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Malhamdale
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Malhamdale

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Malham Cove

Area: The Dales
Region: Southern Dales
County: North Yorkshire
Useful Links:
Yorkshire Dales Accommodation Search
The Yorkshire Dales National Park Tourist Information


Full Description: Malhamdale in the Yorkshire Dales is the name given to the area surrounding the Upper region of the valley of the River Aire. This area is well known for its magnificent limestone scenery. Kirby Malham and Airton are villages found in Malhamdale, south of these are the villages of Gargrave and Skipton which lie in the valley known as Airedale.

Limestone, Cliffs, scars, crags, and the wide wildlife resource as well as the farming landscape of dry-stone walls, field barns, meadows and woodlands create the spectacular beauty of the Malham area. Much of the area is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the National Trust owns a large area, including the Tam. They work alongside the Yorkshire Dales national Park to balance recreation with conservation.

Malhamdale has been a film and TV location for many years. Monty Pythons The Holy Grail, Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal, Victoria Wood and The Water Babies are just a few films/shows which have been influenced by the Malhamdale area.

Malham is a small dales village located in the heart of the Malhamdale area, at the base of the Yorkshire Dales just north of the village of Skipton. The village is very pretty, it is surrounded by dry stone walls and a stream runs through right through the centre of the village. Malham has been a settlement for at least a thousand years and was mentioned in the Doomsday book. Traces of the Iron Age can still be found in Malham and some archaeological remains that can be see date back 10,000 years. The main activities in Malham today are tourism and hill farming. Malham is one of the most popular villages in the Yorkshire Dales, the surrounding countryside is outstanding and it is easily accessible from Skipton. There is over 800 km of byways, green lanes and bridle paths in and around Malham attracting many visitors. Malham’s National Park Centre provides a useful source of information about Malhamdale and surrounding area.

Above Malham Village lies Malham Cove which is a limestone amphitheatre formed through water and ice erosion over millions of years. The gorge has an over-hanging rock which is over 30 metres high and once was the scene of a spectacular waterfall. Fossils of sea creatures dating back from 300 million years ago when the cove was formed can stil be seen in the Malham area today. From the foot of the cove emerges Malham Beck, the beck runs through an under ground cave system emerging at the foot of the cove before flowing through the centre of Malham. The beck is crossed by clapper bridges and a former packhorse bridge. A section of the Pennine Way leads from Malham Village to the Cove; there are sensational views over the valley along the way. Northwards beyond the valley is Malham Tarn.

Malham Tarn lies on bedrock slates, in a depression which was carved by a glacier in the Ice Age. It is the highest lime lake in the country, fed by springs from the surrounding hills. Arncliffe in Littondale lies north of the Tran and Ribblesdale can be found to the east.

Gordal Scar a giant collapsed cave system forms a twisting gorge between limestone cliffs just one and a half miles east of Malham. It can be reached by a field path from Malham which runs alongside the beck and passes through a waterfall set called Janet’s Foss. The waterfall is named after the Queen of Fairies, it is a special feature and makes a romantic setting with overhanging trees and a nearby cave.


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