The above photograph appears by kind courtesy of David Matthews of HillWalks, and may not be reproduced elsewhere without permission.
The above photograph appears by kind courtesy of
David Matthews of HillWalks,
and may not be reproduced elsewhere without permission.
[N.B. To get some idea of the scale, note the people on the boulders in the bottom left hand corner of the picture...]
A great limestone gorge near Malham some 400 feet (150 m) deep, Gordale Scar is a spectacular feature of the Craven Fault and believed by many geologists to be the remains of a huge underground cavern whose roof collapsed around the time of the last ice age. Gordale Beck cascades down the ravine in two separate waterfalls, the second of which pours through a natural arch in the rock above the first. A short scramble takes visitors (at their own risk !) up the tufa* deposits at the side of the first waterfall into the top section of the gorge, where a route leads out onto Malham Moor and on towards Malham Tarn.
Gordale Scar is undeniably impressive, and is the subject of a famous painting by Turner entitled "Gordale Scar" (circa 1816) - which is presently in the Turner Collection of the Tate Britain museum in London.
* = Tufa is a smooth limestone deposit usually formed when water containing calcium carbonate passes over exposed rock. Another fine example of this type of deposit can be seen at the nearby waterfall of Janet's Foss.
The Yorkshire Dales
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