In celebration of the 62nd birthday of the Yorkshire Dales National Park today (16/11/16), I decided to write a post listing 5 reasons why I love the iconic beauty spot of Malham.

I've met tons of people over the years who've known of Malham from their geography/geology lessons in school. For those of you who have never heard of it before, it's a small village in North Yorkshire, tucked away in the southern end of the Yorkshire Dales - approximately 11 miles from the market town of Skipton.

Malham is directly on the Pennine Way, and the pubs, campsites and YHA in the village mean that it's often an overnight stop for walkers on the long distance path.It has incredible limestone cliffs only a short distance from the village centre and visitors spending time in the outdoors here can enjoy a mix of moorland, farmland and woodland.

It's not difficult to see why I love the place so much, but here are just 5 of the many reasons:

1: Limestone, limestone, limestone!

If you only see one thing in Malhamdale, then Malham Cove should be on the top of your list.

The base of this 260 foot high cliff is accessed from the village centre via a wide path suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. The top of the cove (accessed by lots of steps) has a fabulous limestone pavement and dry valley beyond. For a few days in December 2015, the dry valley had a waterfall and river running through it and, for one incredible day, water actually ran in a waterfall off the top off the cove itself (something I sadly missed as it’s expected to be a once in a lifetime event).

The Cove was featured in a Harry Potter film (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), has been featured on TV programmes (one of the most recent was walking with Julia Bradbury) and is a source of inspiration for many writers, artists and photographers.

However, you'd be missing out by not also seeing Gordale Scar - a huge limestone gorge around 1.5 miles from the village. When you walk on the path towards Gordale Scar, you'd never even know it was there until you turn the final corner and it opens out before you.

My all-time favourite walk (yep, honestly) starts from the village and heads via Janet's Foss to Gordale Scar, climbing up the waterfall itself to gain access onto the moors above. The scramble up the waterfall is not technically difficult, but there’s always a risk involved in anything of this nature and it can be very wet/slippy at times. From there, the walk goes up onto the moors to drop back down the dry valley above Malham Cove and back into the village.

2: River Swimming

Growing up in the village, I played and swam in lots of rivers in the area, from the tiny streams high up on the moors where we had family picnics, to the lazy summer days where all the local kids found the best pools to cool off.

Janet’s Foss was always my favourite. It’s a big enough pool to swim a few strokes and I could never touch the bottom. Swimming under the waterfall would give you a good shoulder massage and the cave behind was where the Jennet, queen of the fairies lived.

The village itself has a beck running through and was a great place to mess around as a kid. 

3: Pubs

Malham might be a tiny village, but it has 2 good pubs (The Listers Arms and The Buck Inn) with a third just in the next village (The Victoria Inn).

Perfect if you fancy a pub crawl!

Joking aside, the pubs are all old buildings and full of character - perfect for a pint, good meal or just an evening cuppa after a day out in the hills. 

4: Climbing

Malham has some incredible world class climbing with tough technical routes at Malham Cove and Gordale Scar. If you’re looking for easier routes, you can find a few at High Stoney Bank or drive to Giggleswick (approximately 8 miles away) for a range of sport climbing grades.

This link from UKC gives details of some of the climbing in the area. 

One of my favourite crags in Malhamdale is High Stony Bank which has a beautiful setting in the valley above Gordale Scar.  

5: Wild Garlic

Since moving away from the village, one of the things I've always aimed to do is return to the woodland near Janet's Foss in early May when the wild garlic is in flower (great for a wild garlic risotto). I've always found it really magical here and the smell of wild garlic is divine!

Janet's Foss is a gentle walk from the village alongside river banks and I'll happily wander along here at any time of year - whether it's the height of summer for a dip in the water, late spring for the wild garlic or the middle of winter for walk before a pint in front of a cosy open fire.  

There are a hundred more reasons why I love Malham. Growing up here, it holds a special place in my heart and always will.

Check www.malhamdale.com to find lots of information about things to do and places to stay or eat.

Finally, here's a picture of the dry valley waterfall and river during those few days in December 2015 - purely because I found it such an incredible event: