Gordale Scar is a limestone ravine 1 mile (1.6 km) north-east of Malham, North Yorkshire, England.[1] It contains two waterfalls and has overhanging limestone cliffs over 330 feet (100 m) high. The gorge could have been formed by water from melting glaciers or a cavern collapse. The stream flowing through the scar is Gordale Beck, which on leaving the gorge flows over Janet's Foss before joining Malham Beck 2 miles (3 km) downstream to form the River Aire.[2] A right of way leads up the gorge, but requires climbing approximately 10 feet (3 m) of tufa at the lower waterfall.
Gordale Scar | |
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Geology | |
Type | Limestone ravine |
Geography | |
Location | 1 mile (1.6 km) north-east of Malham, North Yorkshire, England |
William Wordsworth wrote in the sonnet Gordale, "let thy feet repair to Gordale chasm, terrific as the lair where the young lions couch".[3]
James Ward created a large and imaginative painting[4] of it that can be seen in Tate Britain. J. M. W. Turner also painted a picture of it in 1816, also to be seen in Tate Britain.[5]
Colin Tudge references this feature and James Ward's painting in his book The Time Before History.[6]
The waterfall was used as an exterior filming location in the 1982 film The Dark Crystal. Goredale Scar appears in the Netflix series The Witcher (S2 E3: "What is Lost").
54°04′19″N 2°07′51″W / 54.07194°N 2.13083°W