarn averages about 1,590 millimeters (62.5 inches) of rain a year.

How often do trains stop at Horton-in-Ribblesdale?

Northern runs roughly one train every two hours in each direction between Leeds and Carlisle. Limestone trains from Horton Quarry also use the line on weekdays.

When did the Horton Quarry rail siding reopen?

The first loaded trains left the rebuilt siding in June 2025, and Network Rail marked the official reopening on 15 July 2025. It was the quarry’s first rail link in about 60 years and carries around 1,600 tonnes of limestone each weekday.

Can you walk up Pen-y-ghent from Horton-in-Ribblesdale?

Yes. The summit, at 694 meters (2,277 feet), lies 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) east of the village, and the Pennine Way climbs to it in about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). Horton is also the usual start of the Yorkshire Three Peaks walk.

Who runs the Horton-in-Ribblesdale Webcam?

Railcam UK operates both cameras, presented with the Friends of the Settle and Carlisle Line, the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust and the Settle and Carlisle Property Company.

Source: Railcam UK