Gordale Scar

Back in November 2020, we went to visit the gorgeous Gordale Scar, and Mallham Cove for a short stroll with some friends. With the weather rather wet and some of our friends not overly keen to get soggy socks - we didn't get a chance to scramble this beautiful feature and instead opted to walk back to the start and take a different route.

This is definitely somewhere we would love to return and next time conquer the waterfall as originally planned, hopefully with the rocks a little less slippery. The greater waterfall lies at the top of this one and is only available to those who dare to scramble.

Gordale Scar is a natural limestone ravine 1 mile North East of Mallham, North Yorkshire, England. It holds two waterfalls and is surrounded by moody limestone cliffs up to 300ft high! Which gives this place an amazing atmosphere! You have to see it to really appreciate the landscape.

Just like Mallham Cove, Gordale Scar was formed on the Middle Craven Fault, a group of crustal faults in the Pennines that form the Southern edge of the Askrigg Block and partly bounds the Craven Basin.

However, unlike Mallham Cove - the Glacial meltwaters that once ran over Gordale have worn through faults in the rock and over thousands of years, several small cave collapses and multiple ice ages are believed to have created the deep gorge we see today!

The waters that flow over the ravine today are very rich in limestone which leaves a soft tufa on the surrounding mossy rocks which gives Gordale its famous aesthetic!

It's no surprise that this location has been the inspiration for many writers and film makers as its ancient looking landscape is truly one of a kind! Most recently Henry Cavill was spotted here filming the Netflix Hit 'The Witcher' - a personal favourite of mine!

Definitely a place to check out if you haven't already and with it being a short walk of relatively easy difficulty, most opt to complete the circuit and go op Mallham Cove too. A great day out for you and your families!