Ali and Julian Travels


Malham, Yorkshire Dales		Week 45 16th March 2012

		Settle market place and "town hall"

		We parked in the supermarket car park and hoped they wouldn't mind if we strayed into the middle of town. There wasn't much phone reception and thus internet in Horton but there was in Settle.

		Oops! Maybe it was never meant to have any bells.

		From Settle we headed over the hill to Malham. Even narrower roads.

		And lots of dry stone walls.

		Malham Cove. In the dim dark distant recesses of time it used to have a waterfall. Now the water appears at its base.

		Campsite was the next field over. The cove in the distance.

		A quick canter to the top of the cove before tea.

		The limestone here is a bit finer and the pavement area looks a little different.

		Just above the old waterfall is the Pennine Way sign.

		Malham was probably settled around the 6th century. There's lots of evidence of old field systems. From before the enclosure acts caused the stone walls to be built.

		One of the pubs in Malham is 17th century.

		Following day we went for a longish walk. This is Janet's Foss on the stream that runs from Goredale. Janet is the Norse Fairy that lives in the cave behind the Foss (waterfall). I knew that!

		Goredale Scar.

		Deep in the scar is the waterfall. The top part appears through a hole in the limestone.

		Partway up the waterfall I turned to look back.

		Ali still had a few meters to climb. A scramble rather than a climb. But a bit damp.

		The hole with the waterfall. We didn't have to climb through it. There's an easy path around.

		From above. The water flowing to the left is the bit that appears through the hole. Easy really!

		Looking further up the valley.

		The path goes above the side of the valley rather than in it. Just another erratic. There have been three ice ages in the area in the last one and a half million years.

		I used to think that cairns were there to show people the way. After all our Asian travels some of them look more like burial mounds.

		Malham Tarn with Tarn House. Its now a place for field studies.

		The dry valley that leads to Malham Cove. It starts of wet, with the flow of water from Malham Tarn. But that soon disappears underground.

		Obviously an important boundary!

		And back to the top of the Cove.

		The guy halfway up the photo lasted quite a few minutes longer before peeling off and bouncing around on the end of his belay rope.

		Malham Raikes. I think pastures.

		Following day we walked south from Malham along the Pennine Way, towards Gargrave.

		The river and fields.

		Back in Malham spotted some windows with frames made of stone.

		And this is an owl hole in the wall of Town Head Barn The owls keep the rodents at bay so they don't eat the fodder for the animals.

		There was a party of 12 teenagers on a three day walk as part of their college preparation for joining the forces. We couldn't help but notice the penguin like activity as they huddled a bit close to keep warm. A bit inexperienced. Some of them had very heavy packs. Very reluctant to start the day.

		We drove out to the main road at Gargrave for another internet fix. Parked next to the Leeds Liverpool Canal and went for a walk.

		Mid week there wasn't much movement.

		The canal crosses the river. And is then crossed by a road.

		But wait. There's more. The canal is also crossed by a rail line. Which of course then crosses the road.

		Here's all three. The river, the canal, and the railway bridge.

		Back to Malham Tarn where we free camped for the night. Our evening stroll was to the nearby Mastiles Lane Roman Marching Camp. Not a lot left. This is the gate in the wall. Just visible as the ridge in front stretching away.

		A peaceful night we headed back to Ribblesdale, through Horton, to Ribblehead. This is the Ribblehead Viaduct. The one we saw from the top of Ingleborough. A major interest for railway buffs. Our train ride a few days ago took us over this but difficult to know while in the train.

		A rather dark day. A forbidding structure.

		Settle to Carlisle Railway was the last of the navvy built lines. It was a huge undertaking in its day (around 1875). There were many work camps with appropriately atrocious living conditions. Behind us the embankment continues for a while then the line enters a longish tunnel under Blea Moor.

		Ingleborough in the distance. Where we stood a few days ago. There was even a brickworks near here. Under the arches is not the same stone as the uprights and sides. Its red. There are a few bits and pieces on the track under the viaduct. Unusually hard for just plain ordinary red brick. A bit more research to do! Funny how deficient all the interpretive signs are about the essentials!

		Ingleborough is as distinctive in its own way as Pen-y-Ghent.

		A lesser viaduct. The name escapes me. Possibly Appersett (on the dismantled line through Hawes) or the Dandrymire Viaduct. Still a major engineering feat given that we sink just walking across bog and peat.

		Adam Sedgwick had a bit to do with the beginnings of geology (as a study!). Between us and the Howgills is the Dent Fault. The boundary between the limestone that eroded in steps due to variations in rock hardness and the Howgills made of harder rock that ended up a bit rounded. We've had our fill of limestone for a while and are on our way from the Dales to the Lakes District.

Great Langdale, Lakes District		Week 46 19th March 2012

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