Malham Cove

Top choice in Yorkshire Dales National Park


North of Malham village, a 0.75-mile field walk beside a lovely babbling stream leads to Malham Cove, a huge rock amphitheatre lined with 80m-high vertical cliffs. A large glacial waterfall once tumbled over this cliff, but it dried up hundreds of years ago. You can hike up the steep steps on the left-hand side of the cove (follow Pennine Way signs) to see the extensive limestone pavement above the cliffs – a filming location in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Peregrine falcons nest at the top in spring, when the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) sets up a birdwatching lookout with telescopes near the base of the cliff – call the national park centre for the schedule as it changes every year.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Yorkshire Dales National Park attractions

1. Malham Tarn

1.68 MILES

A glacial lake and nature reserve 3.5 miles north of Malham village, accessible via a 1.5-mile walk north from Malham Cove, or by car. There are two car…

2. Skipton Castle

9.54 MILES

What makes Skipton Castle so fascinating is its splendid state of preservation, providing a striking contrast to the ruins you'll see elsewhere. Although…

3. High St

9.61 MILES

Skipton's pride and joy is the broad and bustling High St, one of the most attractive shopping streets in Yorkshire – only slightly marred by the general…

4. Bolton Abbey

12.2 MILES

This old monastic estate is now a giant country playground set against the striking backdrop of 12th-century priory ruins on a bend of the River Wharfe…

5. Wensleydale Creamery

15.97 MILES

Wensleydale Creamery is devoted to the production of a crumbly white cheese that's the favourite of animation characters Wallace and Gromit. You can visit…

6. Dales Countryside Museum

16.09 MILES

Sharing a building with the national park centre, the Dales Countryside Museum is a beautifully presented social history of the area that explains the…

7. Sheepdog Demonstrations

16.35 MILES

On Thursdays from May to October, a local farmer gives demonstrations of working sheepdogs, held in a field 800m north of Hawes on the minor road towards…

8. Norman Keep & Castle Museum

16.97 MILES

Dominating the skyline for the last 800 years is this Norman keep, England's smallest and the only remaining castle in the country to have kept a royal…