Kirkby Malham

I have walked to Kirkby Malham from Airton before but today I’m doing a slightly longer route and in the opposite direction to the one I usually take.

It was a really warm day, glad I’d put my sun cream on and brought it with me for a top up. I set off up the road where normally finish this walk passing an old water pump by the side of the road. 

Leaving the village behind I turned off to the right – going through the fields catching a glimpse of Malham Cove.

 You can’t not love seeing it, even at a distance it’s dramatic. Eventually I came out onto Scosthrop lane.  Here I crossed over and took a path across a field walking past a small stone hut Dowber Laithe. Then following a faint track below an old quarry. 

From here is in an old waypath to Kirkby Malham called Kirk Gait. It goes from Otterburn to Kirkby Malham Church. This pathway brought me back onto Scosthrop Lane – I remember doing this before and thinking I might as well have just stayed on the lane and walked round to here. I took a stile which leads to a path taking me up the hill to the top of Warber hill.  On the right was a beautiful stone arch – part of an old quarry.

It was really hot now and no shade from the sun until I got to the top.  Here I had a rest and a drink.  The next part of the walk was past trees onto a farm track with Kirkby Malham in the valley below. Down the field and across a small stream at the bottom to emerge by the Church. 

I then followed the narrow road to Hanlith Bridge where there is a stile which took me onto the path by the river Aire.  The path follows the river for quite a way eventually meeting up with a mill race which was once used by Airton Mill spinning cotton.  The mill is now flats.  I eventually came back into Airton after a good 4 ¾ mile walk, which felt a lot further because of the heat.