Ingleton & Malham in the Yorkshire Dales
Arrival
We set off from home at 5.15pm on a Friday, with 175 miles ahead of us. It took over four hours, partly because of the rain and partly because the second half of the journey was on dark, winding single-carriageway roads.
We arrived at Meadow Falls, Ingleton at 9.30pm, the campsite owners were very patient with us! We pulled the bed out and were lights out by 10. Not exactly a great value first night stay, but at least the pitch itself was excellent – large, gravelled, with electric hookup, its own water point and grey-water point. In hindsight, we did not need this size of pitch.
Ingleton Walk
Despite the wind, we had a surprisingly good night's sleep with the pop-top down. By morning, the rain had stopped and we had a dry, sunny – although very windy – day ahead of us.
Our original plan was the famous Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, which can be walked directly from the campsite. However, we fancied seeing a little more of the Yorkshire Dales, so we found an 11-mile circular walk recommended on the campsite's blog, which began directly from the campsite.
We quickly discovered that the free version of OS Maps wasn't quite enough for us. After getting lost within the first mile, I found myself setting up an OS account on the brow of a hill! We now have a two-week trial of the full app, which costs £35 a year if we decide to keep it.
By this point we'd lost quite a bit of time, so we decided to shorten the walk. We met an elderly gentleman from the Lincoln Mountaineering Group who told us that the section we'd decided to miss was actually spectacular. Typical! We'll have to come back and do it another time.
The first part of the walk was incredibly remote and beautiful, with spectacular views across the Dales. Eventually we joined a much more established path and encountered plenty of other walkers enjoying the unusually dry Saturday.
Part of our route joined the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, where we saw three of the six waterfalls. For us, that was plenty – especially as we'd already had such wonderful views across the Dales.
The route eventually took us through Ingleton village, with its cafés, pubs, arts and craft shops and small supermarket, before leading us back to Meadow Falls.
In the end, our 11-mile walk became a much more manageable 6½ miles, taking around three and a half hours. We stopped plenty of times for photographs and had a picnic lunch along the way, so the entire day's adventure cost us absolutely nothing!
We headed back into Ingleton later for fish and chips, you cannot beat fish & chips cooked in beef dripping – a pretty perfect end to a day in the Dales.
If waterfalls are your thing, the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail looks like a great option. It's around 4½ miles, although there are plenty of steps, and gets excellent reviews. At the time of our visit, it cost £11 per adult and £5.50 per child. There are also public toilets around halfway at Falls Park.
For us, though, the combination of remote paths, spectacular views, waterfalls and a picnic made our slightly improvised walk a brilliant way to spend our first full day in the Yorkshire Dales.
Malham Circular: One of the Most Outstanding Walks in England
After packing up at the campsite, we set off for Malham, leaving at around 9am. It was only about a 30-minute drive to Malham village, where we parked at the National Park Visitor Centre car park.
We had heard that the car park gets busy, so we were keen to arrive early. There were still spaces on the roadside and plenty in the car park when we arrived, but by the time we had parked, made ourselves some lunch and were ready to leave at around 10am, it was already almost full. At £6 for the whole day, it felt like a reasonable price for what turned out to be a fantastic day.
We followed the six-mile Malham Circular, and the scenery was stunning from the very beginning.
Janet's Foss
The first part of the walk took us along a lovely, well-maintained path from Malham village towards Janet's Foss, a beautiful waterfall tucked away amongst the woodland.
The waterfall is wide and fast-flowing, and local folklore says that Janet is a fairy queen who lives behind the falls. It certainly felt like a magical place.
Gordale Scar
Gordale Scar is an enormous limestone gorge, with cliffs rising more than 100 metres above you. Standing inside it and watching the waterfall cascading down the rocks was quite humbling.
Our walking route actually suggested scrambling up beside the waterfall to continue towards the open Dales. However, the rocks were extremely slippery and, given that nobody else seemed keen to attempt it either, we decided discretion was definitely the better part of valour!
Instead, we headed back out and found an alternative route over the hills, which soon brought us back onto the beautiful open Dales.
Malham Tarn
Our next stop was Malham Tarn, England's highest freshwater lake at 377 metres above sea level. It's a glacial lake, and the landscape felt a world away from the flat Fens where we live.
It was incredibly windy, and I was very glad I'd packed my woolly hat!
Sheep and cows were dotted across the surrounding fields and paths, and there were plenty of stiles to climb over along the route. There were also lots of lovely spots to stop for a picnic and simply take in the views.
Malham Cove
The final, and perhaps most spectacular, stop was Malham Cove.
This huge curved wall of limestone was formed more than 12,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. Over thousands of years, the limestone pavement at the top has been eroded, leaving behind the incredible fissures and crevices that you can see today.
Our first view of the Cove was from above, and on such a beautiful sunny day, the sight of the enormous limestone wall and Malham Beck below was breathtaking.
There are a lot of steps down into the Cove itself, and I was very pleased that we were walking down them rather than up!
Once you reach the bottom, though, don't forget to turn around and look back. The 70-metre limestone wall towering above you is quite something.
From there, the walk becomes wonderfully peaceful again, following Malham Beck back towards the village and the car park.
A perfect end to a brilliant weekend
The Malham Circular was, without a doubt, one of the most outstanding walks I've done in England. The variety of scenery was incredible — waterfalls, limestone gorges, open Dales, a glacial lake and the spectacular Malham Cove, all within one walk.
Back in Malham village, there are plenty of pubs and cafés to stop at for a well-earned drink before heading home.
Which is exactly what we did!
A really, really wonderful weekend — and one we'll definitely remember.
Top Tips
If journey time is more than 2 hours from home, then seriously consider leaving at lunchtime rather than early evening for better value.
The biggest pitch size is not always necessary!
A countryside walk does not have to cost any money if you take lunch with you and download maps/trails in advance.
Get to Malham village early to ensure you bag a parking spot, or begin your walk at Watersinks near Malham Tarn where there is also parking available but it is not as busy
Cost Breakdown (2 Nights in The Yorkshire Dales)
Item | Cost |
Fuel to Yorkshire & home again (380 miles) | £92.61 |
Campsite incl awning x 2 nights | £91 |
Food - Fish & Chips, Drinks | £23 |
Parking | £6 |
Total | £212.61 |
Fuel is VERY expensive in the UK at the moment, £1.91 per litre for diesel and rising! Perhaps travelling that distance just for 48 hours was an extravagance, but I have no regrets.
The campsite pitch was very large and really not necessary for the size of our van, we have learnt that we can pay for a smaller pitch.
The fish & chips were very reasonable and good value at £9.95 per portion.
Parking could have been free if we had parked on the side of the road in Malham village or cheaper at Watersinks near Malham Tarn.
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