The most famous legends in Derbyshire
Allan and ClaraCastleton · FamousEloping lovers entered this gorge in 1758 and never came out. Their bones were found ten years later.
Dorothy Vernon's StepsBakewell · FamousA daughter flees her father's ball by moonlight. Or that is how the 19th century told it.
Little John's GraveHathersage · FamousThe grave in this churchyard is long enough for a giant. Locals say it is Little John's.
The Boy King's LightRepton · FamousA murdered boy king, a pillar of light, and hair that grew from the earth every year.
The Crooked SpireChesterfield · FamousChesterfield's spire twists like a corkscrew. The town blames the Devil, a blacksmith, or a bride.
The Devil's ArseCastleton · FamousBritain's biggest cave mouth had a rude name, a village inside it, and a secret language of thieves.
The Garland KingCastleton · FamousEvery 29 May a man rides through Castleton wearing a beehive of flowers weighing as much as a child.
The Mermaid of KinderHayfield · FamousA salty pool on a Pennine moor, and a mermaid who appears once a year.
The Nine LadiesStanton in Peak · FamousNine women danced on a Sunday, and Stanton Moor never let them go.
The Plague VillageEyam · FamousIn 1665 a whole village sealed itself off so that the plague would go no further.
The Shivering MountainCastleton · FamousThis hill sheds its face and swallowed a main road. They call it the Shivering Mountain.
The Shrovetide BallAshbourne · FamousFor two days a year an entire town plays football with no pitch, few rules and goals three miles apart.
The Wells in BloomTissington · FamousA village that dodged the Black Death thanks its wells each spring with pictures made of petals.
Ghosts 1
The Devil 3
- The Crooked SpireChesterfield · FreeChesterfield's spire twists like a corkscrew. The town blames the Devil, a blacksmith, or a bride.
- The Devil's ArseCastleton · Pay to get inBritain's biggest cave mouth had a rude name, a village inside it, and a secret language of thieves.
- The Devil's PotholePeak Forest · FreeA shaft in the hillside so deep that people said it went down to the Devil himself.
Beasts 1
Heroes and kings 3
- Dorothy Vernon's StepsBakewell · Pay to get inA daughter flees her father's ball by moonlight. Or that is how the 19th century told it.
- Little John's GraveHathersage · FreeThe grave in this churchyard is long enough for a giant. Locals say it is Little John's.
- The Stride and the HermitElton · FreeAn outlaw's giant leap, and a hermit's crucifix hidden in the rocks below.
Saints and holy places 2
Customs 3
- The Garland KingCastleton · FreeEvery 29 May a man rides through Castleton wearing a beehive of flowers weighing as much as a child.
- The Shrovetide BallAshbourne · FreeFor two days a year an entire town plays football with no pitch, few rules and goals three miles apart.
- The Wells in BloomTissington · FreeA village that dodged the Black Death thanks its wells each spring with pictures made of petals.
Curses 2
Mysteries 4
- The Mermaid of KinderHayfield · FreeA salty pool on a Pennine moor, and a mermaid who appears once a year.
- The Plague VillageEyam · FreeIn 1665 a whole village sealed itself off so that the plague would go no further.
- The Shivering MountainCastleton · FreeThis hill sheds its face and swallowed a main road. They call it the Shivering Mountain.
- The Hob's HouseBeeley · FreeA square burial mound on a lonely moor that locals named after a hobgoblin.