Parking
Park at the National Park Centre car park in Malham village and walk into the village to begin.
Overview
About Malham Village to Janet’s Foss
Why go
- Short, low-level walk with a memorable waterfall
- Mostly clear riverside path before the rocky finish
Heads up
- Popular route can feel busy at the waterfall
- Uneven, rocky woodland approach
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yorkshire Dales map
Full mapElevation190–240 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
1 active Yorkshire Dales alert
- ClosureTemporary closures on public rights of wayAvoid the listed sections of public rights of way while their temporary closures or pedestrian prohibition are in force. - Public Bridleway No. 52 (05.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Yorkshire Dales Tour Guide
Your drive to Malham Village to Janet’s Foss, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yorkshire Dales National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Malham Village and National Park Centre0:00 / 0:35
“You're coming up on Malham village, where the beck runs between stone houses and little bridges. It's the base for the limestone walks, but I'd spend a few minutes in the village itself before setting off.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yorkshire Dales Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Malham Cove
- Janet's Foss and Gordale Scar
- The Scream Above the Roofs
- The Cuckoo's Other Call
- 298 audio storiesacross Yorkshire Dales’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Eurasian Otter, Atlantic Salmon, Short-eared Owl, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 99 trails, 63 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Malham Village to Janet’s Foss
The walk in short3 miles round trip, out-and-back, starting and finishing at the Malham National Park Centre car…
3 miles round trip, out-and-back, starting and finishing at the Malham National Park Centre car park. The waterfall is the turnaround point and you return the same way, so you can shorten the day at any point and still have walked a pleasant stretch of beckside path.
The sequenceLeave the National Park Centre car park and walk into Malham village.
- Leave the National Park Centre car park and walk into Malham village.
- Cross Malham Beck near Malham Smithy and pick up the surfaced path that follows the beck away from the village.
- At the signpost for Janet's Foss, turn and continue roughly a mile, passing an old barn and gates.
- Follow the path into woodland to reach Janet's Foss, then retrace the route back to the car park.
Payoff and sceneryJanet's Foss is a small waterfall dropping into a pool in woodland, long associated with local…
Janet's Foss is a small waterfall dropping into a pool in woodland, long associated with local fairy folklore. The approach walk is low level and open, with the beck alongside and the limestone dale around you, then closes in as you enter the trees near the falls.
Footing and difficultyEasy for most of its length: mostly level walking on a surfaced or compacted riverside path.
Easy for most of its length: mostly level walking on a surfaced or compacted riverside path. The exception is the final woodland section, which becomes very uneven and rocky and can be slippery. Take it slowly here and choose footwear with grip rather than smooth soles.
PhotographyThe waterfall sits under tree cover, so the light at the pool is soft and shaded compared with…
The waterfall sits under tree cover, so the light at the pool is soft and shaded compared with the open path in. A tripod helps if you want longer exposures of the water, but keep off the wet rock edges and leave the narrow viewing spots clear for other walkers.
Dogs and accessThe route uses public footpaths in the National Park and the official listing labels it dog…
The route uses public footpaths in the National Park and the official listing labels it dog friendly. Keep dogs under close control and preferably on a lead, take particular care where livestock are present, and follow any woodland or farmland notices you pass at gates.
Parking and a longer alternativePark at the National Park Centre car park in Malham village, BD23 4DA, grid reference SD899627.
Park at the National Park Centre car park in Malham village, BD23 4DA, grid reference SD899627. If you want a fuller limestone-landscape day, the longer Malham Cove and Gordale Scar circuit is the route to look at instead; it is a separate, more demanding walk rather than an extension of this one.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Yorkshire Dales
10 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
11 sightingsAtlantic SalmonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
12 sightingsShort-eared OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
22 sightingsWestern Barn OwlMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
27 sightingsTawny OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
34 sightingsCommon KingfisherMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yorkshire Dales. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
