Editing Malham Cove

{{short description|Rock formation in North Yorkshire, England}}
{{distinguish|Malcham cave}}
{{use British English|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox landform
|name           = Malham Cove
|type           = [[Cliff]]
|location       = [[North Yorkshire]], [[England]]
|map            = United Kingdom North Yorkshire
|map_width      = 256
|map_caption    = Location in [[North Yorkshire]]
|photo          = Malham Cove Yorkshire Dales.jpg

|photo_caption  =
|photo_alt      =
|grid_ref_UK    = SD896639
|coordinates    = {{Coord|54.070833|-2.158611|display=inline,title}}
}}
'''Malham Cove''' is a large curved [[limestone]] formation {{convert|1|km|mi|1|order=flip}} north of the village of [[Malham]], [[North Yorkshire]], England. It was formed by a [[waterfall]] carrying [[meltwater]] from [[glacier]]s at the end of the last [[Last glacial period|Ice Age]] more than 12,000 years ago. Today it is a well-known beauty spot and [[rock climbing]] crag within the [[Yorkshire Dales National Park]]. A large [[limestone pavement]] lies above the cove.

==Geology==
[[File:Malham Cove Waterfall 03 resize.jpg|thumb|280px|The waterfall at Malham Cove on 6 December 2015. Its height of {{convert|80|m|abbr=on}}, for a few hours, made it the highest "single drop waterfall" above ground in England.<!-- it has only been this for a few hours in its entire history?? -->]]
The cove was formed by a large Ice Age river that fell at this point as a [[List of waterfalls by type#Cataract|cataract]]. The water drop was {{convert|80|m|abbr=on}} high and more than {{convert|300|m|abbr=on}} wide. The  water flowing over the waterfall created the curved shape of the cove because the lip was more heavily eroded than the sides.

A stream named [[Malham Beck]] originates on [[Malham Moor]] and emerges from a cave at the bottom of the cove. This is a different stream from the stream that flows out of [[Malham Tarn]] {{convert|1.5|mi|abbr=on}} north of the cove. This latter stream goes underground at 'Water Sinks' about {{convert|1|mi|abbr=on}} before the top of the cove and does not emerge until Aire Head, south of Malham.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yorkshire-dales.com/malham/water-sinks.html|title=Watersinks by Friends of Yorkshire Dales|accessdate=10 October 2021}}</ref> The two streams were once thought to be one and the same, but experiments with dyes have shown that they are two separate waterways that go underground at different places. Their routes cross, without their waters mixing, behind the limestone cliff, re-emerging a few miles apart; indicating that there is a complex cave system behind the limestone cliff. [[Cave diver]]s, entering the system through the cave at the base of the cove, have so far explored about {{convert|1|mi|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cavedivinggroup.org.uk/images/Photos/JNC/Malham/index.htm|title=Malham Cove by John Cordingley|accessdate=17 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120093624/http://www.cavedivinggroup.org.uk/images/Photos/JNC/Malham/index.htm|archive-date=20 November 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Speleothem|Stalagmite deposits]] inside the rising, dated to at least 27 ka, imply that the cave was dry during the [[Devensian]] ice age, and so must have been formed before then.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Waltham |first1=Tony |editor1-last=Waltham |editor1-first=Waltham |editor2-last=Lowe |editor2-first=David |title=Caves and Karst of the Yorkshire Dales, Volume 1 |date=2013 |publisher=British Cave Research Association |location=Buxton |isbn=978-0-900265-46-4 |page=91 |chapter=Karst Geomorphology}}</ref>
The cave systems usually carry away any water before it reaches the fall; however, Malham Cove temporarily became a waterfall for what is believed to be the first time since 1824 on 6 December 2015, after heavy rainfall from [[Storm Desmond]].<ref name="post">{{cite web|last1=Brown|first1=Jonathan|title=Video: Storm Desmond causes Malham Cove to become stunning waterfall for first time in centuries|url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/general-news/video-storm-desmond-causes-malham-cove-to-become-stunning-waterfall-for-first-time-in-centuries-1-7609734|work=Yorkshire Post|publisher=Johnson Press|accessdate=6 December 2015|ref=Waterfall6122015}}</ref><ref name=BBC>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-35024253|title=Malham Cove: Storm Desmond brings 'highest' waterfall back to life|work=BBC News|accessdate=7 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Murphy|first1=Phil|editor1-last=Waltham |editor1-first=Waltham |editor2-last=Lowe |editor2-first=David |title=Caves and Karst of the Yorkshire Dales, Volume 2 |date=2017 |publisher=British Cave Research Association |location=Buxton |isbn=978-0-900265-48-8 |page=443|chapter=Caves and Karst of Malham and Settle}}</ref>

