Malham to Pen-y-ghent

[nigheandonn]

Malham was a busy spot, and quite a different place from the places I'd been earlier - Haworth had been touristy enough, but not in this pretty way.

Malham

It was at least partly a landscape change, of course - somewhere quite recently I'd walked off the Millstone Grit and onto limestone, and all the colours were different, as well as all the shapes. It wasn't quite the first time I'd been in (the wilds of) Yorkshire, but I think it was the first time I'd come across these jigsaw puzzles of pale walls.

Jigsaw puzzle fields

Malham Tarn is the epitome of limestone country, of course - a genuinely stunning sight, and also doing the fascinating trick of producing a stream from the bottom which doesn't flow in at the top, which is not how either rock or water work where I come from.

Malham Cove

The path climbs by steps at the side, to come out on a weird stretch of limestone pavement, and then the almost equally fascinating landscape of the Watlows Dry Valley, worn away by a river that isn't there, having presumably done another vanishing trick.

Watlowes Dry Valley

The tarn, on the other hand, would be fairly ordinary in another part of the country, although pleasant enough - the fascinating thing about it is that it's there at all, one of only two lakes in the Dales, where most of the water vanishes into the ground.

Malham Tarn

A track leads round the edge of the lake past the field centre, and then the path carries on parallel to a little road to begin the climb up Fountains Fell, with the cluster of tall cairns which mark the highest point of the path coming into view ahead.

Cairns on the skyline

I had had every intention, all along, of turning aside to the true summit, less than half a mile away, but after the various adventures of the preceding days I simply could not produce the energy to go on over the rough ground - I already felt like I might need more than I had to get me to Horton by train time.

Fountains Fell summit - as close as I got

In any case, like the earlier hills Fountains Fell has a true summit and a better one - the cairns are impressive, and I would have to come back up here some day for Darnbrook Fell anyway.

Cairns, Fountains Fell

From the descent on the other side Pen-y-ghent looked absolutely stunning, but also rather daunting - as I made my way down to the road I was seriously considering turning downhill from Churn Milk Hole and leaving the loop of path over the hill as a circuit from Horton for some other day.

Approaching Pen-y-ghent

I was enjoying looking at it, all the same - that double outcrop towering above was definitely one of the best sights along the way.

Looking up

At Churn Milk Hole the route turns towards the hill - it's quite an impressive hole, but again I'm not very used to the idea that the ground might just get tired of being ground and drop away, and I'm not sure that I like it.

Churn Milk Hole

I decided to go up at least to the point where the path turns off to Brackenbottom, and having got that far it looked so close that I decided just to go for it. I seem to have been too busy climbing to take any pictures, because even the easier parts were pretty steep, and I didn't much enjoy the clambering from ledge to ledge with a heavy bag on my back and nothing in particular to tell me which way to go, but I made it to the top.

Pen-y-ghent summit

I decided, however, that I didn't have time to finish the loop (I came back and did that stretch a month or so later, together with an attempt at Plover Fell), and retreated back the way I'd come to the Brackenbottom path - another impressive view of the crags towering above on this side of the hill.

Towering overhead

My stretch of the Pennine Way ended here, where I met a railway line again, and I didn't do much more than pass through Horton - just about time to have dinner at the Crown at the station turning before dashing down to catch the train home.

Transport home

[past my sell by date]

Lovely area - There is a particularly wild and attractive circuit starting ENE from Malham tarn over Yew Cougar Scar to Arncliffe in Littondale. You then walk down the river for a couple of Km and back up Cote ghyll and over the top to the "Street gate". On the way down to Arncliffe the slope in May? is a mass of pink Birds-eye primrose - I've never seen this flower in such abundance anywhere else.
The Pub in Arncliffe used to be a house where if you were lucky the "incredibly grumpy" landord would pour you a pint out of a jug Last time I was there the Pub was much better and we sat in sunshine on the village green with a very nice ale - as near to Paradise as I think as I've ever been
The first time I did it, we started by following your route from Malham and returning from the Street gate down Gordale Scar and Janet's foss: 27Km but I was younger and fitter then

[trailmasher]

Good report and photos of a good walk on a great hill taking a fine route I was up there just about 3 years ago and managed to slot in Plover Hill as well. The Dales are a great area for walking amongst some great scenery and pleased that you had a decent day for it.