Country:
District:
Parking: Yorkshire Dales National Park Visitor Centre car park at the southern edge of Malham village. (BD23 4DA) Grid ref. SD 899 627. If this is full, there is parking on the roadside leading to the village and in busy periods, the local farmers will open fields to allow parking. You will need to pay for all parking; take cash and card so you have all options.
(S/E) From the parking walk through the car park to the road (Chapel Gate), turn left (North) and walk into the village. Pass 'the smithy' on the right and the Buck Inn on the left. Keep following the road until the turning to the Lister Arms and at this point take the path through the woods; this keeps you off the road at its narrowest part. Rejoin the road and walk past the entrance to the Beck Hall and then the carpark. Just after the car park you will see a wooden fingerpost. Turn right and follow the path to cross Malham Beck, then turn right behind a fence and follow the path which leads behind Beck Hall to some steps. Follow the steps up to a track.
(1) Turn left and follow the track, pass through a gate. Keep following the track to pass through a second gate and further along a kissing gate. The track becomes narrower and as it leads into a pasture, it becomes a path which slants downhill. At the bottom, head for the kissing gate on the left (not the gate on the right).
(2) Go through the kissing gate to cross a slab bridge over Malham Beck and join the path to Malham Cove. Turn right and follow the good path to the bottom of the cove, then back-track and take the path on your right leading to the steps which ascend the left side of Malham Cove, passing through gates as necessary.
(3) At the top, turn right and pick your way across the limestone pavement at the top of the cove. Take care as there is a very steep drop over the cliff edge on your right. In addition the pavement has been worn smooth in places by the passage of many feet and in wet weather parts are slippery. It is easy to slip on a polished clint (block) and break your ankle in a grykes (vertical crack). At the far side, look out for a wide metal gate a few metres to the left of a wooden fingerpost. Go through the gate and follow the broad grassy track uphill with a wall on your left. Look out for a wooden ladder stile crossing the wall next to a fingerpost and National Trust sign for Ewe Moor.
(4) Cross the stile and follow the broad grassy path gently upwards. Cross a wall via a stone stile/picket gate and continue to where the fell flattens out and the path passes between reeds (can be muddy but soft areas are easily avoided). The path continues to a second wooden ladder stile. Cross this and follow the path to the road.
(5) Turn right and follow the road, which can be busy on summer weekends and bank holidays, so take care with traffic; fortunately the grass verges are easy to walk along. Follow the road to where it turns right and a short section of road/track continues to a flat area where cars are parked. At the bend in the road, go straight ahead to a large gate.
(6) Pass through the gate and follow the track with a wall on the right. The track descends to cross Goredale Beck via a slab bridge, then passes through a second gate to ascend and pass through the remains of the Mastiles Roman Army Camp.
It is possible to just make out the remains of low earthworks and an information board gives some detail. Next to the information board is the base of a mediaeval cross; the upright is long gone but the square hole remains where it would have slotted in.
Continue along the good track, pass through a metal gate and continue to another large gate.
(7) Pass through the gate and turn immediately right to follow a grassy path across the pasture. This path veers away from the wall on your right and bends leftwards, leading to a wall and gate. Do not go through the gate. Instead follow the track in an easterly direction with a wall on your right. The track ascends and then leads down to Bordley Farm with good views South across the dale. Pass through a metal gate and then descend to the farm and a second gate.
(8) Go through the gate and follow the track rightwards into the farm. Ignore the first fingerpost on your right and follow the track into the farmyard with a stone barn on your right. Turn right between the end of this barn and another outbuilding. It is not signposted, but as you walk to the end and turn left, you will see a signpost ahead. Walk to this and then walk diagonally right to a gate in the wall. Pass through the gate and continue to a metal gate. Pass through this and continue to a wall and a fingerpost. Ignore the fingerpost and walk with the wall on your left to a second fingerpost.
(9) Follow the grassy path across the field to a large wooden gate. Go through this and walk diagonally downhill to a second large wooden gate above Bordley Hall Farm. Pass through the gate and walk down to the farm. The track turns right to a metal gate.
(10) Go through the gate and follow the track which bends to the left and crosses a beck. If this is full there is a slab bridge on the left.
Keep following the track which ascends and curves to the right and up. At the next, left-hand bend, veer away from the track and follow a grassy path to rejoin the track next to a fence. Now follow the path to a large gate with a double picket gate on the right. Go through the double picket gate and follow the track diagonally up to pass a barn, keep ascending towards the gable end of a barn which appears above you. Aim for the left side of the barn and walk past it to a large wooden gate.
(11) Follow the track to a junction and take the left-hand split towards Park House. The track bends to the left and enters the farm. It then passes behind the farm building and into the farm yard. There may be a large black Labrador which will bark at you.
Walk across the yard to a gate on the left of the farmhouse and pass through this into a small yard, and then through another gate into a field. Walk with the wall on your right to a stone stile. Cross over this into a lightly wooded area and follow the path to another wall and stone stile. Cross this and follow the path, beside the wall, to a third stone stile. Cross this stile. Do not be tempted to follow the wall, but instead pick up a path to the left of a reedy area, which leads to a wall and a final stone stile.
(12) Cross over onto the lane leading up to Weets Top. Turn right and walk down the lane to the road. Turn left at the road and walk downhill (take care with traffic). Arrive at a large wooden gate on the right, which leads to Gordale Scar Campsite and Gordale Scar.
(13) Go through the gate and follow the path into the Gorge to enjoy the views.
Note: in winter 2025 a rockfall in the gorge has forced the closure of the path beyond this point. It is due to reopen in May 2026.
(14) Return back to the gate and road.
(13) Walk along the road past the bridge on the right and look out for a gate on the left. Go through this and down a few rocky steps to the small waterfall of Janet's Foss. Keep following the path through the woods and then along the side of the beck, passing through gates as necessary. At a barn, go through another gate and follow the path back towards Malham. Walk up to the Miresfield bed and breakfast and cross the small bridge on the left, which leads to 'the smithy'. Either explore the village for refreshments or turn left and walk back to the car park.(S/E)
Visorando member
Easy 
Difficult 
