Walk Description

I had agreed to meet up with James at Malham Tarn.  I arrived about 8:30am on a very wet and extremely windy Sunday morning.  As I waited for James to arrive, the wind was buffeting the car and rocking it from side to side.  Every now and then a rainy squall would also hit the car.  When James arrived we sat in the car for a while trying to decide whether or not to bother walking today.  Eventually we agreed that we would drive down to Malham and walk to Malham Cove and then over to Gordale. It was definitely not a day for spending any time on high and exposed ground.

I left the car at the Yorkshire Dales National Park car park and set out along Cove Road wearing full waterproofs.  Every now and then the sun tried to make an appearance but the clouds prevailed and we had to put up with an almost constant drizzle and the occasional heavy shower.  When we reached the Cove Malham Beck was in full flow and we didn't try to go along the flooded path to the cliff wall itself.  If you look closely at the photographs you might just be able to make out a couple of climbers sitting on the edge of the cliff.  We climbed the steep steeps up the side of Malham Cove and left the relative peace of the sheltered Cove and went up onto the bleak and rain swept limestone pavement.  Although I usually enjoy exploring the limestone pavement, today I avoided as much of the extremely slippy limestone as possible.

Instead of following the Pennine Way along the dry Watlowes Valley towards Malham Tarn, I walked across the grassy fields towards Sheriff Hill and then crossed Malham Rakes.  I walked under New Close Knotts and then dropped down to the minor road near Gordale Bridge.  Despite the poor weather, there were still a few people at the mobile cafe near the bridge.  A short walk took me across the Gordale campsite and along the well made path towards Gordale Scar.  The full spectacle of Gordale Scar does not appear until the last minute.  As you walk along Gordale Beck, the towering cliffs begin to get closer and closer until after about a quarter of a mile the narrow valley bends towards the right and then you see that the valley ends abruptly at a rock face.  The only way to proceed farther up Gordale Beck is to climb the waterfall.  This is something that I haven't managed to do yet and today weather conditions meant that I didn't even think about trying to climb it today. 
 
I sheltered under part of the overhang whilst I had lunch and watched the more intrepid walkers paddle across the stream and climb the waterfall.  At times the wind was so strong that it sprayed great swathes of water across the climbers.   After lunch I retraced my steps out of Gordale and had a very short road walk to the footpath to Janet's Foss.  The waterfall looked really impressive due to the heavy rain that had fallen over the last week or so.  After a quick stop for photos, I followed the delightful woodland path through Little Gordaele and Weber Wood.  At the end of the wood the path crosses Mantley Hill Laithe and eventually joins the Pennine Way.  Although I had intended to visit Aire Head, I decided that enough was enough today and that I would visit Aire Head on a drier day.
After removing my waterproofs and putting the rucksack in the car, I went to the Buck Inn with James for a warming drink. 
 

Route & Planning

Details and Route Map

Photo Opportunities

Walk Profile

The route map shown here should not be used as a replacement for the appropriate map(s). Before attempting the walk you should check the suitability of this route in relation to your capabilities and experience.