Malham Circular – A Day in’t Dales with the Suunto Race S

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Malham Circular – A Day in’t Dales with the Suunto Race S

By Megan Rose

Published on September 10, 2024

3 min read

A day in’t Dales with the Suunto Race S

Hiking has always been a passion of mine so I was buzzing when Ordnance Survey and Suunto sent me out the new Suunto Race S sports watch to test on my adventures! I wanted to test the watches capabilities so have been using it on various activities over the last month, this has included hiking, running and wild swimming.

I headed out to hike a classic, the Malham circular, with my partner Janine and our Labrador Retriever Charlie. This hike showcased 3 incredible gems in it’s moderate 7.2km distance. It’s a route I’ve done many times and would say it’s up there in my top 3 favourite hikes.

The first gem on this walk was Malham Cove, a large 70 metre high, curved limestone formation, which was formed by a waterfall carrying meltwater from glaciers! We sat there for a little while watching the climbers and house martins, before proceeding on to the steps up to the top of the cove.

The views from the top were stunning, like looking over natures own patchwork. From there the route took us over the top towards Gordale scar, crossing farm land and a road, this is where the Suunto Race S breadcrumb route feature was super handy, keeping us on track with a live map interface and noise alerts if we ventured off route.

Gordale Scar wows me every single time, it contains 2 waterfalls and the overhanging limestone cliffs are over 330 feet high. It certainly makes you feel small! Its also extra special if you see it in full force after a few days of heavy rain. And on drier days if you don’t mind getting a little wet, you can climb up the waterfall.

Getting caught in a heavy downpour or scrambling up waterfalls just got a whole lot simpler, with the Suunto Race S being water resistant up to 50m, I’m not having to worry about using a paper map or water damage when out on adventures!

A short walk from Gordale Scar brings us to one of Charlie’s favourite spots. Set in a magical woodland, alive with bird song and home to Jennet the queen of the fairies, Janet’s Foss is not one to be missed. The plunge pool below the waterfall is the perfect spot for a paddle, especially if you’re a Labrador Retriever who loves retrieving his water dummy!

We had such a great day! There is nothing better than a Yorkshire adventure with my little tribe. And there’s no way better to reward ourselves after the Malham circular than heading to the shop for a rum and raisin flapjack to eat back at the van!

I’ve also been using the Suunto Race S on a few local hikes. I love the fact you can download your OS maps onto the watch and use them offline. The maps are colourful and vibrant on the screen too. I’m very impressed with the watches battery life. I’m getting 7 days of daily use from it or if you choose the performance battery mode, this gives 30 hours training! Probably one of my favourite features of the watch is how it supports the balance of training and recovery. Seeing my fitness levels going up really makes me feel great and spurs me on to push myself!

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Try this Malham Circular Route Yourself!

Here’s the link to the OS maps route, if you fancy taking on the Malham Circular

Explore the Malham Circular Route in detail on OS Maps

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By Megan Rose

“Usually found on a hill somewhere. I crave adventures. Lover of mountains and anything nature! I love taking photos. Mother to a Labrador retriever, Charlie. Tea and doughnut obsessed. I like to get outside with my partner Janine, and adventure pup Charlie. Exploring the hills and mountains” find out more about OS Champion, Megan Rose