Best Scenic Place in York and North Yorkshire, England - Map and Reviews

Malham Tarn is an extraordinary natural feature of the Yorkshire Dales, the highest natural lake in England, lying at over 380 metres above sea level in a limestone landscape of exceptional geological interest. The tarn and its surrounding environment form a National Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest, protected for both its ecology and its unusual geological situation. What makes Malham Tarn particularly unusual is its very existence. Limestone is a porous rock through which water typically drains quickly rather than forming permanent lakes. The tarn exists because it sits above an impermeable layer of Silurian slate at the bottom of a glacially scoured basin, trapped by a geological fault that juxtaposes the permeable limestone with rock that holds water. The surrounding limestone landscape drained rapidly after the last Ice Age, leaving behind a patchwork of dry valleys, limestone pavements and springs that makes the Malham area one of the finest karst landscapes in Britain. The tarn and surrounding fen, marsh and calcareous grassland support an outstanding range of wildlife. The fen community in particular contains plant species associated with the high calcium levels produced by the limestone bedrock, including rare sedge communities and wetland plants that have become scarce across much of northern England. The tarn itself supports breeding populations of several water birds and is an important feeding site for migratory species. The field study centre on the tarn shore, established in 1947, has been a base for ecological research and environmental education for more than 70 years. The landscape around Malham Tarn can be explored as part of the Malham circular walk, one of the most popular and rewarding day walks in the Yorkshire Dales. The full circuit takes in not only the tarn but also the spectacular Malham Cove, a curving limestone cliff 80 metres high with an extensive limestone pavement at its summit, and Gordale Scar, a dramatic limestone gorge with two waterfalls that can be climbed with care in dry conditions. The combination of dramatic geology, clear walking paths and the varied scenery between these features makes the Malham area one of the best day walking destinations in northern England.

Reeth is the principal village of upper Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales, a handsome settlement set around a large triangular green high above the River Swale whose combination of Georgian and earlier stone buildings, the views up and down the dale from the village green and its position at the meeting of Swaledale and Arkengarthdale make it the natural centre of the northern Yorkshire Dales and one of the finest Dales villages. The village provides the services and character of a genuine rural community that also accommodates the walkers, cyclists and visitors drawn to this exceptionally beautiful section of the national park. The Swaledale landscape above and below Reeth is among the finest traditional farming landscapes in Britain, the pattern of stone-walled hay meadows and pastures on the valley sides providing in summer one of the finest botanical spectacles in the Dales, the unimproved meadow flora of yellow rattle, wood cranesbill, melancholy thistle and numerous orchid species colouring the valley in ways that have all but disappeared from the lowland English countryside. The meadows of upper Swaledale are among the best preserved examples of traditional hay meadow management in Britain. The lead mining heritage of Swaledale is visible in the landscape above Reeth, where the heather moorland is pitted with the remains of mine shafts, smelt mills and the distinctive linear scars of the hushes, channels cut in the moorland to use water flow to expose ore-bearing rock. The Swaledale Museum in Reeth provides interpretation of the mining history and the wider cultural history of this remote but distinctive dale. The Coast to Coast walk passes through Reeth and the Pennine Journey route traverses the surrounding moorland, making it an excellent walking base.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is one of the finest heritage railways in Britain, a line of outstanding scenic character that runs for 18 miles from Pickering through the heart of the North York Moors National Park to Grosmont, where it connects with the main Esk Valley line to Whitby. The combination of exceptional moorland scenery, a well-preserved Victorian railway infrastructure and the atmospheric experience of travelling behind a steam locomotive makes it one of the most popular heritage attractions in the north of England. The railway's origins lie in the Whitby to Pickering Railway opened by George Stephenson in 1836, one of the earliest railways in the world, which originally used horse traction for much of its length before being converted to steam. The line was incorporated into the North Eastern Railway and eventually into British Railways, but declining passenger numbers and freight revenue led to its closure under the Beeching cuts in 1965. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway Preservation Society purchased and reopened the line in 1973, and it has been operated by volunteers and professional staff ever since as one of Britain's great examples of railway preservation. The route is spectacular throughout its length. Departing Pickering, a market town with a Norman castle and a good range of visitor facilities, the line climbs steadily through the Newtondale gorge, a dramatic valley carved by glacial meltwater that provides some of the finest scenery on the line. The station at Goathland, used as Hogsmeade station in the Harry Potter films, is one of the most visited on the line and sits within a particularly beautiful section of moorland. Continuing north the line drops to Grosmont through Newtondale before reaching the Esk Valley. The railway operates primarily with steam locomotives from its impressive collection of mainly 1920s to 1960s British steam engines, though diesel locomotives also feature on the timetable. Special event days including evening Pullman dining trains, wartime recreation weekends and Santa specials throughout December attract additional visitors throughout the year. An extension of the heritage railway service beyond Grosmont to Whitby using the Network Rail Esk Valley line has been operated seasonally, providing the opportunity to travel from Pickering all the way to the coast by heritage and Network Rail services without using a car.

