Meander around Malham Tarn
YORKSHIRE DALES, NORTH YORKSHIRE
WALK DETAILS
Start/finish: Watersinks Car Park, Malham Tarn, BD23 4DJ
Distance: 2.5 miles (4km) (1.25 miles/2km each way)
Difficulty: 2/5
Public transport: Buses to Malham village. Shuttle buses from Settle to Malham Tarn, summer weekends only.
The Malham Tarn Estate, deep in the Yorkshire Dales, covers a dramatic, open limestone landscape of high fells, dry valleys, grassland and rocky outcrops. Nestled high in the fells above the village of Malham, the peaceful waters of Malham Tarn – a natural hollow in the underlying clay – and its surrounding area are a National Nature Reserve, internationally important for its wildlife.
The Pennine Way winds around the tarn’s eastern shore making for easy walking or cycling in spectacular surroundings. This great out-and-back route takes you from the southern tip of the tarn around to the Field Centre at Malham Tarn House. For a longer walk or family-friendly cycle ride of about 4.5 miles (7.2km), you can continue on from the Field Centre and make a full circumnavigation of the tarn – a wonderful day out.
To the north-west of the tarn there’s a long section of boardwalk crossing an area of wetland, which is really exciting for kids and a great place to spot some of the local birdlife. You might sight great crested grebes, tufted ducks, pochard, wigeon, teal, goosander and sometimes hen harriers. There are also a number of species of bat here; regular expert-led bat walks start at the Field Centre (pre-booking required).
1 From the car park, follow the grassy path of the Pennine Way north. Go through a gate on to a track and follow this with the tarn to your left.
2 Continue following the main track through woodland and around the back of the Field Centre at Tarn House. From here, retrace your steps to the start.
THINGS TO SEE AND DO NEARBY
Malham village is a great base for a number of excellent walks, including the beautiful waterfall at Janet’s Foss, dramatic Gordale Scar and the fascinating limestone pavement that tops the great scoop of Malham Cove, once a vast waterfall and now a rock climbing destination for the best sport climbers, a spectacle well worth a watch.
