How to Get to Malham Cove – Harry Potter Filming Location

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Yorkshire is full of amazing and beautiful places to visit, including Malham Cove. One, it’s a fun, easy “hike” and two, it’s where they filmed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1!!

You know when Harry and Hermione are searching for the Horcruxes and are camping out on top of a beautiful cliff and all you can think about is “How did they pitch a tent on that rock formation”? And now I’m going to tell you how you can visit this magical filming location for yourself.

Malham Cove – Harry Potter Filming Location

The beauty that is Malham is breathtaking, the lush landscapes, majestic views, and a creek that runs right underneath the massive cove. This is the perfect place to visit through any season… and I have!!

What is Malham Cove?

Let’s go back in time… to the end of the ice age. This massive cove used to be a waterfall, yup, a giant waterfall (could you imagine how amazing that would have been?!?!) taller than Niagara Falls! When everything dried up, so did the waterfall, except the water that enters at the top of the hills (about a mile down), sinks into the ground, and comes out the bottom of the cove. Weird, I can’t make this up!

Why is Malham Cove so special?

What makes this place unique is the limestone pavement on top of the cove. It creates these crazy stepping stones that are quite difficult to walk on (trust me, I was wearing boat shoes the first time I went!) And getting to the top is not an easy feat.

The “steps” to the top are uneven and steep but the view is definitely rewarding. The steps start on the left side of the cove, don’t worry, you’ll see the start of the steps that leads to the top…. you can’t miss it! If you wish to hike up there with a backpack and bring a picnic lunch then there’s plenty of “flat grass” that you can park yourself on, and you’ll get the best lunch view, 260ft up!!!

How to Get to Malham

• By Car: The best way to get there is to rent a car *I ALWAYS say rent a car to explore Yorkshire* and use the park and display in the village of Malham, located next to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Center… you really can’t miss it. Trust me. If there are no leaves on the trees, you can see the cove in the distance! Note: There are small country roads on the way there, barely fitting two cars, so be cautious.
• By Train: The station you want to aim for is Skipton, which is the closest accessible town to Malham. Almost all train routes you take will have you change trains in Leeds. So if you get to Leeds, then you’re halfway there! Unfortunately, once you get to Skipton, you are still 11 miles away, so hop on a bus to get to Malham. Depending on where you are coming from, you will need to spend the night. For example, one-way travel time from London is about 5 hours, and from Manchester, it’s 3 hours, but if you are staying in Leeds, then you’ll have the best chances for a day trip because your travel time is under 2 hours.
• By Bus: There are regular buses from Skipton, but they will run you an extra 40 minutes. During the summer and bank holidays, they run special buses from bigger towns/cities like York, so make sure you check. Now do you see why I say renting a car is a hundred times better?

Walking to Malham Cove

Unfortunately, this parking lot is as close are you are going to get, so the rest of the way you need to walk. If you are leaving the parking lot, turn left and walk through the village. This village is a hidden gem in the countryside, with fords across the creek, cute pubs and cafes, and those perfect country homes you see in magazines. Part of the walk is on the road, so don’t panic if you think you’ve taken a wrong turn. You’ll pass the Town Head Barn, a National Trust converted barn which is free to enter, on the right. Keep going.

After passing the barn, you’ll see a gate up ahead on the right, go through it and enter the field. You will see a sign that’s pointing towards Malham Cove, which is now 1/2 mile away! Continue on the path and you will see the cove in the distance. Oh, and you have to walk through a small section of the field with sheep and cows, so watch where you step!

If you continue following the creek, then that will lead you right to the base.

Exploring Malham Cove

This area is perfect for hanging out and enjoying the scenery. I loved just sitting on a rock and people-watching. This is a great place to hang out with your family or bring your dog for a walk. You can even dip your feet into the refreshing creek if it’s a hot day. This isn’t the place you hike around and leave, it’s a place you hike around and enjoy. Take in your surroundings.

You can even walk right up to the bottom of the cliff face if you want. There is a gate that you have to go through (it keeps the animals out, not you… so you can go through it) and you have to walk across a rocky area, but you can walk across the creek and touch the cove. If you look to the left, you’ll see water coming out of a very wide and narrow cave at the bottom.

How to Get to the Top & Reaching the Harry Potter Filming Location

Backtrack and go back out the gate. Turn right and the path leads you right to the steps to the top. (The steps are on the left if you are looking at the cove head-on). A lot of people complain that the steps are too steep or dangerous. It depends on what kind of person you are, honestly. If you are in moderate health then you will be fine with the hike up.

There’s about 400 steps. There are no railings, the steps are made of stone (a couple are crumbling away), it is uneven (some steps are narrow, others are wide and some steps are short and others have a little height to them), and you do have to climb up the very last step at the top. I saw no one having issues. Yes, you have to stop a couple of times to catch your breathe, but if you’re not trying to rush, you will be fine.

After you take that last big step, you have made it! Stay to the right and this is the area that Harry Potter was filmed. (See photo below).

The views over Malhamdale and the village of Malham are stunning. You don’t realize how high up you are going until you get there.

Be careful as you are walking around the pavement because it’s very uneven and there’s giant gaps in between each piece of limestone. There’s a grassy area so you can bring a picnic or a sandwich and relax. You can also walk up a little bit higher by climbing over some rocks (not hard at all) and get a birds eye view of the pavement and the dales below.

Spend as much time as you like around this area, there are no opening and closing times, however, there’s no lights! So if you stay for sunset, make sure you are prepared in case it gets dark quicker than you expected.

Fun Fact: In 2015, a heavy rainfall (it was a HUGE STORM) revived the lost waterfall and made Malham Cove the highest single-drop waterfall in England at 260ft. It didn’t even last the entire day, but you can google some YouTube videos and it looks pretty magical.

Top Tip Round-Up

• Driving to Malham Cove is your easiest option
• Wear appropriate footwear (It doesn’t have to be hiking boots, but wearing heels would be a bad choice)
• Get there early because it gets busy (especially during the summer and if it’s a nice day)
• Be careful if it’s rained recently, because the steps going to top will be slippery
• Bring a picnic and have lunch at the top!

There’s so much more to see in this area and it’s filled with beautiful hikes and hidden waterfalls… yes, real waterfalls, not dried up ones. Blog posts coming soon about all the hikes around Malham Cove and the easiest way to get to the top! (Hint: it’s NOT the stairs, but it’s not the fastest).

Related Posts:

• Harry Potter Filming Locations in Oxford
• My Five Favorite Harry Potter Locations in England
• 10 Super Easy Day Trips from London

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