3 Fairy Sites in the UK You Can Visit from Manchester

If you’re making a trip to the UK and flying into Manchester, you might be interested in exploring some of the coastal areas south of the city. In fact, there are fairy sites near Manchester that you can visit with a day trip. Sure, there are fairy sites all over the UK, but if you’re looking for a cool story to bring back from your trip to Manchester, then you might consider a drive to the Cumbria Region which is about 2-3 hours depending on where you go. 

Finding Fairy Sites Near Manchester

Fairy sites can be found all over the world. It’s something that makes my job as the Fairytale Traveler magical and overwhelming all at the same time. There are stories found in the masses in Irish folklore and mythology, that were once only orally shared, many years before they were written. This makes travel especially fantastic if you can find the locations. They don’t exactly have a neon sign out front. This list of places to find fairy sites near Manchester should get you on your way to a really cool travel story to bring your friends back home. 

When you’re planning your trip, you’ll want to be sure to have a rental car for getting around. You can get airport transfers in Manchester from Cyllenius Travel Services which will bring you to your hotel or car rental location. 

Fairy Site, Saltom Fairy Rock, Whitehaven, UK

This fairy site fascinates me. It holds a local lore nearly lost to the sea. In the small town of Whitehaven, located along the Cumberland coast a shirt distance north of the Saltom Pit Mine you will find the Saltom Fairy Rock. Now barely visible due to a tremendous storm some 140 years ago. The legends of this magical fairy site were so enchanting that it once attracted thousands of visitors from all over the Cumbria region.

A great many years ago – for such accounts are never very exact with regard to dates – the delightful coves and grottoes which were known to exist far under the Seabrows in the vicinity of Saltom were inhabited by a race of fairies – the most exquisitely beautiful creatures that eye ever beheld or imagination ever conceived. – Joseph Wear, Whitehaven News Contributor 1910

 

Alan Cleaver, author of,  The Fairies of Cumbria ) notes (which you can find here), that Mr. Joseph Wears documented in a Whitehaven periodical in 1910, the legend of the Saltom Fairy Tribe’s Queen and her secret marriage to a mortal man from a neighboring village.

Joseph Wear describes this:

So well disposed were they towards the people, and so exceedingly familiar, that they were frequently to be seen threading the mazes of the dance, which they only broke off when the people approached too near to the charmed circle; and more than one handsome young fellow – if their own report was to be credited – had not only been permitted to join in their moonlight feast, but had even been admitted into the interior of their grottoes, which was furnished with splendour and magnificence.

 

They were invariably clothed in the robes of the purest white, but though tall almost as the ordinary race of women, their tread left no impression upon the grass, nor, as they floated gracefully through the dance, did they brush even the glistening dew from the frequent harebells. In short, they were an amiable and a harmless race of beings, whose chief delight appeared to consist in singing their sweet songs and dancing their rounds in the clear moonlight, and everybody loved them.”

 

This fairy tribe, once seen by many, is said to have met their demise as a result of the mortal husband’s disobedience which caused a terrible storm. It is said that the melancholy wailing of a girl can be heard in the distance on stormy nights on the seacoast of Whitehaven. (Described by Mr. Joseph Wear, and retold by Mr. Alan Cleaver).

Fairy Site, Fairy Kettles of Gelt Wood

The Fairy Kirk (church) at Caldbeck, Cumbria UK stands beside the what’s called the water ‘cauldron’ known as The Fairy Kettle. This is about two hours from the city and certainly a fun location to explore fairy sites near Manchester on a day trip.

“Deep hid from day, on Caldbeck’s Fell,

Where Fairies, whilom, wont to dwell,

A cavern deep and dark there lies,

Impervious but to prying eyes.

Here, oft, have tiny Elves been seen,

In dance and gambol on the green.” – Alan Cleaver

Fairy Site, Castlerigg Stone Circle, Keswick, Cumbria

Most stone circles can be linked to fairies as folklore goes, these are the portals to the otherworld where fairies were banished during the Christian invasions. Castlerigg Stone Circle, Keswick, Cumbria is no different. It’s a remarkable location surrounded by mountain peaks and rolling hills. It’s a spectacular experience during sunset, so make sure your phone is charged!

Just because you’re visiting a bustling city, you don’t have to be bound by tall buildings and rush hour. You can take a day trip and explore fairy sites near Manchester for an incredible experience that your friends and family love to hear about.