Pennine Way - Gargrave to Horton-in-Ribblesdale (★★★★★)

This is the second of two days walking the Pennine Way, having walked from Hebden Bridge to Gargrave on the previous day. Today the plan is to walk from Gargrave (where I have stayed overnight), up to Horton-in-Ribblesdale.

Making an early start on the way out of Gargrave, I head up through town, and then head up on a minor road, heading up north, passing several dog walkers on the way.

After about half a mile of following this path, I head off the road, and start heading through fields on a stretch that takes me through to Eshton Moor.

Not far beyond here, I pass alongside the road, and meet up with the River Aire - which I will now follow up to Malham.

It is a pretty river to walk along, and this section reminds me a lot of the section heading down from Carlisle along the Cumbrian Way. On the way I meet some inquisitive, but easily scared cows, and pass by Airton - which is a small village, with a massive former mill, looming over the river as it passes by.

From here the path follows the river up to Hanlith, where the path turns onto the local roads, and climbs steeply up towards Windy Pike.

Having made it past Hanlith, the final stretch heading into Malham begins - and having gained height the views are much improved, looking out over pretty countryside, with Malham Cove coming into view further along the trail. 

Here the best of the walking for the day begins, and there is the opportunity to split the walk, and stay over in Malham - in which case you can spend some time exploring the area around Malham, before heading onwards on the following day (Janet's Foss and Gordale Scar are both worth a visit to the east).

But as we arrive into Malham, everything starts to get very busy again, and we have quickly gone from having no one about, to having a mass of people all over the place.

The route we are following heads up on the road north out of Malham, and then pulls off to the right, as it heads up into Malham Cove.

Heading towards Malham Cove

Getting closer to Malham Cove

In the pictures I managed to just about find some gaps in the people, and whilst it wasn't unbearably busy, it is still definitely busy here - and here we walk along a pretty (but fairly short) stream.

Here the Pennine Way turns to the left, and heads up a series of steps, climbing up to the top of the cliffs.

Looking out from the top of the steps

Malham Cove was once a waterfall (during the Ice Age, 12,000 years ago) and this former waterfall has given the landscape it's shape.

And indeed if you come here on a particular wet day, you will see this waterfall return - creating for a brief time the highest single drop waterfall in England (the water falls from the base of the V in the second photo back).

The stream that flows down from Malham Cove now is fed by an underground stream, and so does not fall down the rock face - and it is believed that there is a cave system behind Malham Cove, which this stream flows through. And it is this cave system that diverts the water away underground, before it can reach the former site of the waterfall (except during the heaviest periods of rain).

The resumption of the waterfall at Malham Cove is exceptionally rare, however, and prior to it recurring in December 2015 (for only a few hours), it was last known to occur in 1824.

At the top, the path heads along the top of the cliffs - and although it is hard to find where you should be walking, it is best just to head in what is generally the right direction - and trust that it will turn out okay in the end. 

From here the path heads up through Ing Scar, in a cut above Malham Cove that is nearly as impressive as the cliffs below.

Starting up through Ing Scar

Looking back from further up Ing Scar

It is believed that there was once an Iron Age settlement here, although beyond a few markings on the map there are few details about these potential settlements.

Near the top the path turns right, to swap to the other side of the wall, and then climbs up before turning right, to head through a second cut beneath Comb Hill Crag.

The second cut we pass through

And on the map there is a mark for a 'Hut Circle', which is believed to be a Bronze Age settlement - with an 8 meter diameter stone circle, that looks to be the walls of an ancient dwelling.

From here the path continues to generally head north, and here starts to head on towards Malham Tarn - passing over the road and entering an Area of Shake Holes.

These areas will be warned about on the map and on signs, and it is worth paying attention to these as this indicates an area where there are holes that naturally form (and there are underground caves here after all). 

These can be big or small "holes" in the landscape, that can be an inconvenience or a major hazard to fall down - but just stick to the path through these sections, and don't just wander off for an explore in these areas. 

Close to Malham Tarn we pick up the path of a stream and this heads underground, but does not join up with the stream coming down through Malham Cove - instead both take separate routes down past Malham Cove towards Malham, where they flow into the source of the River Aire.

And upon reaching Malham Tarn, the path heads off to the right of the lake, and passes to the west of Great Close Scar - and here I stop off for another rest by the lake side.

Great Close Scar

Malham Tarn is a glacial lake, that was formed by glacial till, creating a damn that allowed a lake to form 10,000 years ago as the ice retreated. 

From here, the path heads round on the north side of the lake, past Malham Tarn House, and then along the house drive - through a cut in the rock - to just before Home Farm. Here the path turns to the right, to once again head north.

Having had a fairly flat section of walking since climbing up at Malham Cove, we now start climbing again - crossing over a road after a section of sheep fields, and then turning slightly to the west just past Tennant Gill, before heading north again - as the path prepares to head over Fountains Fell. 

