Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Category: Ancient Sites

Ancient Sites / Devil / Earth Works / Folklore / Legends

Winklebury Camp

Local folklore suggests that if you walk around the Iron Age hillfort seven times at midnight, the Devil will appear on a large black horse and grant one wish.

Only brave people should attempt this as the Devil will always try to trick people into losing their souls to him.

Ancient Sites / Apparitions / Chalk Hill Figures / Earth Works / Hauntings / Roman / Roman Hauntings

Oldbury Castle and Cherhill White Horse

This hillfort that covers 9 hectares or 22 acres was occupied in Roman times, and it is said to be haunted by ghostly Roman soldiers. They have been seen on a road near to the camp. The camp itself sits upon a bronze age settlement and evidence of post Roman occupation has also been found.

Ancient Sites / Burial Mounds

Whispering Knights

The remains of a portal dolmen burial chamber dating from around 4100BC the Whispering Knights can be as evocative as their name suggests, looming from the mist in the cool Warwickshire morning. They stand 5 to 8 feet in height and are close to the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire with which they share folklore.

Ancient Sites / Giants / King Arthur / Legends

Brent Knoll

The hill, which was once and Iron Age hillfort, is associated with an Arthurian Legend, and was the abode of three fearsome giants.

Ancient Sites / Buried Treasure / Dragons / King Arthur / Legends

Cadbury Castle

This large hillfort has a plethora of traditions attached to it, most notably that it is the site of the legendary Camelot, the stronghold of Arthur. There is a distinct possibility that the historical Arthur – probably a sixth century war leader – had his base here, as the Iron Age hillfort was reoccupied and refortified around this time.

Ancient Sites / Folklore / Hauntings / Wells

Nether Stowey

Nether Stowey has a number of holy wells, and the crossroads at Over Stowey is traditionally haunted by a creature known as the Galley Beggar, who laughs demonically at passers by. A Galley Begger is the local name for a frightening spirit.

Ancient Sites / Apparitions / Buried Treasure / Hauntings / Legends / Standing Stones

Caractacus Stone

This standing stone has a number of traditions associated with it, it looks very much like a Neolithic standing stone, although sources suggest that it actually dates to the fifth century, during the end of the Roman occupation. The name of the stone is certainly of Roman origin although it may have been old during the Roman period.

Ancient Sites / Early Christianity / Legends / Wells

The Chalice Well, Glastonbury

The Chalice Well has been associated with healing and with the Holy Grail for many years. According to legend Joseph of Arimethea placed the cup that held the blood of Christ into the well. The waters run red with Iron Oxide another association with blood.

Ancient Sites / Early Christianity / Earth Works / Folklore / Ley Lines

Glastonbury Tor

The Tor has been associated with magic and mystery for thousands of years. It seems likely that early man used the tor for rituals, and maze like path has been identified spiralling around the tor seven times. Professor Philip Rahtz dated the terraces to the Neolithic period, and concluded that they may have been part of a maze.