Skipton is the Gateway to the Yorkshire Dales, a market town of considerable character and historical importance at the southern edge of the Dales National Park whose combination of a fine medieval castle, a broad market street of considerable architectural quality, the canal basin of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the excellent transport connections into the surrounding Dales makes it one of the most rewarding and most used bases for exploring the national park. The town has served as a market centre for the surrounding Dales farming communities since the medieval period and retains the commercial vitality and the market tradition that give it an authentic town character. Skipton Castle, one of the most complete and best-preserved medieval castles in northern England, stands at the top of the High Street and is privately owned and open to visitors. The castle was originally built by Robert de Romille in the early twelfth century and developed subsequently by the Clifford family, who held it for over three centuries and whose rebuilding in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries created much of the fabric visible today. The castle withstood a three-year siege during the Civil War before surrendering on terms in 1645 and was subsequently repaired by the redoubtable Lady Anne Clifford, whose restoration work can be read in the yew tree she planted in the courtyard in 1659 that still grows in the same spot. The canal basin at the foot of the town provides an attractive focus for the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, the longest single canal in Britain, and the walking and cycling along the towpath into the Dales provides excellent access to the countryside immediately north of the town.

The Bolton Abbey Estate in Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, encompasses one of the most beautiful and historically rich landscape combinations in England, a 30,000-acre country estate owned by the Duke of Devonshire that includes the celebrated Augustinian priory ruins, the River Wharfe and its gorge, extensive heather moorland, ancient woodland and the wide, pastoral valley of Wharfedale. The estate has been welcoming visitors since the Victorian period and continues to draw around half a million people annually to experience a landscape that has inspired artists, writers and walkers for generations. The priory ruins at the heart of the estate, established in 1154 and dissolved in 1539, occupy a meadow above a bend in the Wharfe in a setting of exceptional natural beauty. The nave of the priory church survived the Dissolution and continues in use as the parish church of the village, while the spectacular ruins of the east end and the conventual buildings provide one of the most romantic abbery landscapes in England. The view of the ruins from across the river, with the woods rising behind and the sound of the Wharfe nearby, is one that has been painted many times. The Strid, a short but spectacular walk upstream from the priory, is where the full volume of the River Wharfe is compressed through a narrow rock gorge of deceptive depth and lethal unpredictability. The contrast between the calm river above and below the Strid and the churning power of the water within the gorge is immediately and viscerally apparent, and the history of deaths in this small section of river over many centuries reflects the genuine danger of the current beneath the narrow crossing points. The moorland section of the estate above the valley is managed primarily for driven grouse shooting but is traversed by excellent footpaths and provides walking of considerable quality with views over Wharfedale and the surrounding Dales landscape.

Hawes is the principal market town of upper Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, a small but lively town whose combination of the famous Wensleydale Creamery, the excellent Dales Countryside Museum, the weekly Tuesday market and the superb walking available on the surrounding fells and dale makes it the most complete and most welcoming destination in the upper dale. The town provides the essential services for the walking and cycling visitors who use it as a base for the excellent accessible landscapes of upper Wensleydale and the connecting valleys. The Wensleydale Creamery in the centre of the town produces the crumbly white cheese associated with this dale since the twelfth century when the Cistercian monks of Jervaulx Abbey first made it from ewes' milk. The creamery is open to visitors and provides one of the most popular cheese-related visitor experiences in England, combining the working dairy with a shop, café and visitor interpretation in a format that has become a national model for artisan food tourism. The Hardraw Force, England's highest unbroken waterfall above ground at approximately 30 metres, is accessible through the pub garden of the Green Dragon Inn at Hardraw a short distance from Hawes, a combination of the finest waterfall in the Dales with an obligatory pub visit that appeals greatly to the walking visitor community. The combination of Hardraw and Hawes provides an excellent half-day in the upper dale.

