Walks Malham & The Three Peaks

Author: Richard Hallewell

Rewalked by: Richard & Maggie Legate

We were pleased to have the chance to check the routes for the Malham guide – the most westerly of the three current guides to the Yorkshire Dales. The walking is terrific, and you get the feeling that not much changes along the routes as you walk along paths, or by dry stone dykes, which scarcely alter through the years. It is all very photogenic, and there seems to be a delightful pub at the end of every walk! As the routes are all well established, very few significant adjustments were needed to the descriptions; just odd changes to gates and signage.

Central to the book are two settlements: the delightful market town of Settle and the little village of Malham. The latter is tiny, and can be incredibly busy, but once you get away from the wildly popular short walks (to the massive limestone amphitheatre of Malham Cove and the gorge of Gordale Scar) you quickly lose sight of the crowds and the countryside empties of humans in favour of interesting orchids and mountain pansies. There are fascinating geological features throughout the area, including pot holes, extensive limestone pavements and the strange Norber Erratics.

Beyond Malham, the main walking attractions are the ’Three Peaks’: Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent. Their distinctive silhouettes are a feature of the area, and many visitors see it as a challenge to climb all three. As an added attraction, Whernside and Pen-y-ghent can be reached using the fabulous Settle to Carlisle railway.

This is one of Britain’s classic walking areas, and one to which it will always be a pleasure to return.

For more details, or to buy the book, click here.

Photo:  Ingleborough from the Stainforth Waterfall walk.