The day-to-day can be pretty dull. We go to work, come home, watch a little bit of The Chase, have a bit of scran go to bed and then repeat. Well, we have done a little research and come up with magical, mystical places in Yorkshire to inject some magic into your life.
Let your imagination run wild with some of the locations across Yorkshire that are full of myths and legends. Whether there are national parks, caves, magical waterfalls, or heritage spots.
All these places are steeped in history, and known for haunted spaces, and mythical spots. So, if you’re a fan of witches, ghosts, fairies, and mythical creatures this is for you.
1. Mother Shipton’s Cave, Knaresborough
Mother Shipton was born during a violent thunderstorm in a cave on the banks of the River Nidd as Ursula Sontheil in 1488 in Knaresborough.
She is known as England’s most famous Prophetess foretelling the fates of several rulers. She also foretold the invention of iron ships, the Great Fire of London in 1666, and the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Along with Mother Shipton, there is the Petrifying Well, which is England’s Oldest visitor attraction. It turns everyday objects into stone very quickly – one of the very magical, mystical places in Yorkshire.
For many centuries people believed that water had healing powers. Medical physicians in the 1600s sampled the water concluding that the waters from the well were a miracle cure for any flux of the body. That along with the side of the well looking like a giant skill adds to the mythical nature of the area.
2. Janet’s Foss Waterfall, Yorkshire Dales
The hidden gem a stone’s throw from Malham village is a popular wild swimming spot, but did you know the folk tale behind its name?
The local folk tale claims that the small cascade is home to Janet, Queen of the Fairies. The pool was used for a range of enchanting things over the years including weddings, ceremonies, and sheep dipping.
The malevolent being, it is said, feeds off the life force or aura of anyone that comes face to face with it, according to tales from those who claim to have encountered it.
It’s claimed that Janet practiced black magic in life and in doing so was sentenced to eternal damnation as punishment. There are others who claim that she was a green lady who became so vengeful that she turned into a creature much worse.
3. Boggle Hole, Yorkshire Coast
Boggle Hole got its name from local folklore that Boggles, a form of hobgoblin or goblins that were seen as mischievous creatures were said to have lived in the caves that run along the coastline and haunt the slopes.
Some people believed the creatures could cure illness and would bring their sick children to hob holes in the hopes of a cure. That’s not the only history that these interesting rock formations hole.
It is said that notorious smugglers used to land at Boggle Hole and hide their contraband in the caves.
4. Robin Hood’s Well, Yorkshire Dales
Robin Hood’s well is located on the slopes of Pen Hill, in the Wensleydale region of the Yorkshire Dales. It’s a natural spring that emerges on the hillside amid a few stones and then makes its way beneath plunging down the slopes between rough grass.
There is a legend that a giant lived on the hill and the name is associated with the pagan Green Mann figure. Although there are no healing powers attributed to it, there is a life-giving sparkle to the water.
A Hawthorn tree, the only surviving one on the fill stands over it.
Read More: 4 Of The Most Curious Abandoned Villages To Visit In Yorkshire
5. Lake Gormire, North York Moors
Gormire Lake otherwise known as a hidden gateway to Hell, in which the Devil can pass freely. The lake and its dark secret is located on the North Yorks Moors and were formed over 20,000 years ago.
A Knight named Sir Harry Scriven, tricked the Abbot of Rievaulx Abbey out of a horse, and in doing see the Abbot chased the Knight to the lake and turned into the devil en route off the Whitestone Cliff right into the lake, so the story goes.
6. Semerwater, Yorkshire Dales
Semerwater is said to have once been a prosperous city according to an old legend. Until one night an old man came down to the city in search of food and drink going door to door.
After being turned away by house after house, he turned up at a hovel of a poor couple just outside the town where the couple took him in and showed him great kindness.
After receiving the hospitality from the poor couple he turned to face the torn and uttered a curse that brought a lake up out of the ground flooding the village and drowning the inhabitants leaving only the hovel of the poor couple unscathed.
7. Wharram Percy, Yorkshire Wolds
Once a settlement over 600 years ago, Wharram Percy was abandoned back in the 16th century due to sheep farming becoming more popular and lucrative.
The legend goes that at Wharram Percy along the Yorkshire Wolds, locals would burn and destroy corpses as they were frightened of zombies coming to life.
The village was founded in the 9th century, thriving between the 12th and 14th, and today all that remains are a few ruins that hide its past history.
8. Cow and Calf, Ilkley
Sitting above the spa town of Ilkley, Cow, and Calf is.on Ilkley Moor is a popular tourist attraction that has an interesting folklore of giants – a common theme across Yorkshire.
The story goes that a great giant named Rombald, who resided there with his wife formed that Cow and Calf structure after an argument with his wife in which he was fleeing with his wife in hot pursuit.
He is said to have stamped on the valley as he lept causing the rock to split in two separating the calf from the cow. Sitting high above the spa town, the rocks are distinctive as a smaller one sits close by to a larger one hence ‘cow and calf’.
9. Hole of Horcum, North York Moors
Found on the North York Moors, the Hole of Horcum is another tale of giants. The impressive valley received its name Hole of Horcum from a story about Wade, a hero once famous as a Saxon chief, traveler, and fighter.
The story at some point turned into a giant, wether the same as above is unclear, but the saying goes the hole was formed as he grabbed a handful of earth to throw at his wife creating the now unique landscape.
Read More: 15 Hidden Gems In Yorkshire To Uncover