Looking across the valley on the way up Fountains Fell

Fountains Fell is technically a mountain (although it is quite a small one), and the mine workings you can see on the map indicate where coal was mined near the summit (form 1790 to 1860). And this is the highest point reached on the Pennine Way so far (coming up from Edale) - although that accolade won't last very long.

But after a very long climb, the path makes it over the top of Fountains Fell - and then starts a descent down into the valley below. Having made it over the top, Pen-y-Ghent comes into view across the valley, and grows in size as you head down the hill.

The peak of Pen-y-Ghent reaches just shy of 700 meters, and so clears the peak of Fountains Fell by some margin, and will take on the mantle of being the highest point on the Pennine Way so far (coming from Edale) - although it won't be too long before this height is eclipsed again on the trail.

The descent is done a lot quicker than the climb, and it is not too long before we find ourselves joining up with the road below Pen-y-Ghent - and here the route turns to the left, along the base of the valley.

Looking at Pen-y-Ghent from the road

By this point we have shed about 240 meters from the top of Fountains Fell, and after following the road for a section it is time to turn off to the right along a track towards Fawcett Moor. 

Although we have shed a lot of height from Fountains Fell, we're still pretty high above sea level here (above 400 meters), given that we have just done a big descent.

From here the Pennine Way heads north over Pen-y-Ghent, and then briefly heads west, before dropping down into Horton-in-Ribblesdale - passing Hunt Pot, Hull Pot and Horton Scar along the way.

However, time is not with me today, and not wanting to be scrambling home on the latest trains of the day, I am forced to head down into Horton-in-Ribblesdale, to shortcut my route to the train station - but I will be back to complete the rest of this trail.

Update - Not too long after I did come back - and did a walk from Dent round to Horton-in-Ribblesdale - and below I have filled in the missing part of this walk description heading from where I finished round to Horton-in-Ribblesdale.

The ascent up to Pen-y-Ghent is a very steep one, and the descent in reverse is a real challenge, as it is very hard to work out from above where the path is supposed to go. And with this in mind, you will find it much easier if you are heading from Edale up, rather than from Kirk Yetholm down. And it is generally advised to go up on this section (I myself bottled the descent here, and will hold of doing it until I have done the ascent first).

But having made it up that steep climb, you get great views, not just out towards Fountains Fell, but also much further out across the countryside.

Looking back along the path

Once on the top it is a very flat final section up to the summit of Pen-y-Ghent - and then the route heads down a very long series of steps, before the path turns to the right along the edge of the ridge. Here the path is wide, so the route along the edge of the ridge should not be an issue even for those who don't really like heights (and I should know, because I am one of them), and the views out are particularly good.

Once this stretch along the edge of the ridge is complete, the path then starts heading down the slope, before turning left as it nicks the end of Pen-y-Ghent Side.

Southern end of Pen-y-Ghent Side

This is an incredible path, and well worth coming back to do again and again whenever you can get the right sort of weather (it's not quite the same with low hanging clouds after all). And if you do end up doing this on a day with poor visibility it is doubly essential that you come back on a better day.

Here you continue to have great views out over the countryside below with (I think) both Ingleborough and Whernside visible in the distance on the right.

The long winding descent down the hill

The descent here is very good, and there are no steep or difficult section across the entirety of this descent down. Instead you have this long and lazy meander down the hill before you are soon able to look back and see Pen-y-Ghent looming over you in the distance, giving a very pleasant end to a day of walking.

And for those looking to come back with people who might not be so keen on the steep section heading up Pen-y-Ghent, I would be surprised if those same people weren't okay with this lazier climb up the mountain.

Looking back to Pen-y-Ghent

Further along the path reaches a crossroads, and here we turn to the left - and begin the final descent down into Horton-in-Ribblesdale - walking past Horton Scar.

Looking out to the side of the path

The path down into Horton-in-Ribblesdale

And this is a really pretty section to finish on, with the path at the end slotting you out in the middle of Horton-in-Ribblesdale, close to both the toilets and the train station (just across the river).

These two days along the Pennine Way have probably been the best two days of walking I have ever done. There have been many hills, which have made some parts slower than I had expected, but it is a really pretty part of the world. 

With it being high and open moorland, I can see it not being great in bad weather, but the solution to that is to come when the sun is shining.

You definitely don't see many other people while walking the more isolated sections of the Pennine Way, but even then you are still close to farms, houses and roads so it is not complete isolation. Now I just need to come back and complete more sections of this trail.

Total Distance: 21.3 miles (route over Pen-y-Ghent as originally intended)

Total Ascent: 3,461 feet (route over Pen-y-Ghent as originally intended)

Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5

An additional connecting walk can be found walking the Liverpool & Leeds Canal from Gargrave to Keighley.

A very similar walk can be found walking the Dales High Way from Skipton to Settle (crossing this path above Malham Cove).

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 98 and 103 OS Landranger maps - while there is also a Pennine Way guidebook which includes OS mapping (links redirect to Amazon). The route is in general well way-marked.