Having found a rather lovely boutique hotel, nestled by a stream in the village of Malham, it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up an early spring break to “Gods Own Country”, the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

Today, en route to the days main event, we stopped for coffee and a wander around the market town of Settle. A visit to the railway station (sadly no steam trains scheduled for today) revealed that the benches on the appropriate station platform are amusingly labelled Settle Up and Settle Down. On leaving the platform a memory from a while back, was triggered...

The station’s old Victorian water tower is now a unique house. We recalled seeing an episode of Grand Designs, many years ago which featured the renovation and rebirth of the derelict structure into the fascinating building seen today.

Leaving Settle we headed north, intending to visit the engineering marvel that is the Ribblehead Viaduct and I had an unexpected geographical lightbulb moment. Many years ago, in company with a group of friends, we attempted to walk the Three Peaks, a 25 mile route taking in the hills of Pen-y-Ghent, Great Whernside and Ingleborough, in a target time of 12 hours. At the time I had no clear idea of the relationship between these hills, they were just a series of points on the map. The attempt itself didn’t help. The day dawned cold, pouring with rain and with the cloud base literally on the ground, visibility was zero. We climbed Pen-y-Ghent first with no idea where we were going, other than up, flogged our way along a compass bearing to Great Whernside again without being able to see a thing, floundered around on the summit ridge for a while (I don’t think we ever found the trig point) in rapidly deteriorating weather (could it really get any worse) and, thoroughly wet and dangerously cold, finally abandoned trying to reach Ingleborough. Well today, finally it all made sense!

Today we drove through Horton in Ribblesdale (at the foot of Pen-y-Ghent) on our way to Ribblehead, and whilst walking to the Viaduct realised that we were actually at the foot of Great Whernside. A glance westwards revealed the distinctive outline of Ingleborough. All Three Peaks, standing in one glorious panorama, under a cloudless blue sky, in the sparkling spring sunshine. 40 years ago I had unknowingly walked within touching distance of the Ribblehead Viaduct and, in testament to the weather on the day, was completely unable to see that it was there.

In order to provide some sort of closure to those events of 40 years ago, we stopped in the village of Clapham and spent a couple of hours walking on the slopes of Ingleborough, as far as Ingleborough Cave.

Another cracking day in prospect, we set out on a circular walk taking in all of the local highlights. It wouldn’t be the first time that we have observed how the crowds thin dramatically once the car park is out of sight, and so it proved once again. We left the car in the hotel car park and walked to Malham Cove. We have been here many times long ago, and although the cove was instantly recognisable, and still spectacular, it seemed somehow smaller than we remembered. Memory playing tricks!

We had hoped to catch a glimpse of the resident Peregrine Falcons, but sadly not today. I think it is still a little early in the year for the nesting / breeding season.

On the western side of the cove a set of 400+ steep and somewhat uneven steps ascends to the top of the cove. I don’t remember these from my last visit either...more memory tricks?

At the top lies the “Limestone Pavement” a horizontal bedding plane of Carboniferous Limestone deeply cut in the characteristic “Clints and Grykes” pattern by the action of water over the millennia. Our path took us across the exposed limestone, turned away from the Pennine Way footpath, then down and away from the eastern edge of Malham Cove. A delightful exposed high level route providing spectacular views of the high Dales countryside. I can’t think of anywhere else which has the big skies, green fields, exposed limestone and mile after mile of white drystone walls, so characteristic of “The Dales”.

Our path continued down, across fields, eventually emerging at the beginning of the path to Gordale Scar, a deeply cut limestone ravine, complete with two waterfalls which combine to form Gordale Beck. Backtracking out of the ravine we follow Gordale Beck which cascades over a third cataract called Janet’s Foss and makes its way to join Malham Beck which, in turn, ultimately becomes the River Aire.

Today we visit the High Dales. Our route across the high tops took us to Settle and then via Horton in Ribblesdale and into Wensleydale and the town of Hawes, Much of the town was closed, partly due to the pandemic, partly staffing issues and partly waiting for the ‘season’ to begin from 1st April.

Leaving Wensleydale we made a short diversion to visit Hardraw Force, the highest waterfall in Britain, and then took the Cliff Gate Road northwards across the tops and into Swaledale.

This road is also known as the Buttertubs Pass, it is a spectacular drive of around 8 miles, with breathtaking scenery through some of the highest, wildest, steepest places. Somewhere near the summit of the pass, unmarked by any kind of fanfare save a passing place and a bit of wooden fencing, are 3 sinkholes (some 66 feet deep) eroded into the Carboniferous Limestone. These are The Buttertubs, easily missed, and local legend would have us believe, are named from the times when local farmers would lower their butter into the potholes to be chilled on the way to market in Hawes.

Continuing down through the switchbacks we enter Swaledale at the village of Thwaite, and turn right heading to the beautiful little village of Muker...hopefully to catch lunch. Disappointment greeted us once again, the village was pretty deserted, the pub and village shop both closed.

As all good things must end, so also has our time in the Dales. We are a long way from home and whilst nearby took the opportunity to visit old friends living on the edge of the Lake District. We have not seen them for some time and so it was lovely to catch up and at the same time enjoy a walk in the Lake District. Time was short and a strenuous climb was not going to be possible but a walk around Rydal Water seemed to fit the bill.

This was the land of William Wordsworth, and on this beautiful spring day, the woods were bright with daffodils in full bloom. It was impossible not to have the poet’s most famous words running through our heads…


I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.