Watlowes Dry Valley, Yorkshire Dales, Summer/Autumn
We finally got a week off.
We finally got a week off.
The pandemic, and its subsequent lockdown, has been pretty intense for me and Lisabet. I took on extra roles and responsibilities, with less available work time, and Lisabet’s job changed fundamentally. And we continued working throughout the lockdown.
So we were so ready for a break, which finally arrived at the end of August.
We stayed a few nights in a cosy B&B just south of Skipton, a beautiful market town on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. On our way we took a scenic detour and stopped at Malham Tarn for a little stroll down to the Watlowes Dry Valley and back.
As its name suggests, the Watlowes Dry Valley is in fact the site of an extinct waterfall. The outflow from Malham Tarn once channeled out a deep gorge and powerful waterfall from all the surrounding limestone, before turning southeast and dropping over Malham Cove, in what surely would’ve been the UK’s biggest waterfall (estimates suggest the waterfall over Malham Cove would’ve been 980ft wide and dropped 260 ft).
However, at some point in history, the outflow from Malham Tarn stopped running through Watlowes and Malham Cove dried up. Nowadays, the stream suddenly disappears into the ground 500 m from the tarn, in an area now known as Watersinks. Below here, the stream travels through a myriad of underground caves before emerging above land once again at Aire Head, just south of Malham village.
All photos taken on a Fujifilm X-T2 with a Fujinon XF 18–55mm f/2.8–4.0 lens using a customised Velvia film profile.
It’s clear to see how the river used to flow through this gorge, cutting out chunks of limestone and deepening the ravine as it did.
The gorge deepens and narrows.
Looking back at some fellow hikers, taking photos at the site of the extinct waterfall.
The river would’ve crashed down here as a waterfall before turning southeast and cutting out a valley on its way towards Malham Cove.
One of the limestone crags above the gorge.
The extent of the Watlowes Dry Valley, with the sheer face of Comb Hill to the left and Ing Scar to the right.
After returning back to the car, and then navigating through a frankly overcrowded Malham village, we stopped off at Town End Farm Shop for refreshment. The views from the farm back to Malham are sublime. Highlighted in the distance, you can just make out the curved wall that is Malham Cove.
A seriously beautiful farm cottage at Town End.
Across the road, another lovely farm cottage.
Whilst waiting for Lisabet, I noticed a small butterfly land on plant pot near and seemed preoccupied enough for me to snag a photo or two of it. Turns out this is a Small White butterfly, or Pieris rapae.
Retro Reworking: Watlowes Dry Valley, Yorkshire Dales, Winter 2017
I’ve only been to the Watlowes Dry Valley once, back in February 2017, but it was an experience I’ll never forget. I need to get back here again.
The Watlowes Dry Valley, once the site of a huge waterfall.
I’ve only been to the Watlowes Dry Valley once, back in February 2017, but it was an experience I’ll never forget. I need to get back here again.
You can find this place in Malhamdale, one of the more popular areas of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Most people head to Malhamdale to experience the Big 3 of the area: Malham Cove (a curved sheer cliff), Gordale Scar (a deep ravine), and Janet’s Foss (a pretty waterfall). But above and beyond both Goredale Scar and Malham Cove lies the Watlowes Dry Valley, once the site of one of Britain’s largest waterfalls.
This valley was carved out from the glacial overspill of Malham Tarn, tens of thousands of years ago. Over time the ice melted and a raging waterfall formed and shaped the incredible landscape you now see. At some point in the distant past, the outflow from Malham Tarn that ran into Watlowes found a more efficient route, and now drops down into the maze-like limestone caves underneath Watlowes. As a result, Watlowes dried up and what you see now is the result. The area where Malham Beck now drops into the caves underneath the Yorkshire Dales is called—appropriately—Water Sinks, as the beck appears to magically disappear into the ground just a few hundred metres from Malham Tarn.
A took a solo hike around this area back in February 2017. I had earmarked the Watlowes Dry Valley for a hike because I was insanely attracted to the idea of exploring an extinct waterfall. The place did not disappoint.
A vertical composition of the Watlowes Dry Valley, clearly showing the route the old river used to take before it would fall over Malham Cove as Britain’s largest waterfall.
Another vertical composition highlighting some of the limestone glacial erratics you can find on the slopes of the Watlowes Dry Valley.
A rather lovely chunk of crag I framed into this composition whilst I also got some nice side lighting.