We arrived in Malham late afternoon and made our way up to the cove.
About Malham Cove
Malham Cove is a large curved limestone formation 0.6 miles (1 km) north of the village of Malham, North Yorkshire, England.
It was formed by a waterfall carrying meltwater from glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age more than 12,000 years ago.
Today it is a well-known beauty spot and rock climbing crag within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. A large limestone pavement lies above the cove.
Heading up to Malham Cove
The trail starts with a very well defined path leading down to a stream. I took a shot here as we approached the cove.
When we reached the limestone rock face, I took a shot looking back as I thought this made a nice scene.
I took some shots of the cove to try and get a sense of scale.
After this point, you walk up a long set of wide steps to the top of the cove. There is an impressive view at the top.
Wandering across the top, it’s strange to see a large expansion of flat limestone.
From here, we followed the trail back towards Malham, as we were targetting Janet’s Foss too.
About Janet’s Foss
Janet’s Foss is a small waterfall in the vicinity of the village of Malham, North Yorkshire, England.
It carries Gordale Beck over a limestone outcrop topped by tufa into a deep pool below. The pool was traditionally used for sheep dipping, an event which drew in local village inhabitants for the social occasion.
The name Janet (sometimes Jennet) is believed to refer to a fairy queen reputed to inhabit a cave at the rear of the fall.
Foss is a Nordic word for waterfall, still used in Scandinavia, and is presented in a number of cases in England as ‘force’.
The walk from Malham Cove to Janet’s Foss
It was early evening and the light was dropping but we were determined to get to Janet’s Foss. It was a really nice walk down to this location through a large field and across the road at the bottom.
Once you pass the national trust sign, it’s a short walk down the the waterfall.
There were a group of people with their dogs splashing in the water, so I took my first position over the other side of the falls and took a shot here.
I didn’t like the angle or composition much and when the people and their dogs left, I moved back over where a more pleasing composition could be had.
Despite a tripod and a polariser, I couldn’t quite eliminate the light reflecting off the water but I got a pleasing shot.
We left Janet’s Foss and headed back along the path through the woodland.
Although the light was fading quickly, the path was easy to follow and we then ended up on a a wider path that would lead us back to Malham and literally back at where we had parked our car.
It was late and dark, but we had a real sense of achievement visiting these two locations and the walk was really enjoyable.
This would definitely be somewhere we would return to in future, probably a little earlier so we could explore the area more.
Onwards and upwards…