Three of the most dramatic pieces of landscape in England sit within two miles of each other above a small Yorkshire Dales village. Most visitors see one. A good walk covers all three.
Malham Cove Yorkshire is a curved limestone cliff 80 metres high and 300 metres wide that sits a mile north of Malham village in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The cliff is the most visited single feature in the Dales. It appeared in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, and the limestone pavement across its top rim is one of the most photographed geological features in northern England.
What most visitors miss is that the cove is the least dramatic of the three landscapes within walking distance. Two miles to the east, Gordale Scar drops 150 feet between walls that overhang and narrow to thirty feet at the base. A mile south through woodland, Janet’s Foss drops over a mossy limestone lip into a turquoise pool with a fairy-queen legend attached to it. A well-walked circular route links all three. The standard approach, driving to Malham and walking directly to the cove, misses most of what makes this area worth coming to.
Location: Malham, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 4DA
Best for: Geological landscape, waterfall walks, Harry Potter filming locations, Yorkshire Dales walking, family day walks
Getting there: Malham village is on the B6265 south of Skipton. National Park car park in the village centre. No direct rail service; the nearest station is Skipton (Pennine Line from Leeds and Bradford). Dales Bus runs seasonal Sunday services from Skipton in summer; check the current schedule before travelling.
Open: Malham Cove, Janet’s Foss, and Gordale Scar are open at all times. No admission charge.
What Malham Cove Yorkshire Looks Like on the Ground
The cove is a concave, curved cliff cut from Great Scar Limestone, formed during the last Ice Age when a meltwater torrent fell over the edge. At the height of the glacial melt, the falls here would have dwarfed Niagara Falls. The river ran dry thousands of years ago. What remains is the cliff face and, at its foot, the resurgence where water from Malham Tarn reappears at ground level after travelling underground through the limestone.
Credit – @fissionengineering8129
The path from Malham village to the base of the cove is flat, wide, and surfaced. It takes around fifteen minutes. The cliff at close range is genuinely striking: its curvature, height, and pale limestone face make it unlike anything else in England.
To reach the top, the path climbs 400 steps up the western side of the cove. At the rim, the limestone pavement opens out, a field of clints (the limestone blocks) separated by grikes (the deep cracks where rainwater has dissolved the rock over millennia). This is the location used in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, where Harry, Ron and Hermione camp in a tent on the pavement while hiding from Voldemort. There is no on-site Harry Potter signage. Visitors who know the scene will recognise the landscape. Those who do not will see one of the best-preserved limestone pavements in England.
The view from the top of the cove back down into Malham Dale is one of the better vantage points in the Dales.
Janet’s Foss: The Waterfall with a Fairy Queen
A mile south of the cove, the path to Janet’s Foss runs through mixed woodland along the course of Gordale Beck. The waterfall drops over a curved lip of tufa (a soft limestone deposited by the mineral-rich water) into a pool deep enough for wild swimming, with a cave behind the falls.
The name comes from Jennet, the queen of the local fairies in North Yorkshire folk tradition, who is said to inhabit the cave. The spelling has shifted over time between Janet and Jennet, depending on the source, but the legend is consistent.
Janet’s Foss is a ten-minute walk from the road on a maintained path through the trees. It is significantly less visited than the cove, which means you can often reach it in early morning or late afternoon in relative quiet. The pool temperature is cold year-round; wild swimming is popular in summer but requires care.
Gordale Scar: The One That Surprises People Most
Gordale Scar is a five-minute walk from Janet’s Foss on the same circular route. The approach gives little indication of what the gorge contains. The path follows the beck until the valley narrows abruptly and the walls close in to thirty feet apart and 150 feet high, with an overhang at the top that blocks the sky.
Two waterfalls cascade through the gorge, one above the other. The lower fall deposits tufa as it lands, building a natural ramp of soft limestone over centuries. The upper fall drops from the higher cliff. The gorge is believed to have been formed by glacial meltwater cutting through the limestone at the end of the last Ice Age.
An optional scramble leads up through the lower waterfall and past the tufa ramp to the top of the gorge. The scramble is classed as Grade 1 by most walking guides: hands required, but no technical climbing equipment. It is significantly harder in wet conditions and should be avoided after rain. Walkers who complete it emerge onto the limestone plateau above and can continue to Malham Tarn.
Those who prefer not to scramble can turn back to Janet’s Foss and complete the circular walk from the cove. The gorge itself is entirely worth visiting without attempting the scramble.
Malham Tarn and the Longer Walk
Malham Tarn sits above the cove at 377 metres above sea level and is the highest freshwater lake in England. The tarn basin was formed by a glacially deposited moraine dam at the end of the last Ice Age. The water sits on a shelf of Silurian slate rather than the surrounding limestone, which is why it holds water when the limestone around it does not.
