Gargrave to Malham
I started this morning with a lazy morning. Anne at the AirBnB had very kindly done my washing for me, and I took my time packing up.
I left at 9.30, dropped my parcel off at the post locker, then set off on my way to Malham.
Gargrave is situated right on the Pennine Way. It was lovely walking through the village as the locals asked me how far I was going and wished me well. It felt like they really embrace the trail as part of their community. Today is the Pennine Way’s 61st birthday. As the UK’s oldest national trail, it was nice to be walking some of it, on its birthday!
Today’s route took me through fields, around the outskirts of Airton and straight to Malham. It was a lovely walk, along parts of the river and through sheep fields. It was so peaceful along the river, that I forgot to take any photos!
Along the way, I met a volunteer for the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is her role to walk the section of the Pennine Way from Gargrave to Malham and report back on the condition of the trail and the stiles. The national park has a ranger dedicated to the Pennine Way, who then sorts out any repairs that might need doing. It was really interesting to hear about her work as a volunteer. It is clear to see the difference that it makes, as the trail has been really well signed and all of the stiles are really well maintained.
It took me about two and a half hours to get to Malham. It was a lovely relaxing walk. The sun was out and it was getting warm, so I was glad that I was in no rush and could take it easy. I dropped my bags off at the youth hostel, before going for an explore around Malham.
I went to the local pub for lunch, where I had a massive portion of whitebait! It was in the nibbles section of the menu, there must have been over 20 fish there! I enjoyed my pub lunch and it felt well earned. As I was sat outside the pub, I was joined by Neil, who I’d met yesterday. He joined me and we had another nice catch up over food.
I then went for a wander around Malham. I visited the national park visitor centre and brought a badge. Then I found a nice shaded bench to sit and catch up on writing my blog from the past few days. It’s been a really nice relaxing day, and the weather has been beautiful to top it all off!
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