Malham Tarn Accessible Trail

This is a circular 4.5 mile (7.2 km) loop from Waterhouses, out around Malham Tarn and back to where you started. Plan for 2 to 3 hours at an unhurried pace with stops for the water views. It is officially described as moderate, reasonably flat, and suitable for Trampers, which is a fair description as long as you accept a mix of surfaces rather than a sealed path the whole way.

You leave Waterhouses on a track, over a few speed bumps, with the tarn flickering into view through the trees. The track passes Malham Tarn House and its woodland before you reach the shore, where the walking opens out and the lake is with you properly. Beyond the shore there is a short rough grassy section skirting woodland toward Watersinks; if that looks like more than you want, there is an alternative on the track and road. From Watersinks the route continues by country road and stone track around the reserve and back to Waterhouses.

The loop is designed and tested for Trampers, and it may not suit every mobility scooter. If your machine has limited ground clearance or short range, read the grassy section and the gates as the deciding factors. The boardwalk in the nearby nature reserve is a separate thing altogether and is not suitable for Trampers or other mobility scooters, so do not plan on adding it.

• Gravel tracks, unmade footpaths across grass, and country roads.
• It can be muddy after wet weather, and the grassy stretch is the least forgiving part.
• There is a cattle grid and several gates to negotiate.
• Short sections share country road, so expect occasional vehicles.
• The setting is remote and the terrain uneven, so visitors are advised to be accompanied.

Start from Waterhouses car park, Waterhouses, Settle, BD24 9PT, grid reference SD886674. Free parking is also available at Quarry car park. The trail itself begins a few metres from the Waterhouses parking area, so there is no long approach before you are on route.

One all-terrain Tramper is available through the National Trust and must be booked in advance. Sort that before you travel rather than turning up hopeful.

Dogs are welcome, under close control and on a lead. Livestock may be present in the fields and along the road sections, which is the main reason the lead matters here.

The payoff is broad water, woodland and moorland in one circuit, with Malham Tarn House giving the estate side of the story. Watch for oystercatchers and grebes around the water, roe deer in the woodland and reserve, and colourful wildflowers in summer. The tarn sits in a hollow of boulder clay over impermeable slate beneath the surrounding limestone, which is why there is a lake here at all in a landscape that usually swallows its water; it is worth a moment to look at the limestone above and the held water below.