Janet’s Foss, Gordale Scar & Malham Cove
From the National Parks Car Park, located to the south of Malham, we walked towards the village. However, before the centre of the village was reached, probably less than 100 yards from the car park, we crossed a bridge over a stream located to the right hand side of the road (east). From here we followed a path (the Pennine Way) south, with the stream on our right, but after only a 100 yards or so turned left on another path away from the stream and the Pennine Way. This path, which was generally in very good condition, took us through pastureland but always, not far into the distance, were the limestone uplands which we had come to walk.
After just over one mile we came to a wooded area in a small ravine of a valley, part of the National Trusts Malham Cove Estate, signposted as being Janet’s Foss. Evidently Foss is a Dale’s word of Scandinavian origin for a waterfall and Janet was a good fairy who inhabited these parts and lived in a hole by the falls. She certainly picked a beautiful spot particularly if she was “into” wild garlic as this wooded valley was covered with these plants.
Photographs of route up to and
including Janet's Foss
Having admired the
falls we continued along the path and soon reached
a minor road that went back to Malham. Here we
turned right heading away from Malham and, having
soon passed a caravan “eatery” in a layby, turned
left off the road into a camping site. Following
the direction sign and the obvious path, with a
stream on our left, we headed for an initially V
shaped, valley whose sides gradually became steeper
and steeper until it became a spectacular gorge.
This was Gordale Scar, a wonderful example of the
power of water. The gorge was originally a cave
but, thanks to the impact of water at the end of
the ice age, the roof collapsed leaving behind this
magnificent monument to erosion.
We spent some time here “admiring” the rock
climbers dangling from the cliffs and watching
walkers scrambling over a rocky route to the left
of the waterfall, which cascaded into the gorge.
Initially we had all intended to climb over this
“scramble” but when Anne attempted it she was
unable to move her right arm high enough as her
shoulder had been “playing up”. I think she was
also put off, like many other people, by a man who
spent in excess of 10 minutes lying prone across
the route, making it difficult for other walkers to
get round him. He was still acting like a limpet on
the rocks when I passed him after we decided that I
would do this scramble by myself while Anne would
go with Greg, who had done the Scar before, via a
less troublesome path. There route would take them
back to the caravan “eatery” then via a path, to
the road from Malham to Malham Tarn and I would
meet them just south of an area called Malham
Lings.
Once on top of the difficult part of the scramble,
which probably took less than 2 minutes to complete
– it was actually a lot easier than it looked – I
took some photographs looking down towards Anne and
Greg and the base of the gorge and also of the hole
(eye) higher up the gorge that the water gushed out
of. Very impressive. From here the route was
straight forward. Having climbed up some limestone
steps I reached the top of this limestone plateau
landscape, which had some wonderful limestone
pavements.
Photographs from the approach to
Gordale Scar to Malham Lings
It was very pleasant
walking the mile or so across this upland to the
road, my only regret was that Anne and Greg were
not with me to enjoy it. However, it wasn’t very
long before I reached the road, turned left and a ¾
mile or so further on we all met up at a ladder
stile. (Grid Reference 907641)
From here our route was just west of north, and in
less than ½ mile, where the path split, we took the
left fork and were soon walking to the north of an
area of limestone pavements called Broad Scars.
Along this part of the walk we glimpsed Malham Tarn
before, having given a wide birth to some cows
congregating by a small pool, we reached the
Pennine Way. Our route now followed the Pennine Way
southwards and soon we were walking through a
rugged valley following a path that gradually
ascended, taking us away from the valley bottom on
to its right flank. With the sun shining this was a
very enjoyable part of the walk. As the path took
us higher up the side of the valley it also started
to bend to the right and suddenly as I looked down
I realised we were approaching the end of what I
think can best be described as a hanging valley. If
we had stayed at the lower level we would have
reached a substantial drop in front of us. However,
our path having turned right did a sharp change of
direction left and we descended a limestone
staircase to a valley, below the hanging valley,
between hillsides called Ing Scar Crag to the south
west (Ing Scar on my maps) and Watlowes to the
north-east. We followed this valley for slightly
more than half a mile and then it broadened out and
on our right was the spectacular limestone pavement
on top of Malham Cove.
As to be expected there were quite a few people on
top of Malham Cove, but certainly less than I had
expected. It is quite a pull from the base of the
Cove to its top. But the views from the top, like
the pavement, are impressive. It is difficult to
describe it in words but hopefully the photographs
I took will help to convey the magnificence of the
area. Needless to say Anne warned both Greg and me
not to get too near the edge and although Greg and
I were unworried about walking over the pavement
Anne was a little nervous about missing her footing
and stepping into one of the pavement cracks.
Photographs taken along the
Pennine Way to the top of Malham Cove.
Having spent some time
on top of the Cove, with Anne exploring between the
pavement cracks for plants, we followed the stepped
limestone descent to the base of the Cove and for a
short time watched climbers tackling routes on its
almost sheer face.
We left the base of the Cove with the stream on our
left, which flows from the base of the Cove having
seeped through the porous limestone from further up
the hillside. From here we continued along the
Pennine Way, through Malham Village, which I
thought surprisingly unspoilt in view of the number
of visitors it gets, and were soon at the Car Park.
It had been a really enjoyable walk with such
spectacular scenery.
Photographs taken at, or near, the
base of Malham Cove.
The total distance I
walked I estimate as being 7½ miles, with Anne and
Greg’s route, and the intended route, being
probably a fraction of a mile less.
The Ordnance Survey Map that covers the area of
this walk is the Explorer Map for the Yorkshire
Dales – Southern and Western Areas - reference OL2.