MALHAM COVE AND TARN

One of the natural wonders of the Yorkshire Dales, and indeed the British Isles. Malham Cove is some 280 feet high and 1000 feet long (80m X 300m). It was formed when glacial meltwater flowed over the top in a scene that would have rivalled Niagara Falls. Today the stream that flows out of Malham Tarn sinks into the ground some way before the cove. It was assumed that it reappeared at the bottom of the cove but dye-tests have revealed that the stream which resurges at the cove is a different stream and the Malham Tarn stream resureges a few miles away, indicitive of extensive cave systems behind the limestone cliff. At the top of the Cove there are extensive limestone pavements. The Pennine Way Path leads from Malham Village to the cove and is an easy walk for less than a mile (1.5km).    MALHAM TARN Three miles (5km) north of Malham Village is Malham Tarn, a small lake half a mile (800m) across and home to a rich variety of wildlife and water fowl. The tarn was enlarged in the late 18th century by Lord Ribblesdale IV who built a dam. At 377 metres (1237 feet) above sea level Malham Tarn is the highest lake in England and is one of only eight alkaline lakes in Europe with a PH value of between 8.0 and 8.6. Malham Tarn is very shallow with an average depth of 2.4 metres (less than 8 feet) and 4.4 metres (14 feet) at it's deepest. The outflowing stream disappears underground, re-emerging downstream of Malham Cove as the source of the River Aire. Malham Tarn is part of the Malham Tarn Estate which is owned by the National Trust who leases part of the site to the Field Studies Council. The Field Studies Centre offers residential and non-residential courses in a large Georgian country house nearby.

BACK