==History==
The priest and noted [[antiquary]] [[Thomas West (priest)|Thomas West]] described the cove in 1779: "This beautiful rock is like the age-tinted wall of a prodigious castle; the stone is very white, and from the ledges hang various shrubs and vegetables, which with the tints given it by the bog water. & c. gives it a variety that I never before saw so pleasing in a plain rock."<ref name="West">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6BEPAAAAYAAJ&q=beautiful+rock+is+like+the+age-tinted+wall+of+a+prodigious+castle&pg=PA241 | title=A Guide to the Lakes in Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire | publisher=B. Shaw; Richardson and Urquhart | last=West|first= Thomas | authorlink=Thomas West (priest) | year=1784 | pages=232–233}}</ref>

On the west side of the 80-metre (260&nbsp;foot) high cliff face are about 400 irregular stone steps: these form part of the route of the [[Pennine Way]] and lead to an uneven limestone pavement at the top.

==Rock climbing==
The cove is popular with [[climbing|climbers]] offering easy to hard [[Traditional climbing|traditional climbs]], as well as [[sport climbing]], including the UK's first {{climbing grade|9b}} grade sport climb, ''Rainman'', by [[Steve McClure]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thebmc.co.uk/rainman-steve-mcclure-climbs-9b-malham|title=Steve McClure climbs Rainman: Britain's first 9b|date=5 June 2017|publisher=www.thebmc.co.uk|accessdate=29 August 2019}}</ref> Due to the cliff's south face, it is a popular for rock climbing in winter; however, in summer, the face can become very hot.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockfax.com/databases/results_crag.html?id=32|title=Malham Cove|date=7 December 2015|publisher=www.rockfax.com|accessdate=7 December 2015}}</ref>

==Media appearances==
The cove, along with nearby [[Gordale Scar]], was featured in an episode of the BBC TV series ''[[Seven Natural Wonders]]'' as one of the natural wonders of Yorkshire.<ref>{{cite web|title=BBC - Seven Wonders - Malhamdale|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/england/sevenwonders/yorkshire/malham/|website=www.bbc.co.uk|accessdate=9 January 2018}}</ref>

The pavement was used as a shooting location for the 1992 film version of "[[Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights]]"<ref>{{cite book|last1=O'Neill|first1=Jane|title=The World of The Brontës|date=1997|publisher=Carlton|location=London|isbn=1-85868-341-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/worldofbrontesli0000onei/page/137 137]|url=https://archive.org/details/worldofbrontesli0000onei/page/137}}</ref>

The cove was also featured in the film ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]'' (Part 1) as one of the places Hermione and Harry visited. The scenes were filmed in November 2009.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Newton|first1=Grace|title=Harry Potter at 20: The Yorkshire locations used in the films|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/harry-potter-at-20-the-yorkshire-locations-used-in-the-films-1-8616398|accessdate=9 January 2018|work=The Yorkshire Post|date=26 June 2017}}</ref>

The limestone pavement and general location of Malham featured in an episode of ''[[The Trip (2010 TV series)|The Trip]]'' starring [[Steve Coogan]] and [[Rob Brydon]] which aired on BBC2 on 29 November 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Yorke Arms, England, The Trip - BBC Two|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wfhfp|website=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=9 January 2018}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed heights=160>
File:Malham Cove Rock Climbing.JPG|Cliff face, with climbers
File:Limestone pavement above Malham Cove.jpg|[[Limestone pavement]] at the top of the cove
File:over edge, Malham Cove, cp.jpg|View over cliff edge to Malham Beck below
File:beautiful island fallen stones, Malham.jpg|Stones in Malham Beck
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Malham Cove}}
{{refbegin}}
* [http://happyhiker.co.uk/MyWalks/YorkshireDales/GordaleScarandMalhamCove/Hiking%20Pages%20-%20Gordale%20Scar%20and%20Malham%20Cove.htm Walk to Gordale Scar and Malham Cove]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080915142657/http://www.malhamdale.org.uk/malham_cove.htm Page on Malham Cove on the Malhamdale website]
*[http://www.yorkshirenet.co.uk/visinfo/ydales/malham.htm Page on the Malham are on the YorkshireNet website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071031095010/http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/historyproject/section_news_detail.htm?id=3626&section=Homepage Page on the Yorkshire Dale NPA website]
*[http://www.outofoblivion.org.uk/video.asp A computer-generated video of the creation of Malham Cove]
*[https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2015/dec/07/storm-desmond-brings-malham-cove-waterfall-to-life-video Amateur video of the 2015 waterfall]
{{refend}}

[[Category:Valleys of North Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Craven District]]
[[Category:Rock formations of England]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in North Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Climbing areas of England]]
[[Category:Malham]]