Limestone Pavement

 This magnificent geological feature is the limestone pavement above Malham Cove. Over the years erosion has exposed the limestone bedrock and the wind and rain has carved these amazing shapes in the rock. I looks great but it is treacherous to walk across. I have been up here in sunshine, rain as well as ice and snow and whatever the conditions it is challenging to cross.

It is definitely worth visiting though and I would recommend approaching it along the path from Gordale and then down the steps to Malham because the climb up the steps to the top is really hard going.

I have some more views from the top to share so if you like these please look out for more tomorrow.

Rocky Smile

I've called today's post Rocky Smile because of the first picture which is of the face of Malham Cove.  If its a rock face then it can have a smile and that is what I have tried to show in that photo.

The second picture is of the steps leading from the cove to the limestone terrace above.  It is part of the Pennine Way long distance path.  I had walked this path once before, in December 2012, when there was snow and ice on the ground making the path and the limestone at the top quite treacherous.

The next two images are landscape views, the first from the top of the cove and the second back down at the riverside.  My favourite image is the final one, I like the little grassy mounds in the foreground and the distant barn framed by the trees in the centre.  I also like the sky which was starting to brighten up after a storm had been threatening to develop but fortunately didn't materialise.

River Aire

Yesterday i posted some pictures of a couple of bridges across the river Aire at Malham. Today here are a few more pictures of the river.  The first was taken along a woodland walk, I loved the way the light filtered through the trees and that with the sound of the river flowing by made it a really lovely walk.

In the second picture I like the grassy islands in the middle of the river and I like the way the wall follows the course of the river around the bend and into the distance,

The final picture was right up at Malham Cove it was broad and very shallow picking its way along between the rocks and pebbles after it bubbled up from the base of the rock cliffs. I was intrigued by the stile on the far side of the river I guess that originally there was a path there but apart from the stile there is no other evidence of that.