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WOW - interjection an exclamation of surprise, wonder,
pleasure, or the like: "Wow! Look at that!"
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Date : 22nd February 2009
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Leader : David Hill |
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Report by : Phil Bedson |
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Photos © : Phil Bedson |
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| Malham Cove - awe inspiring. | |
Eleven people embarked on the journey to Malham for David Hills’ 10 mile walk. After negotiating the narrow country lanes we arrived at our destination in good time and parked on the main car park in the village, which was already filling up with like-minded souls.
Leaving the car park under overcast skies, we crossed the road to go over a small footbridge just behind the village blacksmiths, where we joined a path that would lead us to our first destination - Janet’s Foss. The white path snaked its way through fields and woods, a babbling brook running alongside, until the wonderful sight of the waterfall emerged through the trees. Janet’s Foss gets it’s name from Janet or Jennet who was believed to be the queen of the local fairies and lived behind the fall in a cave and Foss from the old Norse word for waterfall. Less romantic, though apparently true, is that it was also used as a sheep dip!
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left:
The path to Janet's Foss |
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right: Janet's Foss |
From here we had a short amount of road to traverse before joining the path to our next target - Gordale Scar. The straightforward walking along another white path made for a genial disposition within the group and everyone was in good spirits, there was even a hint of blue in the skies above. Your first view of Gordale Scar, even if you have seen it before, always brings an obligatory ‘wow’ feeling. Photographers were in abundance as we made our way to the foot of the waterfall - ‘up’ was our next bearing. It is perhaps a 20 foot scramble up the first part and, for the uninitiated, can be a little daunting. After this it becomes much easier and as you ascend (it is surprising at just how quickly you go up!), you begin to appreciated the scale and the creative process of Gordale Scar. As we got closer to the top the sun suddenly emerged and the extreme light reflection of the limestone made it appear that someone had found a light switch!
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left:
The path into Gordale |
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right: Starting the climb |
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No turning back! |
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right: Near the top of the falls |
The expanse of the limestone plateau at the top is quite astonishing and the gentle grass path we followed could not have been any more different. After passing a solitary tree we found a nice spot in the sun to have a well earned break.
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left:
Above Gordale |
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right: The Tree of Solitude |
The next two miles to Malham Tarn were unbelievably straightforward and the time passed in a flash. The first glimpses of the water through the trees were tantalising and it is only when you finally get to the edge you appreciate the size of this body of water. We followed the good track through the trees along the Tarns northern shore, past the Field Study Centre, to a point in the NW corner of the water. Here we declared lunch - in the purpose built Bird Hide which offered an unbridled view across Malham Tarn.
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left:
Malham Tarn from the East |
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right: ...and the North Western corner |
After lunch we resumed along the track through the trees. A couple of cottages next to our route stood out due to their unusual appearance which wouldn’t have looked out of place 50 years previous. Shortly after this we turned down a tree lined track, one could only imagine it in full bloom, before arriving at the road. The next mile and a half is along tarmac country road and can be a little mundane although, to be honest, it’s a chance to rest the eyes a little from the wondrous scenery all around. A large flock of small birds danced in the blue skies above us and before long we had reached the point whereby we were to leave the road. Once again we had a lovely green path before us and a small stream beside us.
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left:
Unusual cottage |
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right: It's a long road... |
The final leg of the walk was to take us, via the Pennine Way, to Malham Cove, a wonder of the Yorkshire Dales. The going got a little uneven as we approached Ing Scar Crag. The path down Ing Scar, although not as large as Gordale, was just as equally impressive. The sun made for some interesting shadows as we descended Ing Scar and before long we could see the start of the Limestone pavement that is atop Malham Cove itself.
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Two views up Ing Scar valley |
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Like Gordale there is nothing like your first view from the top of Malham Cove and, equally, no matter how often you see it, it is still jaw dropping. The Limestone Pavement that stretches all around you has been millennia in the making and all its clints and grykes are testament to the weathering it has endured. As our merry band enjoyed a brew looking down the valley the throngs of people all around showed just how popular a spot this is. The descent down used to quite a tricky affair but since some steps were installed by the National Park wardens it is definitely easier - going up can be tedious though! You only really appreciate Malham Cove from the bottom. It’s huge curving face is another of those ‘wow’ factors which have been prevalent on this walk.
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left:
Limestone pavement atop Malham Cove
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right: The view towards Malham |
We could have stayed longer but we had to reluctantly turn our back on the Cove and make our way back to Malham. We followed the white path for a short while before crossing a small stone slab bridge and ascending a field. Field paths and small tracks had us back in Malham in a remarkably quick time and all agreed what a wonderful day it had been. If you do just one walk this year this has to be a serious contender. Wow.
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| The path back to Malham | |
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