The circular walk taking in Janet’s Foss, the Gordale Scar scramble, Malham Tarn, and the limestone pavement above the cove covers approximately seven to eight miles and takes four to five hours at a comfortable pace. It is the best version of a Malham day out, and the one most visitors who do the short cove-and-back walk do not complete.
The shorter circuit taking in Janet’s Foss, Gordale Scar (without the scramble), and the cove covers five miles and takes approximately two and a half hours.
Both routes are mapped on the AllTrails app.
Getting There and Parking
Malham village has a National Park car park near the visitor information centre. It fills quickly on summer weekends and bank holidays; arrive before 10 am or use the Dales Bus service from Skipton on summer Sundays.
The village is 12 miles north of Skipton on the B6265, with a turn onto the minor road at Airton. The single-track road into Malham has passing places.
Malham is a good base for the wider Yorkshire Dales. Our guide to the eight most beautiful villages in the Yorkshire Dales covers what else is worth stopping at in the surrounding valleys.
Where to Eat and Drink
The Lister Arms in the centre of the village is a boutique inn built in 1723, serving food made from scratch and Yorkshire ales. It is the most comfortable option in the village for a post-walk meal and has accommodation if you are staying overnight.
The Buck Inn, also in the village centre, is a more traditional walkers’ pub with a separate bar for muddy boots and dogs. The kitchen opens from noon.
Malham Cafe on the village green provides teas, coffees, and light meals throughout the day during visitor season.
Where to Stay
The Lister Arms, Malham. A boutique inn in the village centre with modern rooms above a pub that has been open since 1723. The most comfortable option in Malham.
The Buck Inn, Malham. A walkers’ pub with en-suite rooms, a dog-friendly policy, and a location on the Pennine Way. Built on the site of a coaching inn dating from 1874. Rates from around £105 per bed and breakfast.
Beck Hall, Malham. England’s first fully plant-based hotel, built in 1705 as a yeoman’s cottage over an ancient clapper bridge at the centre of the village. Twenty individually designed en-suite rooms. The restaurant and bar use entirely plant-based menus from local suppliers. A genuinely unusual accommodation option in a building that has stood at the heart of this village for over three centuries.
Worth Knowing
- The limestone pavement above Malham Cove is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Taking limestone from the pavement has been illegal since the 1980s, when commercial collection was destroying the habitat.
- Malham Tarn is one of only a handful of naturally alkaline lakes in Britain and is an important habitat for rare plants and invertebrates. It is managed by the National Trust.
- The cove itself formed as a waterfall during the last Ice Age. The falls that carved it would have been taller than Niagara. The river stopped running over the edge approximately 7,500 years ago.
- Gordale Scar so unnerved Wordsworth and Turner that both documented their visits. Turner painted it in 1816.
Practical Tips
- Park early on summer weekends. The National Park car park fills by 9.30 am on busy days.
- Walk the full circular route (Janet’s Foss, Gordale Scar, Malham Tarn, limestone pavement, cove descent) rather than the out-and-back to the cove alone. The shorter walk misses the two most dramatic landscapes.
- The Gordale Scar scramble is wet and slippery after rain. Do not attempt it in unsuitable footwear or after overnight rainfall.
- Waterproof boots are necessary for the full circular walk. The paths near the beck are wet year-round.
- The limestone pavement is uneven. Take care on the cliffs and watch the gorges, which are narrow but deep.
- Use the AllTrails app for the full circular route.
Reader Q&A
Is Malham Cove the Harry Potter filming location?
The limestone pavement at the top of Malham Cove was used in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010) in the scene where Harry, Ron and Hermione camp on it. There is no permanent signage or theming at the location. Visitors who know the scene will recognise the pavement; the cliff face below was not used in filming.
Can you see Malham Cove without doing a long walk?
Yes. The path from Malham village to the base of the cove is flat and takes around fifteen minutes. You can view the cliff face without climbing the steps. However, reaching the limestone pavement at the top (including the Harry Potter filming location) requires climbing 400 steps up the western side. These are well-maintained but steep.
Is the Gordale Scar scramble suitable for children?
This depends on age, confidence, and conditions. The scramble is Grade 1 and requires the use of hands. In dry conditions, fit teenagers with scrambling experience can manage it. After rain, the tufa ramp becomes extremely slippery, and the scramble should be avoided by everyone. There is no shame in turning back.
How long does the full Malham circular walk take?
The full circular route taking in Janet’s Foss, Gordale Scar, Malham Tarn, the limestone pavement, and the descent via the cove covers seven to eight miles and takes four to five hours at a comfortable walking pace, including stops. The shorter version without Malham Tarn covers five miles and takes around two and a half hours.
Find more of Yorkshire’s dramatic landscape in the full Secret Yorkshire travel guide.