The Coldstones Cut is a remarkable geological feature located in the Yorkshire Dales, specifically in the Pateley Bridge area of Nidderdale. This distinctive rock formation consists of a deep natural cleft or gully carved through millstone grit, creating a dramatic passageway through the moorland landscape. The Cut has been enhanced over the years by human activity, particularly during the nineteenth century when it served as part of the packhorse routes that crossed these high moors. The name "Coldstones" itself refers to the exposed gritstone rocks that characterize this upland area, and the "Cut" describes the passage that has been worn and worked through the stone over centuries of use and natural erosion. Historically, this area was vital to the lead mining industry that dominated Nidderdale from medieval times through to the nineteenth century. The Coldstones Cut would have been used by packhorse trains carrying lead ore down from the mines on the high moors to the smelt mills in the valleys below. The route through the Cut was part of a network of tracks that connected remote mining sites with markets and processing facilities. Evidence of this industrial heritage can still be found in the surrounding landscape, with remnants of old mine workings, spoil heaps, and the traces of stone-paved causeways that once made these treacherous moorland crossings safer for heavily laden horses. The physical experience of visiting the Coldstones Cut is quite memorable. The rock formation creates a natural corridor through the gritstone, with walls rising on either side that can be several meters high in places. The rock surfaces display the characteristic weathering patterns of millstone grit, with layers and striations that tell the story of millions of years of geological history. In wet weather, water often cascades through the Cut, and the sound of running water echoes off the stone walls. The rocks themselves are often covered with mosses and lichens, particularly on the north-facing surfaces where moisture lingers. During winter, the Cut can be particularly atmospheric, sometimes filled with snow or decorated with icicles hanging from the overhanging rock. The surrounding landscape is typical of the higher reaches of the Yorkshire Dales, characterized by expansive heather moorland, rough grassland, and scattered gritstone outcrops. From the area around the Coldstones Cut, there are extensive views across Nidderdale and toward the higher peaks of the Dales. The moorland is home to upland bird species including curlews, lapwings, and red grouse, and in late summer the heather blooms create a purple blanket across the hills. The nearest settlements are Pateley Bridge to the southeast and Lofthouse to the southwest, both traditional Dales villages that once served the mining communities. The area is also relatively close to Gouthwaite Reservoir, which lies in the valley below. Reaching the Coldstones Cut requires some commitment, as it is located on open moorland accessed primarily by footpaths and bridleways. The most common approach is from the minor roads that run across the moors from Pateley Bridge or from the Lofthouse direction. Walkers typically park at designated spots along these moorland roads and then follow footpaths across the open ground. The terrain can be challenging, particularly in poor weather, with boggy sections and rough, tussocky grass being common. Proper walking boots are essential, and navigation skills are important as moorland paths can be indistinct in places. The area is exposed to the elements, so appropriate clothing for changeable weather is necessary regardless of the season. The best times to visit are generally during the drier months from late spring through early autumn, though each season offers its own character. Summer brings the heather into bloom and generally offers the most stable weather, though even then conditions can change rapidly on these exposed moors. Winter visits can be rewarding for experienced walkers, but snow and ice can make the area treacherous, and short daylight hours need to be carefully considered. The moorland is used for grouse shooting during the season, and walkers should be aware of any restrictions or considerate of shooting activities, though public rights of way remain accessible. Spring and early summer are excellent for observing upland birds during their breeding season. One fascinating aspect of the Coldstones area is its role in the development of Yorkshire's vernacular architecture and industrial heritage. The millstone grit that forms the Cut and surrounding outcrops is the same stone that was quarried throughout the Dales to build the characteristic stone walls, barns, and houses that define the region's appearance. The natural jointing and weathering patterns of the grit made it ideal for splitting into building blocks, and small-scale quarrying took place at numerous locations across these moors. Additionally, the area contains evidence of much older human activity, with some researchers suggesting that certain tracks across these moors follow routes that have been in use since prehistoric times, serving as territorial boundaries and trade routes long before the lead miners arrived.

Masham is a charming small market town in the Ure Valley of North Yorkshire celebrated throughout England as the home of two of the most acclaimed independent breweries in the country: the Theakston Brewery, whose Old Peculier beer has been produced here since 1827, and the Black Sheep Brewery established in 1992. The combination of the two brewery visitor experiences in a single market town has made Masham one of the most visited beer tourism destinations in Yorkshire. The Theakston Brewery offers tours of the Victorian brewery buildings and the cooperage where oak casks are still made by hand in one of the last working cooperages in England. The Black Sheep Brewery, established in a distinctive Victorian maltings building above the town, provides a more modern brewery tour experience with exceptional views of the Ure Valley from its elevated position. The market place of Masham, one of the largest in North Yorkshire relative to the size of the town, hosts a weekly market and provides the centre of a market town that has maintained its traditional character while developing a visitor offer based on genuine local products of exceptional quality.

