Malham walk

Malham at Easter buzzed with more walkers than we'd seen all year. A mile or so further north near the shores of Malham Tarn there were even more and we pointed a couple of lost lads on their way to Malham Cove.

Our walk spurns the spectacular honey spots of these western dales, at least for the first few miles, being a roundabout way to a classy finish and indeed contrary to habit we set off on a road that, proof for sure that it's quiet, has encrustations of yellow lichens.

Soon we were on a famous old track called Mastiles Lane, recently closed to motor traffic. We loitered on its history at the site of a Roman marching camp, a place they stopped to pitch their eight-man leather tents on the way to dealing with a bunch of rebellious northerners called the Brigantes.

The camp isn't the highest ground hereabouts, that's Great Close Hill. Perhaps the Romans chose their stop for the crystal beck that drops to Gordale Scar, or for the tarn, anyway we strolled the comfy smooth turf of these rounded hills thinking about blood and ancient blisters.

Said tarn, the size of a tennis court, was quivering with frog spawn and the activity that makes the jellied clumps.

But the amphibians saw us coming and went down and stayed down. We watched knowing that behind some sprig of rushes beady eyes were on us.

More upfront than the frogs were the skylarks, though an ancient proverb goes 'one leg of a lark is worth the whole body of a kite'. They sing dawn to dusk and are and were incessant, 'merry and elegant' with a 'seductive trilling' and, according to George Meredith in his Lark Ascending, they lay out a 'silver chain of sound'. I find them energising, they can take the heat out of the day.

Ahead was the only building on or visible from our route, a Victorian gothic farm.

Then the Monk's Road brought us a blessed view down to Malham Tarn. Ten minutes later we were taking the shoreline track with the sunlight playing over the National Nature Reserve water and finally there was of a mile on the Pennine Way, a little celebration of its 40th anniversary.

We'd seen crags, scars, sculpted rocks and vanishing water, so back at the Park's Centre in Malham I pressed a button and out over the speakers flowed In Praise of Limestone by WH Auden -1948. He was York born.

We slept at the useful Youth Hostel, where, by improvement on the Romans, I found only four in the proximate bunks.

For improvement of the mind, there's a course on 'Slugs and Snails' at Malham Tarn, and presumably to minimise straying the YHA do a course called 'Navigation for Women'.

Directions

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

1. Left to road from grassy parking area. At bend straight on, fieldgate to track (signed Kilnsey 5m), ford/ footbridge.

2. Just before tiny ford, left and switchback on path (signed Middle House 1), pass below small dry-stone walled reservoir and to right of tarn, ford. Ignore a left fork 150 yards to streams.

3. Ladderstile, ladderstile/fieldgate, cross field corner to fieldgate, track by wall 100 yards then cross grass 100 yards (house to right).

4, Stile (signed Malham Tarn) and left, stile/fieldgate, uphill path (fence to right), downhill to Tarn.

5. Left to track by Tarn, fieldgate by trees and fork right (signed), grassy track.

Fact file

Distance: Five miles.

Time: Two or three hours.

General location: Yorkshire Dales.

Start: Malham Tarn

Right of way: The complete route is along public rights of way.

Date walked: Thursday March 24, 2005.

Road route: From York, the A59, or via Pateley Bridge and Grassington. Seasonal Malham Shuttle Bus to tarn.

Car parking: Water Sinks car park, a grassy area south of Malham Tarn.

Lavatories: Malham.

Refreshments: Malham.

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

Map: Based on OS Explorer OL2 Yorkshire Dales southern and western areas.

Terrain: Upland pasture.

Points of interest: The natural history courses at Malham Tarn Field Centre.

Difficulty: Easy in fine weather.

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: 16:23 Friday, April 01, 2005