A ramble on Malham Moor
A circular walk on the fellside, passing through a spectacular upland farming landscape. Enjoy some stunning views of Malham Moor and Tarn and marvel at the tranquility of the countryside.
Map
Start:
Quarry car park, grid ref: SD883672
1
Turn right out of the car park, then turn left through a gate onto a track. Go through the gate on your right and follow the boardwalk through Tarn Moss, an important area of fen and raised bog. Please keep to the boardwalk to safely enjoy this special place. At the far end, by Sandhills Cottage, turn left to exit the reserve then go through the gate on the right signposted Pennine Way. (Sorry, dogs are not allowed on the nature reserve, so dog walkers will need to stay on the track, turn right at the post box and then left onto the Pennine Way after the cottages.)
2
Follow the Pennine Way, heading towards Tennant Gill Farm.
3
Cross the road and pass through the gate to the left of the Tennant Gill Farm gateway, signposted to Henside Road, heading diagonally left across the field. Follow the bridleway through four gates a stretch of around 435yd (400m) across the fellside.
Tennant Gill farm
Tennant Gill farm is one of our tenanted farms and has recently been part of our renewable energy project. The farm now has photovoltaic panels (solar electricity systems which capture the sun's energy) on the barn roof and uses hydro-electricity from a small water turbine in the stream. It's no longer reliant on a diesel generator for its energy, so it's not only cheaper for the farmer, but also much better for the environment.
4
Continue for another 110yd (100m) across the open fellside. Turn left at the waymark post, cross the wall and continue following the waymarks, in a south-easterly direction, passing an area of limestone pavement on your left.
Drystone walls
Pause for a moment and consider the miles of walls along the fellside. In the late-18th and early-19th centuries most of the hillsides were being enclosed by drystone walls. A good waller can build about six or seven metres of wall in a day - imagine how long it took to build all the walls you can see before you.
5
Head downhill between two rocky outcrops and over rough pasture. At the next waymark, bear left across the pasture. The track leads to the road at a gate. Turn right to return to your starting point at the car park.
Malham Tarn
The view from here towards Malham Tarn can be quite spectacular. The Tarn was formed around 12,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, as the glacier melted away through the permeable limestone. However, the Tarn sits in a shallow depression on a bed of impermeable slate scoured by the ice and dammed by glacial deposits.
End:
Quarry car park, grid ref: SD883672
