Distance: 8.6km (145.8km), time spent: 4:11.
Weather: Overcast, minor raindrops towards the end.
Malham and its surrounding area is a magnet to walkers and so it is not a surprise that my first encounter with the village is exactly that. Lots of them walking around, either finished, starting or having a break from a walk. In the interest of my own foot, I too should take a break from my walk, but I am uncureable. On the other hand, is not it so that a rest day is mostly a day where you are emancipated from the burden of your backpack?
At the start of my afternoon adventure, on fields towards Janet's Foss after Aire Head.
So at a small café I buy myself some food for lunch to carry with me and then I disregard totally the advice I got from the apothecary. I go for a walk around Malham. As a compensation, I have planned to take a zero day tomorrow.
Through Wedber Woods towards Janet's Foss.
Not carrying your backpack makes you feel lighter, more like flying, it puts a heavier load on your mental restrains then. I have to hold back as not to walk too fast. Easy to spot where I am going, it will be in the direction others are going to and coming from. At first, a little way back on the Pennine Way, to Aire Head.
Janet's Foss.
It is also surprisingly how quickly the landscape changed to the more interesting, as if the exciting upcoming scenery are suddenly spreading. The walk up towards Janet's Foss are instantly more scsenic than the days leading up to here. The name of the waterfall is of Scandinavian origins, not Janet or the source of the waterfall itself, but the name. Foss means waterfall in Scandinavian countries.
A scar in the landscape approaching.
Whatever the origins of the name are, it is crowded here. People are standing in line to jump from a stone beneath the waterfall, waiting to be taken pictures of. Next to the pond there is also a small cave, Janet's Cave. This is where it is believed that a fairy queen lived in. The name of the fairy queen? Janet. It is a very nice place, but the crowd makes me move on. In hindsight, do not miss out on the tree stumps on the way to the foss that have become the home of hundreds of pennies, like I did.
Gordale Scar.
Not exactly knowing what to expect, but the view of it from afar tickled my curiosity. Gordale Scar is absolutely what the name implies. It is a scar cutting through the landscape, and it is formidable. The only scar in the view (pun intended) is the placement of a campsite directly in front of the entrance, what a ruiner. Walking into a narrow gorge, the limestone walls on each side are converging in on each other. It feels strange seeing this after all the walking across gentle flowing hills and bleak moorland.
A curved valley.
The limestone cliffs are layered, the valley winds in a narrowing curve inwards. Around the corner there are several climbers scaling the vertical sides of the cliffs. Sometimes their shouts are resonating through the gorge. When you walk around the curve, the outside world disappears from view.
Gordale Scar from above.
A crack in the hills.
At the end of the valley, where the converging walls almost meet, it is either climb or walk back. A huge mass of tufa, transported down by the waterfall, forms an abstract composition. Perfect for climbing, all the strange cracks and fissures provides great grip for your hands and feet (but please be careful as not to break the tufa).
View from New Close Knotts.
On top of Gordale Scar, the gorge is seen from a different perspective. With grassy hills reaching backwards and the scar disappearing between them. Walking out on a tip above the scar, I sit down to eat. It is a great spot for lunch, maybe the best on my walk at this point. Someone has left behind a disposable barbeque grill here, that disrespect for nature unfortunately exists everywhere.
Limestone deposits on the landscape above Gordale Scar.
The Pennine Way is in the distance, along with Malham Tarn.
I walk over to New Close Knotts, looking back to the Pennine Way I have come from. The scenery above is distinctly different, more wild and a splendid promise of what might be waiting in line for me later on this hike. There is also a strange landscape that I see on the top of Gordale Scar. Riddling the green ground are limestone rocks, in various forms and sizes. A lone tree stands on top of this open landscape. The upper top of the scar is slowly rising upwards, to became level with the rest. With the last end of it petering out, pointing to the far back, where I can discern the water of Malham Tarn. That is the direction of the Pennine Way.
The top of Gordale Scar.
On the climb down again, blue sky and sunlight appear above. Then then walls are closing in behind me. To get back to Malham, I do not go by the way of Janet. Instead, I aim for another public footpath visible on my map. It is a nice walk underneath the cliffs of New Close Knotts. The path takes me to the top of Malham Cove, at the eastern side of it. Strictly not necessary to visit the cove today, as the Pennine Way goes straight to it, but the weather forecast for the upcoming days are not good. Rain is coming and since I had an opportunity to see this remarkable feature while it is not raining, I took it.
Tufa climb.
On the Dales High Way to Malham Cove.
Malham Cove is a near vertical limestone cliff, cut into the otherwise rolling green hill. Kind of like someone has taken a gigantic shovel and dug out a part of the hill with vertical precision. It must be one of the highest vertical drops in England, quite remarkable. The surrounding landscape appear like scenery from a world where mythical beings reside, when I continue on the Pennine Way I will be disappearing into that fantasy world. More interesting is the limestone floor at the top of the cove. Almost stacked on top of each other are intricate square formed rocks. The same type as above Gordale Scar, but here a lot more denser. The surface of the rocks looks like molars of teeth.
Malham Cove.
Limestone pavement. The glaciers formed the landscape at the top of Malham Cove, and since then acidic rainwater has dissolved the rocks, forming what is known as grykes.
Looking from the top of cliffs, I can see a winding road leading south. That is the way back to Malham, and also the Pennine Way. To get down I have to walk down a long staircase of stone. I head into the base of the cove before returning. From underneath the cliff there is a water source, but in old times the water came from above. A narrow ledge can be reached to gain further access to the vertical cliffs. Climbers are here too, preparing to scale Malham Cove. Also popular is watching the peregrine falcons, which nest above.
Molars.
Back in Malham after the pleasant walk back, I settle in at the youth hostel. I prepare my own dinner at the kitchen, making me getting rid of some of the food that I unnecessary carry with me too. Has a beer in the lounge. On the tv, the Tour de France stage is stopped due to a freak hail storm.
In the cove.
In the evening, I go for a short walk in the village. It is a lot quieter here now, as most of the day-hikers has left. Even at the local pub, The Buck Inn, it is quiet. That suits me fine, I want to relax now.
Malham Beck and Cove.
Many hikers would, if choosing to walk straight from Ickornshaw to Malham, miss out on the Gordale Scar. That is a pity. It is of course possible to visit the place in the morning, before setting forth to Horton in Ribblesdale (or wherever they fancy walking to after Malham). Another possibility is to omit Malham Cove and walk directly towards Malham Tarn from the top of Gordale Scar. One can actually walk up to Malham Cove and then walk to Gordale Scar using the same footpath as I did (the Dales High Way), and from there cross over to the Pennine Way again. Loose a little, gain a lot.
Back towards Malham.
With the visit to Janet's Foss, Gordale Scar and Malham Cove it was a great day.
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