Help! Anyone familiar with the Settle to Carlisle railway line?

[JustAMiddleAgedDirtBagBaby]

We're currently staying in a village near Skipton which is on the line and I'd been planning to take a day to just go to Carlisle and back to stare at the scenery. DD has said she might like to come too but I'm not sure she's really up for that amount of train in one day!

If we were to head north but not do the whole thing is there a logical station to choose as our turnaround point?

I’ve only done the Ribblehead viaduct but it’s well worth getting the train from Settle to see it. There’s a little pub with a big beer garden looking over the viaduct - not really anything else there though, except walking.

I'd say the best scenery is before you get to Kirkby Stephen/Appleby. There are a couple of nice pubs in both places for lunch.

If you like walking I'd recommend getting the train to Ribblehead and walking back to Horton in Ribblesdale over Ingleborough.

I've done it all the way from Leeds and it doesn't feel like too long on a train. I had a wander around Carlisle and a nice lunch before heading back.

The scenery is less interesting close to Carlisle but its probably worth going all the way for the break in the journey. You could turn around at Appleby but I don't know how much time it saves or if Appleby is worth a visit.