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Malham Tarn and More

By Hugh Stewart June 25, 2022 Leave a Comment

Actually the title is misleading, but kept as it sounded good; the walk goes round the “moor” north of the Tarn and only back along its north bank, and includes the wonderful boardwalk near the Tarn for a floral treat. It has 7.6 miles of limestone scenery, completely avoiding the crowds around the Cove and village. I’ve started at the track pull-off at Street Gate, but you could use the car park south of the Tarn. Go east through the gate and carry on the track to the Roman camp, marked by a plaque on a stone. Otherwise you might not know, as there’s not much to see: it was a “marching” camp, so temporary anyway. Walk across the grass to the north-east corner of the camp, past shake holes and a pond, to find the obvious path, and take that northwards. As you approach Gordale Beck (underground here) an ATV track veers leftwards, but keep on a level as the wall stile is ahead and not down in the valley. Keep on towards Middle House Farm, through a gate out of the Open Access and follow the signs. Look out for the FP sign over to the left by the farm track and head for that. A Bridleway takes you up the hill, and splits after the next wall, you take the left split, wending its way across limestone upland. Before the next wall you can see the remains of a “settlement”, possibly Romano-British, the sunken circular house sites and a low wall higher up. Some internet posts seems to put the house sites south of here, but they are wrong! Return to the track and carry on, at present over a wall in the middle of a depression, with broken wire on top. This would cause a problem if mended. Another example of a marked path on the map in Open Access land but with restricted movement. The “path” then leads to a defile which might be easier to avoid by climbing its left side and descending more easily, to aim for the Pennine Way path at the obvious wall corner. Follow this pleasantly to the Malham Tarn circular track. Here turn right, then left at the next turn, to find the one-way track left, taking you round the boardwalk on boggy ground, full of flowers in spring and summer. Back at the Pennine Way, go right on it and round the NT Tarn House, to see some Slipper orchids in a cage on the right just past the house, early June being the best time. When Great Close Scar is seen on the left you can either branch left on a track under it and right at the next track to your car, or carry straight on then left.

Limestone Plateau between Middle House and Cowside
Common Wintergreen, Tarn Boardwalk
Marsh Cinquefoil, Tarn boardwalk
Marsh Lousewort, Tarn boardwalk
Bogbean, Tarn boardwalk
Caged Slipper Orchid, Malham Tarn House
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Download file: Malham moor.gpx

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Hillwalks from the Settle to Carlisle Railway Stations

24 walks into the hills surrounding the historic and iconic Settle to Carlisle railway, based on the stations between Settle and Appleby. The area has some of the finest walking of the north Pennines: the Craven district around Settle; the Three Peaks area; Dentdale, and Mallerstang and the upper Eden valley.

£12.95 (P&P may apply)

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Mountain Biking Adventures: Multi-day Routes in Northern Britain

Over the last two decades, mountain biking has developed enormously as a “sport”. We greatly admire the technical and athletic capabilities of modern day mountain bikers and recognise that many excellent guides have been written and custom-built trails set up. In this guide we try to reopen a sense of adventure and wilderness to mountain biking, providing multi-day routes with a remoteness, continuity and “arc” missing from many modern guides with their focus on day and half day outings.

UK £13.95 ( inc. P&P)

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Settle to Carlisle – Hill Walk with Return by Classic Train Route

With over 22,000 ft of ascent in 105 miles set out over 8 days, this walk sets out from Settle, taking in the classic summits of the North Yorkshire Dales, Howgills, Eastern and Northern Lakeland Fells, to arrive at Carlisle. The return journey to Settle by one of the classic train journeys. Illustrated with photographs and route maps.

£12.95 (P&P may apply)

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Nenthead Nuttalls 2: Dead Stones and Flinty Fell.

Continuing the dialling down from big Nuttall walks like 5 of them on the Burnhope Reservoir round, this takes the northern most of that round, Dead Stones, and adds Flinty Fell, to make an easy 7.9 mile round with some interest. That comes right at the start as, starting from the car park in

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Watendlath and Borrowdale circular

A suitable pre-Theatre by the Lake evening production, when the cloud level is low and you don't fancy walking with no views in the damp. It comes to just under 9 miles with 2100ft of ascent. From the Lodore Wood car park up the Watendlath road, take the road south till an obvious track leads off

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Addition to the book of Trespass: Warcop.

This is an 8 mile walk over Little Fell and down and along the side of Scordale. A wild, lonely, and in places rough walk, with 2100ft of climbing. The trespass refers to the fact that most of the walk is in the MOD's land, with access granted by them on 12 weekends per year and other odd days. The

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