‘Inconsiderate’ parking at Malham Cove and Gordale Scar criticised

Businesses at a popular Yorkshire Dales beauty spot have criticised repeated instances of “inconsiderate” parking during the peak visitor season.

Thousands flock to Malham Cove and nearby Gordale Scar every year, but some drivers have obstructed local roads when parking their vehicles.

A fire crew was recently forced to find an alternative route to an emergency call in nearby Settle after a fire engine was blocked by a car parked on a narrow road.

“It’s definitely a pressure we could do without,” said Frank Carr, a fourth generation farmer in Malham.

Mr Carr, whose family has farmed in the area for a century, added: “It’s a pressure that needn’t be there if people were more considerate.”

Work on his farm was being “severely hindered” by bad parking, he said, preventing the use of farming machinery.

“With big equipment you need a lot of turning space and circles just to get the machine around,” he said.

“The parking makes it impossible.”

The Yorkshire Dales National Park attracted more than 5m visitors in 2023, according to the latest data available.

Mr Carr said he welcomed tourism at the walking hotspot, but called on visitors to be more considerate when assessing parking options.

He added: “Get out of your car and think, are there working businesses nearby?”

Simon Stephenson, who runs a snack bar near Gordale Scar, said sunny days often bring “overcrowding and too many cars that we can maintain in Gordale”.

“We probably have room for 20 cars comfortably, but on those days it can be up to 50 or 60 cars,” he said.

“That causes a lot of traffic issues because the roads are simply not wide enough.”

Chris Wildman, who chairs Kirkby Malham Parish Council, said additional double yellow lines are due to be painted at “pinch points” after a successful application from the council, but a date for the work was yet to be set.

Wildman said “99% of visitors are absolutely fantastic”, but spoke of a “sheep effect” among a minority.

“If one person parks illegally unfortunately that then creates a knock-on effect,” he said.

“It’s common sense really – try not to block the roads.”

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Council said parking on the roadside was an issue for North Yorkshire Police.

The BBC asked the force if it had identified the area as a potential risk, but it did not reply to the request for comment.