We decided to take a day off today. The weather was wet this morning but supposed to brighten up later. We thought we would catch a bus to Malham and have a walk round the Cove. The bus was a Dales Bus minibus and was quite full when we got in at Gargrave. There are only two a day so we had three hours to complete our walk which just worked out nicely.
I remembered the camera today but forgot to replace the SD card so all these photos are courtesy of Helen's phone. It is always impressive when you come across the cove on the walk from the village. The first time I can remember seeing it was in 1978 when two of my brothers and I walked the Pennine Way. This climbs the west side of the Cove. Then it was a very muddy path you you climbed up two steps and slid back down one. Now there are stone built steps.
The area was probably covered with glaciers three times in the last one and a half million years, and the Cove formed along the Middle Craven Fault where the land had slipped down. As the glaciers plunged over the fault the limestone rock would have been plucked away. When it melted the water would have rushed over in a massive cataract, further eroding the cliff face.
Now a days the water sinks through the cracks in the limestone and flows out from under the Cove as in this photo. Believe it or not this is the infant River Aire that actually starts at Malham Tarn and then sinks below the ground to emerge here and start it's journey to the sea past Hull (City of Culture 2017, if you didn't know). The cliffs are home to peregrine falcons which we didn't see, and rock climbers of which there were two sets shinning up and a route of belays could be traced up the face. Cave divers have entered the system of caves through the cave where the water emerges and have travelled through a system about a mile in length so far. Are they mad?
By the time we climbed to the top of the Cove the weather had faired up and the views were lovely down Malhamdale. The hills beyond those visible were just coming into view too as the cloud dissipated. The view from 230ft up is worth the climb.
Bill Bryson lived in Malhamdale when he was in the UK and he stated that 'I wont know for sure if Malhamdale is the finest place there is until I have died and seen heaven (assuming they let me at least have a glance), but until that day comes, it will certainly do." So good I have posted it twice!
The ice and melt water stripped off what top soil there was at the top of the Cove and revealed the slabs of limestone. Since then erosion has been slow and top soil hasn't been replaced. How ever the slightly acidic rain water has cut down through tiny cracks and ended up make deep cuts through the bed rock. This is called a limestone pavement. The flat bits on the top are called clints and the deep ruts are called grykes. The deep ruts develop a micro climate of their own and a very individual flora develops there making them even more special.
The walk over the fell to the east over the springy turf is great and limestone and chalk landscapes are great for walking. We got to Gordale Scar which is another glacier/melt water feature. It may be also a collapsed cavern. Instead of a cataract Gordal is like a gash in the cliff with a walk up to it. There was a coach load of Germans going to see and there is a campsite at the start of the scar, a lovely spot to wake up. There were some more climbers hanging off the walls here. I think if you suspend bags of horse chestnuts it may well keep them away!
The walk back to Malham was via Janet's Foss. Gordale Beck falls over an outcrop of limestone and falls into the pool below. In times past the pool was used for sheep dipping in the past. It is called Janet's Foss possibly because a Fairy Queen called Janet lived in the cave behind falls. The word Foss is a Nordic Word for waterfall and is used widely in North Yorkshire and Scandanavia.
The four and a half mile walk just gave us time to go to the Buck pub and have a lovely pint of Dark Horse bitter, which was very drinkable indeed and comes from Hetton in the Dales. We didn't have long to wait to sit in the sun until the bus came and whisked us back to Gargrave.
I was in good humour so after a cup of tea I washed the side of the boat too.
Today, Sunday 3rd September, is Merchant Navy Day so I hope that you all think about where 97% of everything you have are probably brought to you via ships, and their crews at some stage of their life. And we owe a debt to the largely forgotten men in the Merchant Navy during conflicts. In WWII they had the largest percentage losses rather than the Royal Navy, Army or RAF.
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