Day 6 - Thornton in Craven to Malhan

 

Click here for link to a GPS map of this section of the Pennine Way on Google maps

A few days after completing the Stanbury to Thornton section, I returned to Skipton and took the bus out to Thornton in Craven to begin the next section of the PW on to Malham.

The attractive village of Thornton has to suffer heavy road traffic and also appears to have no facilities such as a shop or pub; strange....

Leaving the main the PW heads along this lane....

.......past "idyllic" commuter belt cottages.....

...through farmland...

....and eventually into open farmland....

......where navigation becomes tricky. Head for this gate...

.....and then climb up to the Leeds Liverpool canal tow path.

On the outskirts of East Marton the canal does a sharp turn just beyond this bridge....

.....before reaching this highly unusual double arch bridge  carrying the A59.

Beyond the village the PW leaves the canal initially along a lane and then into fields....

......before dropping down to a wood..

....and some rather large beech trees.

After crossing another field turn onto a lane...

.....only to leave it again almost immediately for a long section across fields.

The PW isn't especially well waymarked but a series of gates and stiles leads onwards......

......and then gradually rises...

....to this signpost..

......and just beyond the pW joins a farm track from Scalebar Farm with Gargarve lying ahead.

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A panorama of the upper part of Airedale. Click on the image for a larger photo.

The PW continues along the farm track...

...before crossing the Leeds to Carlisle railway.

The approach to Gargarve is across fields...

 

....and once in the outskirts of the village turn left...

.......past the parish church.

The lane crosses the River Aire in the village centre. After crossing the main A65 road take the first left turning and....

.....cross over the Leeds Liverpool Canal again.

The PW now follows another lane through parkland...

....before climbing to this rather inconspicuous path junction.

A clear track leads across fields...

......with a view back across Airedale.

The path is indistinct in places but heads towards this plantation....

.....before following the wall and through a gate.

Crossing eshton Moor the path is, at times, indistinct again....

.....but walls and gates...

....guide you on towards this wood.

In the middle of the field there's this isolated signpost.....

....with the PW heading straight on downhill....

.....towards the Gargarve to Malham road. There's no need to join the road as the PW follows the wall and crossses a footbridge over the River Aire......

........to join a riverside footpath......

.....all the way to Newfield Bridge.

The PW now crosses the bridge and continues upstream on the opposite bank....

......to reach Airton........

.....with its old mill buildings now converted for other uses,

Beyond Airton the riverside path continues.....

......towards Halwith Bridge.....

.......seen here. The PW crosses the bridge and takes a lane uphill.....

......past Halwith Hall ......

........before turning right towards a farm...

.....and then onto a field path...

......where the views of higher hills open up. The path is high above the river and...

....suddenly the cliffs of Malham Cove come into view.

The PW begins its descent into Malham following walls and...

......with the view of the village of Malham being seen.

In the middle of the photo the gorge of Gardale Scar can just be seen. The PW crosses the fields, once again being totally indistinct in places....

...as it drops down to a stream.

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Click on the panorama to see a larger image.

The village of Malham is something of a tourist honeytrap, not surprising considering the landscape features that abound here; Malham Cove, Gordale Scar and Malham Tarn.

I caught the late afternoon bus back to Skipton and then the train home.

The next day's walk to horton-in-Ribblesdale promises to be a high point in the walk so far.

Click here to got to the Malham to horton-in-Ribblesdale page.