Malham Cove
A BIG WEEK needs a big finish. Down the A65, past Settle, and northwards up the lanes to Malhamdale, and that’s where we find it. We’ve crossed the national park from top to bottom, and here is a day that is full of wonders from start to finish.
What can I tell you about Malham Cove? A former ice-age waterfall, almost 1000ft wide, now a curving curtain of limestone towering over the village that bears its name. Those are the facts, but the Cove is a state of mind, not a set of facts. You need to be there to see it.
But we’ll save it to the end, because there are so many other gorgeous things here. First, the woodland path to Janet’s Foss, a waterfall whose chic behind-thecurtain cave is said to be home to the eponymous Janet, a fairy queen. (Pack the cozzie again for this one: the foss is a classic swimming hole.)
Then Gordale Scar; like someone took a gigantic axe to the moorland and chopped a twisting limestone cleave into it. If you can manage the little scramble up the rock at the foot of the canyon, we can access the upper chamber of Gordale Scar, one of my favourite places on Earth. Check out the upper falls, which plunge through their very own stone arch.
We’ll top out at
Yorkshire’s largest and highest natural lake: Malham Tarn. Sink down into its wild-flowery shoreline (or get the cozzie out again) and just enjoy the bliss.
Next comes the Watlowes dry valley: a twisting tunnel of intrigue leading to the greatest natural stage in Britain; the top of Malham Cove.
We started on a limestone pavement, so it’s fitting that we’re (just about) finishing on one. This is the end of the Yorkshire Dales: everything south of here just looks… normal.
Down the steps we go, and at the bottom, spin round and there is the wall of Malham Cove in all its ridiculous glory. Watch the climbers cling by their fingernails to routes with names like Yosemite Wall, Predator, Consenting Adults and Carnage.
Even better, get closer to them by climbing up to the Catwalk, the gallery they use as a launchpad. And then, we’re back down the path to Malham. The hat is doffed, the boots come off and the dream is fulfilled.
But do we really need to leave? Bill Bryson came to Malhamdale once and didn’t leave for ten years. Maybe we could do the same.
I can always get a job as an auctioneer. I hear they need one in Kettlewell.