Malham Tarn

Malham campsite boasted but one other tent. Ours took ages to put up because I'd forgotten one of the pole linkages, but bent wire and sticky tape sorted that and we were ready and willing for a hike that the National Trust call the Fountains Fell Circular, a new route they describe as a 'strenuous walk, not for the faint-hearted'.

There were still hours of daylight, the sun shone on the deer grazing in the wetlands at Malham Tarn. We left the last of the shade and started along the Pennine Way and up the slopes, which were gentle at first. We bypassed a multi-buttressed scar and gradually the gradient increased. The terrain was bare with grasses, that's all. The views were big and a stream lead down Wharfedale way. There were a few little tarns, fragments of limestone pavement, swallow holes and sight of Malham Tarn.

Another beck ran over a bed of shale. The geology here is alternating layers of limestone and shale topped with millstone grit. It took three hours of climbing to reach the top where a sign warned of mineshafts. A coal seam was worked here in the 19th century. There's a small stone-built block that was a coke oven and a fenced and scary-looking lined shaft.

Actually, the top as marked by a spindly cairn is not quite the summit: that's nearby at 2,191 feet and marked by a rounded pile of rocks.

On a good day one can see the Three Peaks, that's Pen-y- Ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside.

Fountains Fell is bleak and lonesome, one wouldn't wish to be here without an OS map and a compass. Of birds and flowers we saw none but as proof of the change of season there was frogspawn, though slugs of spring snow persisting in swallow holes. The sizeable high-altitude waters of Fountains Fell Tarn looked cold. There was another far away sight of Malham Tarn.

The way down is the new part of the route and is rougher than the way up and little used. The National Trust's orange-banded waymark posts were useful.

Eventually with the sun fading and the wind rising we found a steep descent down to pale limestone and black rabbits, and back at the campsite lots more tents.

For supper we walked into the village and tried the Lister Arms where they have an alluring array of continental lager beers, bottled and on tap. A quantity of a fine brew from Prague put me to sleep which was useful as the youthful occupants of the other tents had not been completely knackered by their Duke of Edinburgh Award efforts and so were nocturnally not quite silent. Then the BBC turned up with a broadcast van at some unearthly hour, but that was for tomorrow.

directions

When in doubt look at the map. Check your position at each point. Keep straight on unless otherwise directed.

Right to road from parking area, 100 yards, fieldgate on left to track, right at junction.

Fieldgate on left after houses (signed Pennine Way), fieldgate, ladderstile.

Left at wall corner (signed Pennine Way) and downhill (wall to left), gateway, one o'clock uphill across field to corner.

Right to road, 5 yards, cattle-grid and gate to farm track on left. Track on left just before farmyard then straight uphill.

Wallstile and left, 100 yards, right (footpath sign) to grass track uphill by remains of wall for half mile.

Right (sign) to path angling gently uphill, step-stream, ladderstile to path at 11 o'clock gently uphill, path curves round to steps, slab footbridge, steps and onward uphill.

Left to path at junction 50 yards before cairn (wooden post with orange band, the beginning of permissive path, fenced shaft after 50 yards).

At heap of stones approx 2 metres wide turn left downhill on faint path that angles towards wall on right (orange banded posts), right-angled right turn at wall corner (banded post), 50 yards, (banded post).

At T-junction of walls there's a hard-to-see wall stile about 2 yards from the corner (to avoid stile, wall has fallen down about 200 yards downhill to left), right after said stile, 50 yards, left by old 5-strand wire fence/ruined wall to your right.

At fence corner, left steep downhill (permissive waymarked post). About 150 yards before fence junction angle 10 o'clock to fieldgate (permissive path sign), path straight down through pavement, 200 yards, fieldgate, 300 yards.

Superior wall stile on right (public right of way), cross field, small gate in wall corner (blue circle, not gateway to right), 150 yards.

Ladderstile and immediately left onto permissive route, stay on path/track and ignore a left fork to path which keeps close to wall, the path/track loops round going about 200 yards to right of wall. Fieldgate and right to road.

fact file

Distance: Eight and a half miles.

Time: Five hours

General location: South-western Dales.

Start: Small car park GR. 881 671.

Right of way: The route is along public rights of way and permissive paths.

Date walked: Friday, April 22, 2005.

Road route: From Malham north-west for 2 miles, over junction, half a mile.

Car parking: Small car park at start or roadside further up road.

Lavatories: Malham.

Refreshments: Malham.

Tourist and public transport information: National Park Centre Malham 01729 830363.

Map: Based on OS Explorer OL2 Southern and Western areas.

Terrain: High fell.

Points of interest: National Trust land.

Difficulty: Confidence with map and compass necessary.

Please observe the Country Code and park sensibly. While every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers set out at their own risk.

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 10:36 Saturday, May 07, 2005