GUIDEBOOK AUTHOR Alfred Wainwright paid Malham a somewhat backhanded compliment in his 1968 Pennine Way Companion: “The limestone country around Malham is the best walkers’ territory so far encountered along the Pennine Way, and there is nothing better to come.”
Now, we could sit and debate that with him for hours, perhaps over a pint and beer-battered fish and chips in the village’s cosy Lister Arms. John Wood, author of Mountain Trail, the first account of a walk along the Pennine Way (PW) – 21 years before Wainwright’s guide appeared – was kinder: “Malham is more hospitable than most country places, and deserves our gratitude and continued support.” Wainwright was at least right about the area’s appeal: this glistening, sparkling limestone country – England’s range of light – boasts some of our finest geological wonders.
Best-known is Malham Cove, a 260ft-high, 1000ft-wide (80m by 300m) limestone wall that draws climbers, nesting falcons and walkers alike. Ten thousand years ago, glacial meltwaters poured over the cliff in a waterfall thought
