This bank holiday, I set out to find a spot to do some well needed grounding – I found my place at Janet’s Foss Well.

I personally always take comfort in places associated with fae and strangely enough, any intentions I tend to send out always seem to be received in such places…

THE LEGEND

Janet’s Foss is a small but wonderful waterfall and pool near Gordale Scar in Malhamdale in the Yorkshire Dales, nestled in a magical wood along the footpath from Malham Village toward Gordale Scar.

The legend of Janet spans hundreds of years, with the belief that this stunning glade is home to fairies and sprites who come to dance around the water with their queen, who happens to live in the cave behind the falls. Apparently its custom to make a wish at the cave if you can managed to squeeze through the gap to get to it. Did I? Of course…

There have been many other claims by visitors, that there is something all the more sinister in the water of Janet’s Foss.

In particular, two independent accounts of a mysterious green mist rising from the water have been sighted which was documented in full in Haunted Yorkshire by Nick Tyler, who interviewed the people involved.

One story was from a family, who had brought their grandchildren walking here.

Upon their arrival at the waters edge, they encountered a strange green mist floating over the top of the water. The mist moved, creating shapes, which were hypnotic to watch, and to them appeared nothing more than a natural phenomenon. That was until it moved towards one of the adults, who after watching it for a while, hastily made a retreat, hinting that he’d seen something in the mist that was utterly terrifying, but refusing to describe exactly what it was. 

A very similar sighting  came from a young couple who also encountered the mist whilst swimming at the Foss. The lady was in the water when the green mist appeared, rose and amassed in front of her. Reportedly, what she’d witnessed in the mist was mesmerising whilst she was in the water, but as she stepped out, what she saw was totally horrifying. 

Was Janet Foss Real?

Some research has been done into who Janet may have been. There is no solid proof, but some believe she could have been a witch who lived nearby.