Karst

I first discovered Malham Cove and Gordale Scar when I walked the Pennine Way over 30 years ago. I've been back a few times since then but as Malham is something of a honeypot I've tended to avoid it in favour of the quieter places in the Dales. I often pass through Malham on the bike but it's usually a matter of whizzing through at speed. Today gave me the opportunity to appreciate this magical place through fresh eyes and at a pace which revealed all kinds of new microscopic wonders to complement my normal macroscopic appreciation of the landscape. I think I had forgotten just how beautiful and dramatic it truly is. And once we left the Cove behind we didn't encounter too many other people.

So I was initiated properly into the delights of full-on bimbling today, exploring nooks and crannies and wandering wherever anything interesting appeared. We had the general plan of a circular route but enjoyed many diversions along the way. Perhaps the highlight was watching two young peregrine falcons take to the wing and noisily patrol the air around the cove.

To make up for yesterday's rather dismal mist and rain, today was spectacular in terms of visibility and incredible cloudscapes. We enjoyed long periods of sunshine while all the time being able to see an amazing panorama of cavorting cumulus. The skies grew darker as they day wore on but the only rain we experienced was just a few drops as we returned to Malham via the challenging scramble down Gordale Scar and the riverside path past Janet's Foss.

Anyone who has done this route will know that it's a little intimidating when descending. Rock climbing is always far easier done going up than going down. There was a lot of water in the beck following the recent heavy rain so it was rather exciting to be lowering ourselves down the crag with water sluicing past our ears! I went ahead to check the viability of getting down safely but before I knew it TJ was right beside me and keen to show off her skills. I was suitably impressed!

There is nothing much more to say than that this has been a completely magical day. This picture featuring a classic section of limestone pavement gives a sense of the Karst landscape and today's cloudscape better than any other. I thought it was going to be a hard choice but this shot kind of picked itself for today's blip.