Gargrave.

It’s Monday 22^nd June, the temperature in London 23deg and the sun’s shining.  We’re moored at Riley Green, near Blackburn in Lancashire and the temperature is 12deg and it’s raining.  This seems to have been the story of the summer so far, we’ve had some nice days but more dull than sun. Tomorrow shows an improvement, its forecast to be dry with sunny periods, so we’ve planned a walk which includes a visit to Hoghton Tower, but more of that on another day.

We left Skipton on one of those sunny days following the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park for five miles to Gargrave, a picturesque village on the Pennine way split in two by the River Aire.  Iain Macleod (1913-1970) Chancellor of the Exchequer for just three weeks before his untimely death, is buried in the village church. 



Chugging to Gargrave
The hills of the Yorkshire Days National Park in the distance.

The village of Gargrave, taken during our walk on the Pennine Way.

Crossing the River Aire in Gargrave.

We stayed in Gargrave for three days.  On the first day we walked southwards on the Pennine Way in glorious sunshine and on the second day we caught a bus to the village of Malham and then walked to Malham Cove.  Malham is a small village in the Pennines, at the southern base of the Yorkshire Dales.  It's a pretty place, surrounded by dry-stone walls with a stream running through the centre of the village.


 

Malham

Dry-stone wall country surrounding Malham

The walk-in to Malham Cove, which can be seen in the distance.

Malham Cove is a huge curving amphitheatre shaped cliff formation of limestone rock.
The cliff is 250ft high.

Unbeknown to us there was a pair of breeding peregrine falcons on the cliff.  The peregrine is the largest resident falcon and hunts birds in high-speed chases.   The young had f ledged in the previous few days and we were extremely lucky to see parents and young flying around the Cove.  It made our day.

Flo watching the peregrines from the top of Malham Cove.

Lunch stop in Malham

Next Foulridge Tunnel.