Hidden specters within the falls at Lydford Gorge

Hidden specters within the falls at Lydford Gorge
5 April 2024 J.W.H
ghosts

The cascading waterfalls of Lydford Gorge on Dartmoor in England are said to be haunted by the White Lady, ready to avoid wasting anyone who’s unlucky enough to almost drown. Right next to the ghost on Kitt's Step you can even see the one who didn't make it.

On the outskirts of Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England, lies Lydford Gorge, a 2.5-mile-long chasm carved by the inexorable forces of the River Lyd, which contracts and swells with rainfall.

Maintained by the National Trust, Lydford Gorge whispers tales of ghostly encounters and ethereal apparitions, casting an otherworldly veil over the cascading waters, and a couple of spirit is alleged to haunt the waters deep inside the gorge.

Woman in white and haunted waterfall

Following the river's route through the gorge you will see the very best waterfall on Dartmoor at 30 meters high, the White Lady. Aptly named after the ghost that is alleged to haunt the place. It shouldn’t be known whether the name, surname or ghost story appeared first, however the disturbing legend stays.

According to local tradition, the spirit of the Woman in White will be seen on the waterfall with flowing hair, standing amidst the frothy veil of the waterfall. However, it is alleged to be quite a helpful spirit, and those that see her will be considered very lucky.

It is alleged that when you unintentionally fall into the water, the stream's current can quickly turn into deadly, especially after heavy rainfall. However, it is alleged that when you see a white lady, she’s going to make it easier to and prevent from the deadly waters.

Ghost on the steps Kitty

The White Lady of the Waterfall isn't the one thing haunting the world though, and it's fair to say she may not have saved everyone. Right next to the waterfall there’s a pool of water called Kitt's Steps. The pool was probably a revered water in precedent days.

Kitt's Step or Kitt's Hole is kind of far upstream at Kitt's Rock, between Winney's Down and Cut hills, and is the place where people normally cross the river. Kitt's Step is a reputation that can be present in other parts of the country, but it surely has turn into synonymous with the looks of a girl, often described as old, wearing a red headscarf.

According to the stories told about this place, there was once a girl called Kitty, Catherine or just Kitt, who tried to leap on her horse across the ravine at this place when the water within the river was high. They each fell, and although the horse returned safely, Kitt became entangled in nearby trees, and her body was found many days later.

The first mention of this accident comes from 1804, when it was recorded a few market woman who was carried away by electricity.

In some version of the legend, she survived. According to an account from 1846, she was at a feast in Lydford to sell her goods and is alleged to have fallen asleep on the best way home. She woke up after falling and spent the remainder of the night trapped before her husband got here and rescued her within the morning.

Other accounts of those legends, nevertheless, end more tragically and in 1972 Ruth St. Ledger-Gordon wrote in regards to the ghost of Old Kitty haunting the pool at the underside of the falls further downstream.

Ghost Falls in Lydford Gorge

Lydford Gorge, surrounded by the arms of Dartmoor National Park, shouldn’t be only a geological wonder, but a land where the lines between the natural and the supernatural blur. The haunting echoes of the old woman at Kitty's Steps and the ethereal Woman in White on the waterfall add layers of mystery to an already enchanting landscape.

Who knows, possibly the ghosts from these legends are one and the identical? Some unlucky soul who got swept away by the present and spends the remainder of his afterlife attempting to help others who are suffering the identical fate?

Bibliography:

Lydford Gorge

Kit Steps, Postbridge, Dartmoor National Park

Kitts Steps – The legendary Dartmoor

Image Source: Pixabay.com

  • J.W.H

    About John:

    John Williams is a Reincarnationist paranormal Intuitive freelance writer...he is living proof of reincarnation existence, through his personal exploration, he has confirmed its authenticity through visits to the very lands where these events transpired.

    Through guided meditation/s using hemi-sync technology he has managed to recollect 3 previous lives to his own, that go back to the Mid to Late 19th century.

    JWH - "You are the GODS! - Inclusion of the Eternal Light of Love and you shall never die”.

    “Death is Just the Beginning of Life”