Malham - A Miniscule Jewel
Recommendation added: 29/04/2006 17:02
By: electricia (YSUK rating +5)electricia has been thanked 3 times for this contribution
"Malham is part of Malhamdale which is at the southern end of the Yorkshire Dales. I visited here for the first time early last year and have returned a couple of times since. If you like the outdoors there is scenery here that can scarcely be rivalled in the whole of England. Let me take you on a little tour:
MALHAM COVE
This is probably the most remarked upon feature of Malham. It is a stunning white ampitheatre of limestone that rises three hundred feet above its surroundings. The cove lies one mile north of Malham village and is easily reached by a broad track. It is a beautiful sight and well worth the trek up some steps to a wonderful view and to see the famous limestone pavement. I didn't know what limestone pavement was until I saw it here this year. It is a wide area of strange and wiggly rocks, flat on top but with deep clefts. The pavement was formed by water seeping through weaker areas in the limestone and it is home to unusual plants and ferns. I thoroughly enjoyed having a hop around here and on one of our visits we were lucky enough to see a peregrine falcon flying really close overhead. North of the cove a path takes you through a magnificent dry valley known as Watlowes which anywhere else would be a celebrated local feature but here seems to be overshadowed by the sheer wealth of natural beauty in the area. ( Help, I'm running out of superlatives already.)
MALHAM TARN
Walk across the moors from the cove and you will find Malham Tarn, which you will also come across if you are walking the Pennine Way. This is a lake formed by glacial debris where there are many waterfowl. A good place to stop for a picnic if you are doing the full walk from the cove to the scar or vice versa.
GORDALE SCAR
For me, this is the most spectacular scenery in the area. It is easily reached from the village. Approached from the campsite area to the south it looks like an impressive limestone gorge, but it is not until you turn the corner that the full effect is felt. You are standing in a deep ravine believed to have once been a cave where the roof collapsed. There are two waterfalls here. The second of these is reached by a short but steep scramble up which I climbed after a lot of humming and haa-ing, but I was very proud of myself afterwards. This part of the scar is like a second cavern and takes you up onto the moors where you can carry on to the tarn and the cove. If you have walked from the other direction you may find the climb down quite scary and I'm glad I did it this way round as I have seen a few people struggle here.
The walk from Malham Cove to Gordale Scar is eight miles long, but there is a short cut across a track which misses out the tarn and cuts three miles off the journey.
JANET'S FOSS
This is a waterfall not far south of Gordale Scar. I have seen it twice this year and it was in full flow the first time and very very pretty, but later on in the Summer it had dried up a bit and was sadly diminished to a bit of a trickle. It's in a lovely setting amidst woods near a path to the village, which is a nice alternative to the road.
MALHAM VILLAGE
The National Park information centre greets you at the southern entrance to the village where there is a large (paying) car park. At busy times the field opposite is also used for parking. Apparently Malham attracts about half a million visitors a year although there are only about two hundred residents, who live in old stone houses huddled on either side of the beck. There are two pubs - both of which serve meals, a couple of tearooms, a small corner shop and a larger gift shop.Of the pubs, I preferred The Buck Inn which had a laid back feel to it, plus a pool table and a decent jukebox but The Lister Arms was fine too. I didn't actually eat in the village so I can't comment on the food.
ACCOMMODATION
I stayed at the Gordale campsite which is situated in the entrance to Gordale Scar, it was cheap and cheerful and I intend to do a fuller review of it at a later date for anyone who's interested. There's another campsite in the village, a youth hostel and several B & B's. For more info visit the website mentioned below.
GETTING THERE
Malham is less than forty miles from Leeds and there are regular buses from Skipton which is eleven miles away. For further info on how to get there visit the useful website www.malhamdale.com."
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