GLW1602: Malham Revisited

Tuesday 23rd February 2016

We woke to bright sunshine streaming down onto Malham where we were staying at the very welcoming Lister Arms.

The excellent breakfast should have fortified me for the walk but a combination of a massive steak pie & chips the night before and a bout of sciatica left me less agile than I would have liked. Margaret, however, was full of the joys of being able to have a day away from granny visiting.

We had visited Gordale Scar and Malham Cove (and indeed Malham Tarn) nearly ten years ago, before the advent of the GLW blog. That outing had been inspired by BOOTboys BB0621

This time we decided not to undertake the long and relatively uninteresting trek to Malham Tarn but to focus on the key attractions.

Firstly, Malham Cove.

This is visible from miles away and becomes really impressive the closer you get - much better to approach it from below (on the Pennine Way) than, as per my previous visits, from above. You get a good idea of how it must have appeared in its early days.

The slightly weird thing is that the stream now emerges from the base of the scar not as a raging torrent but as a wide and very gentle seepage without any drop. It looks almost like a pond.

We returned to Malham through ancient field systems to the east of Malham Beck.

Next we took Gordale Lane (and partly a permissive footpath) to Gordale Scar. This is a towering canyon from which there appears no escape until you turn a corner and there is the climb to take you up and out. At least that is what happened previously. This time the route up was a waterfall. No chance of getting up even had we wanted to. Which we did not.

Sat looking at the falls with brush in hand and paintings scattered around was an artist. Stood behind and taking pictures of him was a photographer. When I asked what was happening I was informed that they making preparations for promotional material for an upcoming art exhibition. The artist's name was (probably still is) Peter Hicks and he seems to be of some repute. See for example Messums or his own website.

I can't say that his work (or his website) does anything for me but each to his own.

Our next destination was Janet's Foss, a witch's cave. Until I started writing this report, I had quite forgotten that I had visited her Foss on BB0621 when Bryan had succeeded and I had failed to gain entrance. Today we would both have failed. Bryan, because the volume of water hid the cave completely and me, because my sciatica kicked in with a vengeance. I was finding it very difficult to get down the steps to the side of the stream. Oh, the ignominy when a kind man offered me a hand to help me down. I refused, of course, but it didn't half make me feel old.

Emerging onto level ground, the pain dissipated and we aimed to pick up the Pennine Way and follow it down to Kirkby Malham for lunch. However the fields were so boggy that we saw no joy in that and opted instead to return to Malham.

Even so, we had done over six miles at a good pace despite my infirmity and enjoyed the experience.

The drive back took us back across the moors, past some fine long-horned cattle, and down to Settle where we lunched at the Naked Man café. Sadly the waitresses were fully clothed. Where is the Naked Woman café?

Don, Tuesday 23rd February 2016