Malham to Settle

The map shows the route with way points taken from my Spot GPS transmitter. Click on the plus sign to see a larger map.

This section is very short and needs only a few hours to complete. It's almost certainly worth adding on to the previous section if time permits so walking from Skipton to Settle in one day. The lunchtime "Little Red Bus" bus from Skipton took me to Malham on wet and misty June day.

The first part of the walk follows the Pennine Way route out of Malham up the lane...

....and then onto the footpath to....

.....Malham Cove.

As usual the Cove impresses by its sheer size.

The path climbs up a long constructed staircase to reach...

.....the top where there is a vague track that goes off to the right just above the limestone pavement area.

This track drops down to a stile in Wallowes dry valley.

Good progress can be made up the valley..

....to its head where another stone staircase takes...

.....you up onto the moor and another ladder stile. The Dales High Way path follows the wall.... 

.....to reach the road at Langscar Gate.

Beyond, a bridleway leads up Langscar....

.....until a signpost for "Stockdale Lane" is reached. Sadly there were no views to be had... 

...and the path wasn't always as clear as I'd expected. The only real landmark passed is the restored Nappa Cross. This is just the base of a former monastic cross. 

A little further on the DHW route turns sharp right - this is also the route of the new Pennine Bridleway.

The broad track climbs slightly - I believe the views are excellent in good visibility!!

Eventually, the track starts to fall...

....and, once below the clouds, some views appeared. Stockdale Farm and the Ribble valley can be seen.

Beyond the farm the road is joined for a short distance..

.....before the path to Settle branches off past Warrendale Knotts and Attermire Scar. 

Over to the south Pendle Hill is seen again - the last time was near Skipton.

A broad path leads across boggy ground. This is the line of the South Craven fault where limestone and grit stone meet,

High above the path is Attermire Cave - the description below is taken from this website

http://www.outofoblivion.org.uk

Attermire Cave has been explored by antiquarians since the 1870s. It was extensively excavated in 1930 and 1931 and again in the early 1940s. The cave seems to have been used during the Neolithic and early Bronze Age, then abandoned and possibly blocked up until the Romano-British period. Twenty-eight Romano-British brooches of various types were found along with coins, bone items, a possible Roman lead bowl lamp and the dismantled remains of a chariot consisting of the iron wheel tyres, nave hoops and lynch pin. The cave itself is small and tunnel-like, located in a relatively inaccessible position in a limestone cliff. The unusual nature of the finds and the difficulty of access to the cave have led researchers to suggest that it may have been used as shrine during the Romano-British period. Some of the finds from the cave are now at the British Museum.Source:King, Alan (1970) 'Romano-British metalwork from the Settle district of West Yorkshire' Yorkshire Archaeological Journal

The track continues towards Warrendale Knotts and the col below it above Settle.

Looking back towards Stockdale.

The col is reached just below Blue Crags..

...and in good weather a view of Ingleborough should come into sight.

The drop down into Settle is over grass and ....

....surprisingly steep in places.

The path leads down to a walled lane on the outskirts of the town..

..and soon leads into the town centre. The walk from Malham had taken about two and a half hours allowing me to catch an earlier train to Leeds than I expected.