Malham Cove

surface

Malham Cove is a natural limestone formation near the British town of Malham in North Yorkshire . It consists of a fissured limestone surface, which on its south side slopes vertically in the form of an amphitheater into the valley below. The wall is 80 meters high and 300 meters wide. The Malham Beck stream rises at its foot .

waterfall

Originally, a waterfall fell over the cliff, fed by the runoff from Malham Tarn to the north . However, since the ice age glaciers melted, this runoff sinks into the ground after a few hundred meters; the further valley is still cut into the terrain, but is usually dry. For a long time it was assumed that the sunken water forms the source that rises at the bottom of Malham Cove. However, staining tests have shown that this is not the case.

In December 2015, after heavy rainfall, the dry bed filled so much that on December 6, 2015 water fell over the cliff again. The last known such event occurred in the early 19th century, also after a long period of rain.

tourism

Malham Cove is crossed by the Pennine Way , which runs through the dry valley above and along the Malham Beck below.

The wall has been climbed since the 1950s and is considered one of the most important and difficult sport climbing destinations on the British Isles. The currently most difficult routes "Rainshadow" 9a and "Overshadow" 9a + (both French difficulty scale ) come from Steve McClure and are among the most difficult routes in Great Britain.