Malham Cove, Skipton: History of famous Yorkshire Dales limestone formation that dates back to the Ice Age and has appeared on TV and films including Harry Potter

Malham Cove is a large limestone formation and today it is a well-known beauty spot for taking long walks and rock climbing nestled within Yorkshire Dales National Park. The cliff stands at 230 ft and is made up of white limestone that has attracted visitors for centuries.

It is formed along the line of the Middle Craven Fault and has been eroded backwards from the line of the fault by the action of water and ice over millions of years. Every time the glaciers melted, huge bouts of floods further eroded the face of the Cove and while the water flows underground now, the ground was permanently frozen at the time, so the glacial meltwater had to run over the top.

This day, the magnificent rock face of Malham Cove challenges climbers and also protects a pair of nesting peregrine falcons which you can see for yourself during the summer months. The tourist attraction has also been the inspiration for many TV shows, films and literature.

History of Malham Cove limestone formation

The cove was formed by a large Ice Age river that fell; the water drop was 260 ft high and more than 300 metres wide. The water flowing over the waterfall created the curved shape of the cove we see today due to the lip having been more heavily eroded than the sides.

In 1779 it was described by a priest: “This beautiful rock is like the age-tinted wall of a prodigious castle; the stone is very white, and from the ledges hang various shrubs and vegetables.”

The Ice Age event that resulted in these structures took place 12,000 years ago and the features seen today are a legacy of the melting ice action. The last recorded event of water flowing over the cliff in a significant volume was in the early 19th century.

What TV shows and films have Malham Cove appeared in?

The cove, along with nearby Gordale Scar, was featured in an episode of BBC Two series Seven Natural Wonders.

The cove pavement was used as a shooting location for the 1992 film adaptation of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.

Malham Cove also appeared in the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1) as one of the places Hermione and Harry visited, filmed in November 2009.

The cove also appeared in the 2010 BBC Two show The Trip starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.

In 2016 it also appeared in the ITV show Best Walks with a View with Julia Bradbury where she explored Malham.