Middleham in Wensleydale is a small market town in the Yorkshire Dales famous for its horse racing training tradition, the ruined Neville castle and the association with Richard III who spent much of his youth here as a ward of the Earl of Warwick. The combination of the castle history, the working racehorse training community visible on the moors each morning and the attractive market town character creates a destination of unusual variety in the lower Dales landscape. Middleham Castle, managed by English Heritage, was the principal residence of the Neville family and the place where the future Richard III grew up as a ward of the Kingmaker earl. The castle is one of the largest in Yorkshire and the surviving great keep, the gatehouse and various residential buildings provide excellent evidence of accommodation available to one of the most powerful noble families in medieval England. The racehorse training tradition at Middleham, established on the high gallops above the town since the early eighteenth century, makes the town one of the most important racing centres in northern England. The morning exercise of horses on the Middleham High Moor provides one of the most distinctive sights available in the Yorkshire Dales.

Thornton-le-Dale near Pickering in the North Yorkshire Moors is consistently voted the most beautiful village in Yorkshire, a settlement of stone cottages along a beck fringed with daffodils in spring and lined with willows in summer. A thatched whitewashed cottage by the beck is one of the most photographed buildings in the north of England, appearing on calendars and in photographic collections of English village scenes with remarkable frequency. The village has the genuine character of a working agricultural settlement rather than a preserved tourist artefact, its residents managing working farms and ordinary village life alongside the considerable visitor interest its reputation generates. The beck flowing through the centre creates the visual element that defines the scene and provides the perpetual gentle sound of flowing water that animates any visit. The stocks on the village green and the medieval market cross provide historical focal points, and the surrounding architecture of limestone and pantile roofs reflects the characteristic building tradition of the North Yorkshire Moors. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway station at Pickering nearby and Dalby Forest to the north provide excellent complementary heritage and outdoor experiences.

The Shambles is one of the best-preserved medieval streets in Europe and one of the most visited locations in York, a narrow lane of overhanging timber-framed buildings whose upper storeys project so far over the street that the buildings on opposite sides almost meet overhead, creating a dim, enclosed passage quite unlike anything else surviving in England. The street lies in the heart of York's medieval core a short walk from the Minster, and its character is so complete and so evocative of the medieval urban environment that walking through it genuinely transports the imagination to a different century. The name Shambles comes from the Anglo-Saxon word shammel, referring to the shelves or stalls on which butchers displayed their meat for sale. In medieval York the Shambles was the dedicated street of the butchers' trade, and the wide sills projecting below the windows of most buildings were originally the display surfaces where cuts of meat were laid out for customers. The hooks for hanging carcasses can still be seen fixed to the exterior of several buildings, and the street's gradient was designed to allow the blood and offal from the butchery trade to drain away downhill, a practical arrangement that reflects both the commercial organisation of medieval York and the hygienic concerns of its authorities. The buildings themselves range in date from the late medieval period through the sixteenth century, with the characteristic jettied construction in which each successive upper floor projects further over the street than the one below. This style of construction was practical for several reasons: it increased the floor area of upper storeys without requiring a wider footprint at ground level, it protected the timber frame structure of the ground floor walls from rain, and it demonstrated the wealth and ambition of the building's owner through the conspicuous use of structural timber. Today the Shambles houses a range of small independent shops, cafés and tourist-oriented businesses that reflect the commercial continuity of the street across seven centuries, even if the butchery trade has long since departed. The adjacent Shambles Market, a daily covered market selling food, crafts and local produce, extends the commercial character of the area into the surrounding streets.

