Get Lost Mountaineering

1. Malham to road at entrance to Tennant Gill

Start/Finish

Malham Village where there is free parking on the lanes or pay and display in the National Park centre car park. If coming from the south, look to leave the A 65 around either Gargrave or Coniston Cold. If coming from the north, look to approach via Settle.

Distance/Time

9 km.   About 4 hours.

Peaks

No peaks as this is mainly an edge and moorland walk but the highest point is about 400 m.

OL10 Yorkshire Dales: Southern Area

Introduction

This is a fine walk in the heart of Limestone Country. Malham Cove is one of the most famous landmarks in England with its great limestone cliffs. The ascent path safely ascends the side of the cliff although it can be very slippery in winter conditions when many of the paths can be hidden beneath the snow. Malham Tarn is a national nature reserve. The road to the entrance to Tennant Gill is very minor and can be closed by snow in winter which may have implications for any transport being arranged. Note that older maps may not show the course of the Pennine Way as described below.

Route

(1) From the National Park Centre, follow the road heading into the village. Pass the Buck Inn and continue up Cove Road. Once past the houses, leave the road for the Pennine Way on the right which heads towards Malham Cove. Just before the cliffs of the cove are reached, the Pennine Way forks left towards some steps. Climb these steps; there are lots of them! Pass a plaque then, soon after, the path leaves the wall and goes right. A sign would be useful here. Pick a way across the limestone pavement, with deep cracks, which is at the top of Malham Cove. Continue and descend slightly to reach a sign post. Follow the Pennine Way by a wall, roughly NNW, to reach a stone stile. After this is a National Trust sign for Ewe Moor. This is the entrance to the Watlowes Valley. Follow the path up the valley with increasingly high crags on either side. Climb out of the valley on the stepped path to reach a signpost. Take a reverse right fork here, signed Pennine Way, and follow the path E then curving around to N below Comb Hill with impressive crags on each side. Leaving the crags behind, the Pennine Way follows a wall, roughly N, until a stream appears when the Pennine Way drifts left to avoid some wet areas. Reach a signpost and continue to reach another signpost by a gate then soon reach the road to the E of Low Trenhouse.

(2) Turn right and soon reach a signpost. Go left, N, here and follow the Pennine Way to pass Malham Tarn on its E side. There are occasional signposts and the prominent Great Close Scar is passed.. Soon after, a wood is entered near to the NE corner of Malham Tarn. Follow the track around the back of Malham Tarn House then, after it becomes a road, past the entrance to the nature reserve. The Pennine Way goes N just before Keeper Cottage and is signed. After passing some mature trees, there is a wall over to the right and a very, very shallow miniature “valley” is followed. Soon there is a wall on the left and this leads past a barn then passes well to the right of a much larger barn before continuing, still alongside the wall, to reach a corner where a signpost points towards the road. Descend slightly and pass through a wall where another sign points NNW diagonally across the bumpy field to reach the orad at a signpost and the entrance to Tennant Gill. The continuation of the Pennine Way heads towards Tennant Gill.

Notes

(a) This walk is a composite from walks which took place on 30^th and 31^st January, 2019.