The Malham Cove Walk is so easy, even you could do it!

Created in 1954, the Yorkshire Dales is one of Great Britain’s most beautiful National parks. Comprised of a number of ‘dales’ including Ribblesdale, Malhamdale and Airedale, Wharfedale and Nidderdale, this area of Britain is definitely one worth visiting. Starting with the Malham Cove walking route in the south, we spent a week circling the Yorkshire Dales. This walk is a perfect way to start exploring the Dales, especially if you are a movie buff or a literary lover like me – Malham Cove is a Harry Potter filming location!

Seeing the village of Malham confirmed all the comments I had read. Bryson said that Malhamdale might be the finest place in the world and it is obvious why. Fields were full of cars as we made the descent into the silent village, a clear sign that the Malham Cove walk is a popular one. Old fashioned stone houses welcomed us just as I noticed the beck to the right of the road. A stone bridge forms a picturesque crossing point, and from April, is decorated with clusters of flowers.

Staying in Malham

Towards the northern end of the village was our first destination, The Lister Arms public house. With the windows wound down, we could already hear the shrill sounds of the cockerels that nested by the pub. I suddenly felt the adrenaline rush of the exploration. It was a glorious, warm day; I just wanted to dump our things and explore.

Related: The Lister Arms review

The Lister Barn, where we spent the night, is a rustic gem. On entering the barn, we were met with a light and airy communal area. At the far end is a wood burner, which undoubtedly makes the room very toasty, leading onto a terrace. There were a collection of family board games next to the wood burner, which I thought was a wonderful, homely touch.

A hotel employee showed us to our room, on the upper floor. The room itself was incredible: I had booked The Lister Barn based on photos alone. I had ignored the fact that it was not the number 1 hotel in Malham and was a whole £30 more expensive than any of the other local rooms.

It was small but it was superbly decorated. The collection of ‘minor touches’ made it feel as though it could be my own bedroom! Hanging on a rail were two extraordinarily soft dressing gowns and a bag containing eye masks and ear plugs. Dan was most excited by the skylight. It was a complete novelty but ended up being totally underused by us. Another novelty was the torch that was generously left in a drawer to use when finding our way back from the pub itself at night. It gets very dark. There are no street lights in the countryside.

The Malham Cove Walk

The whole point of our visit was to tackle the Malham Cove walk, so started the circular route by walking northwards towards Malham Cove – where one of the Harry Potter scenes were filmed – then planned to reach Gordale Scar, walk through Janet’s Foss, and back to The Lister Barn. Beginning at 2pm, we headed up the road (on the right hand side to face oncoming traffic) and went through the gate towards the 12,000 year old cove.

Malham Cove

As we trekked through the field, we were accompanied by lots of other walkers. Then it hits you. Standing at 260ft, the sheer scale of the white, grey cove seems to be enormous, even when you are a good 50 metres away, plodding alongside grazing cows. I was excited to be in such close proximity to cattle. However, I was desperate to see a peregrine falcon, since they nest at the top of the cove. The waterfall was not flowing on the day we arrived. In its place were a number of climbers attempting to scale the daunting rock face.

Instead of taking the path to the top of Malham Cove like sensible people, Dan and I decided to climb partway up the western side of it, in line with the base of the climbers, and some 40 feet in the air. My nerves started to kick in. I suddenly became thankful for dishing out £30 on a pair of climbing boots at Sports Direct the week earlier. We re-joined the rest of the walkers after I used at least seven trees for stability (breaking the branches of one) and continued our ascent to the top of the cove, dodging the hundred dogs that eagerly raced around us.

Related: Hiking: a guide to long walks for beginners

We had seen the top of Malham Cove from the scene where Harry and Hermione discuss the Deathly Hallows symbol in the seventh Harry Potter film, but it was dark, the shots were focused on the actors rather than the landscape, and I didn’t really know what to expect. The only thing I could think to seriously compare it to is skin. The grey, cracked limestone seems uncannily human-like, as the lines and wrinkles on the skin of your knuckles, perhaps. And this seems to be decoration on the top of a cliff, like dried icing on a cake. Some of the rocks wobbled as I stood on them, so I refused to allow Dan to stand too close to the edge, even though he is a grown man. I wondered just how many people manage to injure themselves.

The views across the village were some of the most beautiful I had ever seen. The blue body of water weaves its way through fields and forests, the bright blades of grass complement it perfectly. Crows call to one another as they soar along the edge of the cove. I didn’t see any peregrines: perhaps they were busy nesting.

Gordale Scar

As the wind picked up and the temperature dropped, we decided to make the next step on our Malham Cove walk. We made our way to the eastern side of the cove and started our descent to Gordale Scar. To reach it, we had to ramble through a number of fields, climbing wooden structures, crossing roads and watching for cow dung. It might be a little challenging for a dog walker – we’d definitely have to carry Ted over. I thought, instead of a pair of black leggings and walking boots, I should be wearing an ankle length, woollen, plaid dress and a bonnet. A sense of nostalgia for something I had never experienced washed over me and I savoured it.

The journey to Gordale Scar took us about 40 minutes of meandering through hills and valleys, passing fields of sheep. One ram had managed to escape and we found him lost in a valley. He was the first of many we would encounter in the Yorkshire Dales!

Related: Best things to do in the Yorkshire Dales

On reaching the Gordale Scar campsite, we followed Gordale Beck on our left side towards the Scar. The sound of crashing water became louder as we approached, but the scar is hidden behind a wall of rock on the right. At the end of the path, the temperature dropped a few degrees and I had to put my jacket back on, while I looked in horror at the family climbing in the waterfall itself.

Apparently, you can reach Malham Tarn by climbing Gordale Scar, which explains why the family were there. I prefered to sit at the bank of the beck and feel the water rushing through my fingertips.

Janet’s Foss

Though magnificent, Gordale Scar was somewhat forgettable. Why? The next stage of the Malham Cove walking route is Janet’s Foss. As we descended the steps towards, I thought I could be walking into Shakespeare’s enchanted forest of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

By the pool and waterfall, the scent of wild garlic is just noticeable, but also surprisingly pleasant. In contrast to the cold, biting waters of Gordale Scar, Janet’s Foss seems to subvert nature. Suddenly, in the middle of a forest, it was hot, and all I wanted to do was jump in the pool to refresh. I wasn’t the only one with that idea. A group of men in their late teens were having a dip. Legend has it, a fairy queen lived near the foss, which certainly explains the mystical atmosphere surrounding the area.

Then, we continued along Gordale Beck, back towards Malham. We listened to the rush of water beside us and the zealous chirp of birds, smelling the wild garlic wafting on the breeze, destined for dinner in the Lister Arms, surrounded by locals and their dogs, then bed!

Recommended next stop: Ingleton – Mountains and more waterfalls!

Disclaimer: We actually visited Malham in the spring and the remaining locations in the Yorkshire Dales in the summer. Had we not already been, it would have been the logical beginning to a trip round the Dales.

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