Malham Tarn and Cove via the bio-diverse pastures under Pikedaw Hill.

Start : Free parking on the edge of the road that leads to Malham village (Grid ref. SD 899 624).

(S) From the parking spot, walk 250 m into Malham village to the turning on the left into the National Park Visitor Centre.

(1) Turn left and follow the road to the car park, turning left onto the stony track beside the wooden footpath signpost. At the first junction take the right-hand track (North) signposted Pikedaw, and follow this for 300m to the second track on the left.

(2) Turn left and walk West gradually uphill, the track bends to the right (North-West) and arrives at a water works building on the right where the track splits. Take the left hand split and continue uphill passing a couple of barns to where the track bends to the left at a point where a stream runs over it. It is possible to pass the stream without getting your feet wet via a stone slab bridge on the left. Immediately after the bridge is another barn and opposite this on the right is a signpost and stile into a pasture.

(3) Cross over the stile into the pasture, cross this diagonally to an obvious barn where there is a gate and another stile. Cross through or over into the next field. Now head diagonally rightwards (the path is not obvious at first, follow vague quad bike tracks on the right) and upwards in the direction of an obvious solitary tree next to a dry stone wall. Just past this is a wooden gate. (This is one of the bio-diverse pastures see additional information)

(4) Go through the wooden gate and take the track uphill with a dry stone wall on the right, the path crosses a small stream and keeps to the left of it as it ascends to another drystone wall. Go through a gate into the next field and ascend to where the ground starts to flatten out with an obvious set of pools to the left which were part of disused mine workings. Shortly after this the path arrives at another gate in a stone wall, beyond it is an obvious cairn.

(5) Go through the gate and turn right. Follow the track (North-East) to pass through a stone wall, then go through gates in two further walls and follow the track past limestone pavement to a junction with another track. As you walk this section you will have Lang Scar ahead of you.

(6) Turn right and follow the stony track East, down to Langscar Gate and a junction with a road (Cove Road). Go through the gate and then either turn left and cross the cattle grid or cross the road, turn left and go through the gate. Either way, on the other side pick up to track on the right which leads diagonally across the moor to the right hand end of Lang Scar (Dean Scar on the OS map) and an obvious col, beyond which is another wall and gate.

(7) Go through the gate and follow the track which curves to the left to pass a finger post and arrive at a gate and junction with a road (Henside Road). (There is often an ice cream trailer here in the summer months).

(8) Go through the gate, turn right and walk along the road for a short way to a car park on the left. There is a path on the left just before the carpark. Take this grassy path over the dam at the southern end of Malham Tarn (A).

From here you can follow the path around the tarn to the field studies centre at Malham Tarn House, the walk is flat and it offers the chance to picnic away from the crowds that gather near the southern shoreline.

(9) Now return to the road at waypoint (8) and pass back through the gate.

(8) Take the path but at the signpost back to Langscar Gate turn left and follow the path with a wall over to your left. (Do not take the first stile over the wall) but continue to where it curves into the top of a limestone gorge with an obvious cave in the left hand wall. The gorge drops away and the path curves to the right to contour the hillside to a series of signposts and stiles. (You will pass beside Water Sinks, just beyond the finger post, which is where the water from the tarn disappears into the ground. It surfaces again beyond Malham village at Aire Head)

(10) Climb over the first set of stiles on your left which give access to a rocky path which descends the dry valley of Watlowes, with Ing Scar on the right. This path levels out and crosses a stile in a stone wall, leading to the limestone pavement at the top of Malham Cove (B).

(11) Walk rightwards over the limestone pavement (take care with the clints and grykes, see additional information) to a gate in a stone wall. Pass through and take the well maintained steps down to the stream at the bottom of the Cove. Now follow the path with the stream on your left to the first footbridge made from limestone slabs. Cross this bridge to a gate.

(12) Go through the gate into a field, walk inwards then diagonally right to ascend a ramp to the top of the pasture. Keep on following the path and pass through a gate where the path has a wire fence on either side. Pass through into the next field and so on until the path becomes a stony track with the roof of a house ahead of you. Continue to the track which leads to the house.

(13) You now have two options :
You can go straight ahead and arrive at the road where you turn right and descend to the road through the village where you turn left and walk back to the parking,
or as shown on the map, opposite the junction go through a gap in the wall onto a small path through woodland. This descends to pass behind the Beck Hall Hotel and then crosses another slab bridge to a lane which leads onto the road which runs through the village. Turn left and walk through the village and back to the parking.

Whichever way you choose once you are in the village, turn left and walk along the pavement and road, back to your car. (S/E)

Start : Free parking on the edge of the road that leads to Malham village (Grid ref. SD 899 624).

Parking: Free parking on the edge of the road that leads to the village (Grid ref. SD 899 624) but please remember to park sensibly and do not block any farm gates or cause an obstruction.
Alternative Parking
There is parking at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Visitor Centre at the southern edge of the village (Grid Ref SD899627 next to point 1) but this fills quickly and costs £5.50 to park for over 2 hours (June 23, 2023). In addition, on busy days a paid, overflow carpark is opened in a field on the right as you approach the village.

Terrain : There are few places to take shelter other than behind the many dry stone walls.
The ground is rough in places and the pastures are wet after rain so wear appropriate footwear. Take a windproof/waterproof as the weather can change quickly.

Accommodation : Hill Top Farm
The pastures below Pikedaw, which you ascend through are part of Hill Top Farm. This featured in the most recent David Attenborough series "Saving our Wild Isles" as an example of farmers changing their practice to re-establish biodiversity.
The farm has a cottage and bunkhouse and the author can recommend staying here. School groups are also welcome.

Refreshments
There are plenty of places for refreshments in Malham village including ice cream and pubs. The Lister Arms is particularly good but the Buck Inn and Beck Hall Hotel are also popular.

The biodiverse pastures are an excellent place to look for rare flowers and to enjoy the company of the Belted Galloway herd.

(A) Malham Tarn is a tranquil and picturesque place to pic-nic. Look out for Water Sinks on the way back where the water form the tarn disappears into the ground; it surfaces again at Aire Head, just beyond Malham village.

(B) The top of Malham Cove is an excellent example of a limestone pavement, made up of a series of clints (the flat horizontal slabs of carboniferous limestone) and grykes (the vertical cracks between the slabs). Limestone pavements were created during the ice age when the scouring action of ice sheets exposed the pavements. Since then, water has widened the cracks in the pavements to form a complex pattern of crevices. Some clints can be wobbly so take care.

As you descend look behind you to the dramatic Malham Cove which is a major rock climbing venue with some of the hardest routes in the UK.