Plumpton Rocks is a landscape garden of extraordinary and improbable beauty in the West Riding of Yorkshire, a private estate near Harrogate where millstone grit outcrops of enormous size and fantastical form rise from a lake and woodland setting to create a scene of natural drama that the Romantic imagination found entirely congenial and that successive generations of visitors have found deeply surprising in its Yorkshire setting. The garden was laid out around 1755 to display the natural rock formations to their greatest advantage and has been described as one of the finest small landscape gardens in England. The millstone grit boulders that dominate the garden are examples of the weathered gritstone tors found across the southern Pennine uplands, their forms the result of millions of years of erosion working on the natural jointing patterns of the rock. At Plumpton the boulders are of exceptional scale, some rising to over ten metres, and their rounded, organic forms reflected in the lake beside them create compositions that Turner visited and painted in the 1790s, recognising in the scene the combination of sublime natural form and picturesque landscape arrangement that defined the aesthetic values of his time. The lake was created in the mid-eighteenth century to reflect the rocks and provide the still water surface that doubles the visual impact of the formations. The combination of the lake reflections, the mature woodland clothing the spaces between the rock outcrops and the paths threading through the formations at water level creates a garden experience of considerable enchantment that is entirely different from the more formal pleasure grounds of the period. Plumpton Rocks is open to visitors on weekend afternoons from March to October and retains a quality of private, unhurried charm that makes it one of the most rewarding lesser-known garden destinations in Yorkshire.

Whitby Harbour on the North Yorkshire coast is one of the most atmospheric and historically resonant of all British fishing harbours, a sheltered haven in the narrow mouth of the River Esk where fishing vessels, pleasure craft and the persistent presence of history create a townscape that has been inspiring writers, painters and visitors for centuries. The town divides between the west cliff, where the Victorian resort developed, and the old east side where the original fishing community established itself below the cliffs crowned by the ruined abbey and the ancient church of St Mary. The harbour's associations with exploration and adventure are remarkable. Captain James Cook, who made three voyages of Pacific exploration between 1768 and 1779 and charted the coasts of Australia, New Zealand and much of the Pacific, was born in the village of Marton a few miles inland and served his maritime apprenticeship in Whitby, learning seamanship and navigation on the coastal collier vessels that traded from the harbour. The Bark Endeavour, the vessel that carried Cook on his first Pacific voyage, was a Whitby-built collier, and the museum in the town dedicated to Cook's life and achievements makes clear how deeply the Whitby maritime tradition shaped one of the greatest navigators in history. Bram Stoker visited Whitby in 1890 and the harbour, the abbey ruins on the cliff above and the churchyard of St Mary's became the setting for key scenes in Dracula, published in 1897. The novel's Count arrives at Whitby harbour in the shape of a great black dog leaping from a storm-wrecked vessel, and the subsequent action in the town established Whitby permanently in Gothic literary geography. The association attracts Dracula enthusiasts and Gothic tourism from around the world, particularly during the biannual Whitby Goth Weekend which transforms the town. The fish and chip shops, the jet jewellery tradition unique to Whitby and the excellent North Sea seafood available at the harbourside restaurants complete a visitor experience of considerable richness.

