Malham Cove walk - the best route for all the family. A great day out in the Yorkshire Dales

Malham Cove Walk best short parking Yorkshire Dales weather Harry Potter

Malham Cove is a unique and picturesque place that is very accessible and it's easy to see why it's a popular walk for all the family

Malham Cove walk details:

Malham Cove Circular Walk Distance: 2.4 miles

Malham Cove Walk Time: 1.5 hours

Malham Cove Walk Difficulty: Easy

This short Malham Cove walk is suitable for kids 4 and over. The path is flat and wide most of the way - the only steep part is up the stone steps from the bottom to the top of the Malham Cove cliff face. With reasonable mobility & fitness the part up the steps will take you 10 mins or so.

Malham Cove Walk Map route:

This short & simple Malham Cove walk starts in Malham Village and heads straight to Malham Cove via the clearly defined and very accessible wide path which tracks Malham Beck. You then head up the stone steps to the top of Malham Cove to explore the unique limestone pavement. After admiring the views - simply retrace your steps! Check out the link below to view the full walking route in more detail.

If you don't have a Phone Map App - I really recommend the one by Ordnance Survey. You can download route maps to your phone such as this one and the app will show you exactly where you are on the route even when you have no signal - so no more taking a wrong turn :-)

Malham Cove Walk - where to Park the car?

You can park on the road just before entering Malham Village (pictured here) with a relative cheap parking cost of £1 payable into the honesty box. In summer months it get's busier and the local farmer opens up his field near here on the left for extra parking so there is more space

Photos of what to expect on this short Malham Cove walk:

Malham Cove via Gordale Scar Walk and Malham Tarn, Yorkshire Dales

As you walk into Malham Village there are lots of quaint old buildings, a shop & a couple of pubs. The route we take is to the left of this building which is on a quiet road for a few hundred metres before the walk takes the footpath.

The footpath towards Malham Cove is quite flat, wide and very accessible.

The walk was no problem at all for our 2 little monkeys (4yo and 7yo at the time of this walk)

Malham Cove is a very picturesque place and popular with walkers of different ages and abilities.

You will probably be intrigued to see where Malham Beck comes from - and here it is! It emerges from an underground river from the base of the Cove.

You might decide to only walk to the base of the cove for mobility reasons - but if you are mobile - then definitely walk up the path stone steps to the top of Malham Cove for some stunning views - it will take 10 mins or so and is definitely worth it.

At the top of Malham Cove you'll encounter the unique Limestone pavement

Your kids (or even you!) might recognise the limestone pavement at the top of Malham Cove from the Harry Potter film 'The Deathly Hollows'. It might also be a good excuse to persuade your kids to go on the walk :)

Malham Cove view via Gordale Scar Walk and Malham Tarn, Yorkshire Dales

Admiring the stunning views on top of the stunning Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales

The view from Malham Cove down towards Malham Village where the walk began. Once you have explored the top of Malham Cove - you simply retrace your steps back to Malham Village.

As we head back to Malham Village we look back towards Malham Cove and where we once stood right on top of it!

We finished this walk at the Lister Arms - where we decide to stop for a pint. The food looked great too!

I hope this little blog post sheds some light on walking to Malham Cove and for those unfamiliar with the the area it helps you plan your walk to this fantastic place that is great for all the family!

If you are looking for a longer, more challenging Malham Cove walk then I recommend the route via Janet's Foss & Gordale Scar and Malham Tarn - visit my dedicated blog post for that route: https://www.hikingphotographer.uk/malham-cove-via-gordale-scar.html

Happy Hiking!

Post by Stuart Hodgson
'The Hiking Photographer'

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