Mon 24th May - Day 38, Cowling to Gordale Br (Malham) (18 miles)

I must have been tired, I fell asleep at 10pm after sending the web page and reporting in, and only woke up at 4:45am when I heard sheep at the tent, church bells rang at 05:00 aswell.

After checking the tent, no damage done thank goodness, I set off at 07:00, it was another sunny day.

I went up and down through farmland (a bit like Offa's Dyke but with short grass) for the first two hours before climbing up onto Bislack Moor where I had a break at the trig pillar, it was a stiff west wind up here.

I was soon off the moor and back into farmland going through Thornton in Craven and East Marton before getting to Gargrave for lunch time, I had an extended break here and had a pub meal.

Another short section of farmland then a very pleasant walk along the River Aire to Malham.

I turned off the Pennine Way just before Malham, I had planned a detour to take in the tourist attractions of Janet's Foss and Gordale Scar as I hadn't seen them before.

A footpath continued along the stream to Janet's Foss,

Foss is the old norse word for a waterfall or force and Janet (or Jennet) was belived to be the queen of the local fairies who lives behind the fall in a cave.

Janet's Foss is where Gordale Beck cascades over a tufa (a porous deposit of calcium carbonate, laid down round mineral springs) capped limestone outcrop into a deep pool in a wooded limestone gorge.

Across the stream there is a curved fold in the Gordale limestone under which there is a cave, known as Janet's cave (although she was not thought to live her). According to records, this was inhabited by smelters working the copper mines at Pikedaw to the west.

The pool below the waterfall was once used to wash sheep before shearing in late june. Washing encourages the growth of new wool which lifts the fleece from the skin. The sheep were driven to the pool and the men washing them would be up to their chests in water. Sacking and strong drink kept out the cold.

I finished for the day just beyond here at the campsite at the impressive Gordale Scar.

629 miles completed.