🥾 Walking route
Malham Village to Janet's Foss
North Yorkshire
- 📏 2.1 km · 1.3 mi
- ⛰ +85 m
- ⏱ 30 min
- 🐕 On lead
Walk stats
- Distance2.1 km · 1.3 mi
- Elevation+85 m
- Duration30 min
- DifficultyEasy
- Route typeLinear
- TerrainWell-marked footpaths, woodland and pasture, one modest climb
- Best seasonSpring to autumn, when the wild garlic and woodland are at their best
- DogsDog-friendly on leads, livestock in fields
About this walk
Beginning in the centre of Malham, this gentle linear walk follows a well-trodden path out of the village and into the quiet pastures that lead towards Janet's Foss. The route is just over two kilometres each way, with only modest ascent, making it a popular choice for families and anyone looking for a brief introduction to the Yorkshire Dales.
Leaving the village, the path passes Stone Bank Lathe, one of the traditional field barns characteristic of this corner of North Yorkshire. The way then drops into a sheltered, broadleaved gorge where the beck tumbles between mossy banks. Janet's Foss itself appears at the end of the woodland, a small but atmospheric waterfall plunging into a clear pool beneath a curtain of tufa-coated rock.
The walk can easily be extended by continuing on towards Gordale Scar, or by linking back via Aire Head and the Woodland Walkway near the village. Malham is associated with the Victorian benefactor Walter Morrison, and the nearby hamlet of Cowden adds further interest for those exploring more widely.
Route map
Route line drawn from OpenStreetMap footpath data. Numbered markers are waypoints on the route; amber star markers are points of interest a short detour away.
Waypoints along the route
6 waypoints along the way
- 1
Walter Morrison
- 2
Mires Wood
- 3
Willy's Wood
- 4
Wedber Wood
- 5
Little Gordale Wood
- 6
Gordale Bridge
Worth a short detour
Points of interest just off the route, look for the amber markers on the map.
Cowden
~388 m off the route
lynchets
~204 m off the route
East Field Lathe
~249 m off the route
Cow Close Syke
~223 m off the route
Aire Head
~234 m off the route
Route & waypoint data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).