| Dunmail Raise Grasmere |
Dunmail Raise was the scene of a bloody battle for control of the lands of Cumbria. The battle took place against King Dunmail, the last King of Cumbria, against the united forces of Malcolm, the King of Scotland and Edmund, a Saxon King. Dunmail was defeated and slain and his sons were mutilated, his men were made to build a stone cairn over the spot where he fell.
Traditionally King Dunmail's golden crown was supposed to have been thrown into Grisdale Tarn and has never been recovered. This is unlikely as the crown would have been valuable war plunder.
The road which runs nearby is thought to have been an ancient routeway used far back into the Stone Age. |
| Map ref: NY 324 117 Grisdale Tarn: NY 348 120 |
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| The Devil's Bridge Kirkby Lonsdale |
Devils Bridge over the river Lune, is associated with a legend that can be found throughout Britain, with minor variations from region to region.
A woman who was separated from her cow by the river made a pact with the Devil. He would build a bridge across the river, in return for the soul of the first living thing to cross the bridge. The woman tricked her dog to run across the bridge and the Devil had to be satisfied with an animal soul.
This legend may be related in some way to the folk memory of a foundation sacrifice, as the black dog of the churchyard is. Perhaps a dog was sacrificed when bridges were built in the remote past to guard against the spirits of the river, or to protect the bridge, which is neither on land or water from evil spirits.
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| Map ref: SD 615 782 |
| Directions: Just off the A65 at Kirkby Lonsdale. |
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