Giggleswick railway station

Giggleswick is a railway station on the Bentham Line, which runs between Leeds and Morecambe via Skipton. The station, situated 41+1/4 mi north-west of Leeds, serves the market town of Settle and the village of Giggleswick in North Yorkshire. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

History
Opened by the "Little" North Western Railway in 1849, the station was originally known as "Settle", as it was the first station to serve the town, although situated some distance west of its centre. When the Settle and Carlisle Railway opened on 1 May 1876, the name was changed to "Settle Old" to distinguish it from Settle New on the line a mile to the east; Settle Old became "Giggleswick" on 1 November 1877.

The station did have more substantial buildings in the past, along with a goods yard, water tower and signal box. These were all demolished/removed after the station closed to goods traffic and was downgraded to unmanned halt status in 1970.

Stationmasters

 * Joseph Smith ca. 1862 - 1876 (station master at New Mills from 1879)
 * Richard Bentham 1876 - 1904
 * N.R.W. Leaton 1904 - 1908
 * Charles Frederick Robinson 1908 - ca. 1911
 * E.M. Jackson ca. 1914 - ca. 1927
 * Harry Pearson ca. 1928
 * W. Tinniswood 1933 - 1935 (afterwards station master at Kirkby Stephen East)

Facilities
The only buildings now provided here are standard waiting shelters - a new bespoke one was opened on the westbound platform in November 2016. The two platforms are of differing construction - the westbound is wooden, whilst the eastbound equivalent is stone/concrete. They are linked by a barrow crossing, so the station is fully step free (though the National Rail Enquiries service and Northern recommend that disabled passengers only use this with assistance). Train running information provision is provided by posters, new information displays and a telephone link to the signal box at Settle Junction. Tickets can only be bought on the train, as no ticketing facilities are available here (though operator Northern is planning to install one).

Service
On Monday to Saturdays, five trains a day headed from Giggleswick southbound to Skipton and Leeds and westbound to Lancaster. All but the first westbound service of the day continue to Morecambe and there used to be a single through train to and from Heysham Port to connect with the sailing to the Isle of Man.

Four trains ran each way on Sundays throughout the year since the May 2011 timetable change (an improvement on the former twice-daily winter frequency).

From the start of the May 2018 summer timetable, additional services have been introduced. Eight trains each way now run to Lancaster and Skipton, with five of the former continuing to Morecambe and seven of the latter to Leeds (though the direct train to and from Heysham has ceased on weekdays and Saturdays). One additional train each way runs on Sundays. One additional train each way was introduced from 20 May 2019 on weekdays and Saturdays, with two additional trains running to and from Morecambe. The winter 2019 timetable update has seen all five departures extended from Lancaster through to Morecambe, with one running right through to/from Heysham. This service level remains in place as of the winter 2023 timetable, though one morning train terminates at Carnforth (where connections are available for Lancaster and Preston).