George Wilkinson pitches his tent in the Dales and heads out for a short walk at Malham.

MALHAM was a relief after a long hot drive; the Town Head Farm Camp Site was a pleasure, to be able to pitch the tent for a fine view of Malham Cove. The plan was to do a short walk, hit the pub, hit the tent, then a longer walk next day.

The shorty starts a couple of miles north of the village and required a narrow climbing drive during which a full low-angle sun reflected off the cove's huge white limestone face and a mile further on made bright and blue the disc of Malham Tarn.

At the car park a cobbler recommended baby oil for Brasher Boots. We applied sun block, adjusted the rake of our hats and soon were in among the hot rocks of the National Trust's plot on Chapel Fell.

Lack of a wide-angle lens delayed the photographing of the tarn until we were the best part of a mile away. A rabbit scampered through a patch of limestone pavement, in and out of the deep fissures and we climbed a bit in a small gully. A rough and ready newish wall-end wall stile is inscribed NT, it displayed an offering of a decayed and skeletal rabbit.

Now the grass was shorter, the ground smooth, striding country, and we eyed up the slopes to the north for Right to Roam.

A few yards to the left of the path there's a hole, a near perfect cone that would swallow a caravan, it looked damp at the bottom and was patrolled by a blue dragonfly.

Ahead jut the Great Hill Scars which are grand, and have turrets of limestone and a scree of broken and fallen rock. Wall stile style improved with a splendid version in three sorts of stone.

We had a sandwich on the Pennine Way and watched a distant and courteous procession of grey pound drivers on the Settle to Kilnsey run. Three sycamores in a little triangle of wall told of tree love, cryptic waymarks were banded in green, blue and orange, a pair of discarded walking socks spoke of pain.

At the tarn there was a gentle shuffle of scientists and then a lovely shaded track to take us past the boggy nature reserve and back to the car park. The last gate has a scrolled bracket, the car park has a police notice saying: "don't hide your property, take it with you".

We weighed up the evening options, either sunset romance at the tarn or a cup of tea at the tent.

The latter was followed by supper at the Buck Inn's Hikers Bar, of Malham and Masham pie made with beer and accompanied by more of the same, and the mild late night amusement of a queue of mobile-bereft men at the red phone box.

Directions:

When in doubt look at the map. Check your position at each point. Keep straight on unless otherwise directed.

1. Left to road from car park, 200 yards, across grass to fieldgate on left (Countryside Commission Access sign - please note, route on ground differs somewhat), indistinct path below rocks then about 200 yards.

2. Right at waymarked post to grassy path which later climbs up through shallow gully.

3. Stone stile by metal fieldgate, one o'clock for 50 yards to waymarked post, 20 yards then right for 50 yards to ladder stile and path across fields, ladder stile, gate, squeezer and one o'clock for 100 yards to fieldgate, contour across field (ignore gully that drops away to right) to new wooden fieldgate.

4. Cross road (signpost), diagonally across grass and down to wallstile/fieldgate, uphill 100 yards (wall to right), right at corner (signed), ladder stile next to tree, pass barns and keep by wall to right.

5. Gated stile by gate to grass path through gully, gate, right to track/drive, pass houses, second track on left (Post Office letterbox in wall), gate and right to road.

Fact file:

Distance: Three-and-a-half miles.

Time: Two or three hours.

General location: South-west Dales.

Start: Parking area.

Right of way: The route is along public rights of way and permissive paths.

Date walked: Wednesday, September 8, 2004.

Road route: From York, via Skipton.

Car parking: Small parking area, if full park south of tarn and walk anti-clockwise round tarn as a lead in.

Lavatories: Malham, centre of village and National Parks Centre.

Refreshments: The Lister Arms Hotel, the Buck Inn and various tea rooms and cafs.

Tourist & public transport information: National Parks Centre Malham 01729 830363, open daily to end of October then weekends only to Easter.

Map: Based on OS Explorer OL2 Yorkshire Dales Southern and Western areas.

Terrain: Upland pasture.

Points of interest: The Field Centre does residential and day courses.

Difficulty: Moderate in fine weather.

Please observe the Country Code and park sensibly. While every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers set out at their own risk.

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 16:40 Friday, September 17, 2004