Emerging from Walk HQ turn right, proceed under the viaduct, continue into Settle until you reach the Market Square on your left; leave Settle via Constitution Hill (top left corner of the Market Square): Take right hand footpath (FP) heading diagonally right uphill between stone walls; after crossing the third wall at a point where the FP levels off, strike out to your right on a FP heading uphill [SD823642]: Follow this FP keeping a wall to your left, then follow the track as it veers right, cross a wall and keep this on your left as you proceed straight ahead; incline right to join another wall and keep this one on your right; go downhill to cross a wall at [SD839642]: Follow the clear FP, climbing gently, and then join and follow a wall on your right until the FP reaches a metalled road, the Rain Gauge is to your right; This is the location of the 'Bucket Drop'; leave your tally here at [SD847637].
Turn left and follow the road until it turns downhill to Stockdale Farm: Take the FP heading uphill to your left keeping a wall on your right for a short distance; a clear FP continues as you climb along the left side of the valley: Cross two walls at 90 degrees to the FP (the second is the entry to the Malham Tarn Estate) [SD872638]: At the next wall a finger post [SD875640] points left to Langscar Gate, the Challenge Walk crosses the wall and continues straight ahead. Descend towards Malham, and at the fork take the right hand FP, passing Butterlands Barn then Burns Barn (having joined a farm track). At the junction with Long Lane [SD896632], turn right to join a walled lane; follow this to a T-junction, turn right and the Malham check point (CP) is at Frank Barn [SD899628].
Continue following the lane, and as it bends to the left you will come to the Dales Centre on your left. Cross the road to join the Pennine Way (PW) and cross a footbridge over a beck; after about 300yds turn left to leave the Pennine Way and head for Janet's Foss [SD912634]. Join the metalled road (Gordale Lane) turn right and stay on the road proceeding uphill until reaching a bridle way (BW) on your right [SD924636]. Climb away from the road and reaching the stone stile in the wall on the left, cross it and take the FP signposted to Park House [SD934634]: At Park House take the FP to the right of the house (straight ahead); proceed downhill passing Know Bank to the CP at Lainger House [SD951627].
From Lainger House take the BW north to Bordley; turn right opposite Bordley House farm and follow the BW (keep left at FP junction) to Malham Moor Lane. The CP is through the gate to your right. [SD947655]: On leaving the CP join the farm track heading uphill away from the gate; turn left at Mastiles Lane and follow it to the Street Gate CP, just beyond a gate [SD905657]. Turn right soon after leaving the CP onto a gravel road to join the Pennine Way at Ling's Plantation; turn right and follow to the New Pasture CP [SD884691].
From New Pasture go through the gate heading south west, go diagonally left uphill making for the gateway you can sec (NOT the gap in the wire fence); cross several walls by ladder stile or gate, and after approximately one mile you will come to a wall to your left; keep this wall on your left, and at the point where the wall turns south set your compass for 250° (straight ahead). Keep on this bearing; after a sharp climb the FP levels out and you reach a ladder stile ahead of you on the skyline; cross the stile and the route continues downhill to a disused quarry near the road junction. Turn left towards Capon Hall and the Henside CP is on your left [SD845673].
From the Henside CP proceed along the road for approximately one half mile in a south easterly direction until half way down a hill there is a stile to your right [SD866667]; cross this stile and take the FP, which curves round to head in a westerly direction to reach a beck just by the junction of three walls [SD851658]. DO NOT CROSS THE LADDER STILE AT THIS POINT, (which is where you join the course of the Circuit Walk), but keep straight on along the wide gravel path. Keeping the wall on your right follow it for approximately one mile. AFTER the stretch where the wall runs along the top of a rocky outcrop for some yards, there is a ladder stile to your right [SD835655]: Cross the wall by means of the stile and follow the path straight ahead of you. Follow it downhill to where the path meets a farm track by a cattle grid; the Cow Close CP is between the gateway in the farm track and the road which leads downhill to Langcliffe [SD831652].
Leaving the CP take the FP which climbs away to your left just before the Langcliffe road, and follow it in a southerly direction along the side of the hill: After about half a mile another FP comes up the hill from Langcliffe to join the main FP; continuing straight ahead, it becomes a farm track, and about one third of mile from the FP junction you will see, to your left, the FP you took at the beginning of the walk climbing towards Malham [SD823642]: Continue straight ahead to the top of the FP, which leads downhill between stone walls to Constitution Hill and Settle Market Square; turn right at the bottom of the Market Square and proceed under the viaduct to the Walk HQ on your left [SD818639].