Gordale Scar is one of England's most dramatic and spectacular natural features, a limestone ravine with a cascading waterfall located near the village of Malham in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The formation consists of two main waterfalls tumbling through a vast gorge where towering limestone cliffs rise to heights of approximately 100 meters on either side. The lower waterfall drops around 15 meters over tufa deposits, while a second cascade of similar height can be found further up the gorge. The scene is particularly striking due to the massive overhanging cliffs that create a cathedral-like amphitheater, with the water of Gordale Beck plunging through this narrow chasm. During periods of heavy rainfall, the waterfalls become particularly impressive, with water thundering down the rocky faces, though in drier summer months the flow can reduce to a more gentle cascade. Gordale Beck originates on the moorland above Malham, fed by springs and runoff from the limestone uplands that characterize this part of the Yorkshire Dales. The stream flows through Gordale Scar before continuing southward to eventually join the River Aire. The catchment area consists predominantly of carboniferous limestone, which creates the distinctive karst landscape of the region. The beck's flow varies considerably with rainfall, as water percolates through the porous limestone before emerging at various springs. This variability means that Gordale Scar can present dramatically different appearances depending on recent weather conditions, from a relatively modest trickle to a roaring torrent that fills the gorge with spray and sound. The geological formation of Gordale Scar is the result of a collapsed cavern system, where underground rivers once flowed through limestone caves before the roof collapsed, leaving the present-day gorge. This process occurred during and after the last ice age, when glacial meltwater and subsequent erosion carved out the dramatic landscape visible today. The limestone cliffs display clear evidence of their formation in tropical seas during the Carboniferous period around 330 million years ago, and careful observers can spot fossils embedded in the rock faces. The tufa deposits over which the water flows are formed by calcium carbonate precipitating from the lime-rich water, creating a constantly growing natural sculpture that the water cascades over. Gordale Scar has captivated visitors for centuries and became particularly celebrated during the Romantic period of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The artist James Ward painted his enormous and dramatic canvas "Gordale Scar" between 1812 and 1814, now housed in Tate Britain, which captures the sublime and overwhelming nature of the scene. The painting, measuring over 4 meters wide, helped establish the location as one of Britain's most celebrated natural wonders. The poet William Wordsworth visited and wrote about the scar, as did Thomas Gray, who described it in evocative terms in his correspondence. Charles Kingsley's novel "The Water Babies" references the location, and it has continued to inspire artists, writers, and photographers ever since. Local folklore sometimes associates the dramatic landscape with supernatural forces, as such imposing natural features often attracted mystical explanations in earlier times. The landscape surrounding Gordale Scar is quintessential Yorkshire Dales scenery, with limestone pavements, dry stone walls, traditional field barns, and sheep-grazed pastures creating a pastoral setting that contrasts dramatically with the wild gorge itself. The area forms part of the Malham Tarn Estate, much of which is owned by the National Trust, and sits within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The limestone grassland supports a rich diversity of wildflowers in spring and summer, including orchids and other calcicole species adapted to the alkaline soils. The cliffs provide nesting sites for various birds including ravens, jackdaws, and occasionally peregrine falcons. The area is also home to typical upland wildlife such as red grouse on the moors above, while the beck itself supports aquatic invertebrates adapted to the calcium-rich waters. Visiting Gordale Scar requires a moderate level of fitness and sure-footedness, as the approach involves walking across fields and the route through the gorge itself requires scrambling over wet rocks and boulders. The most common approach is from Malham village, approximately 1.5 kilometers to the west, where parking is available in the village car park (charges apply). From Malham, a well-used footpath leads east across fields to Gordale Scar, clearly signposted and passing through several gates. An alternative route for the more adventurous continues up through the gorge itself, though this involves climbing up and beside the waterfalls on slippery rocks and is only suitable for those comfortable with scrambling. Many visitors combine Gordale Scar with other nearby attractions including Malham Cove and Janet's Foss waterfall, creating a circular walk of several miles. Malham village provides various facilities for visitors, including pubs, cafes, accommodation, and a National Park Information Centre. The village can become extremely busy during peak summer months and weekends, as Malham Cove and Gordale Scar together form one of the Yorkshire Dales' most popular tourist destinations. The site is accessible year-round, though winter conditions can make the approach paths muddy and the rocks within the gorge particularly treacherous when icy. The limestone can be very slippery when wet at any time of year, and appropriate footwear is essential. Access to the gorge is free as it crosses farmland with traditional rights of way, though visitors are reminded to follow the Countryside Code, close gates, and respect the working agricultural landscape. Gordale Scar has attracted rock climbers since the development of the sport, with various routes established on the impressive limestone walls, though the rock can be loose and the routes are generally considered serious undertakings. The location has also appeared in various films and television programmes seeking dramatic natural backdrops. The combination of geological significance, natural beauty, accessibility, and historical associations has made Gordale Scar one of the most photographed and visited natural features in Northern England, representing the spectacular landscape formed by limestone geology that characterizes the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales is one of the most dramatic natural features in England, a curved limestone cliff 80 metres high and approximately 300 metres wide that was formed as a waterfall at the end of the last Ice Age when meltwater cascading over the limestone edge of the Craven fault created the massive curved face visible today. The stream that once fell over the lip of the cove now disappears underground at the top of the cliff and re-emerges at the base through the cave system within the limestone, and the dry cliff face and the limestone pavement at its summit create a landscape of stark and powerful beauty that is entirely unlike the pastoral character of the surrounding Dales. The limestone pavement at the top of the cove is one of the finest examples in Britain, its surface of large flat slabs called clints, separated by deep fissures called grykes, extending for some distance back from the cliff edge. The grykes provide a sheltered and humid microclimate in which ferns, rare limestoneloving plants and wood-land species grow in conditions quite different from the exposed pavement surface, creating a botanical diversity compressed into a small area. The pavement is a protected landscape feature and walking on it is permitted only on designated routes. The approach to Malham Cove from the village of Malham follows the dry valley of Malham Beck through classic Yorkshire Dales limestone scenery, and the cliff face itself provides a high-quality rock climbing venue whose routes include some of the finest limestone climbs in the north of England. The natural amphitheatre formed by the curved cliff concentrates sound and creates a particular acoustic quality noticeable even in moderate wind conditions. The broader Malham landscape, including Malham Tarn above and Gordale Scar nearby, provides one of the most concentrated collections of outstanding limestone features available within a single short walking circuit in Britain.