The Stone Circle.

Much of the village of Upper Swallow lies within a stone circle. Obviously the circle came before the village but this is obviously a place of ancient significance and power.

Some of the stones were pulled up in the 17th Century by Puritans. They felt that the very existence of such things was anathema to their religion.

The story is that Colonel Lacy, who excavated the nearby Lacy's Caves on the banks of the Swallow, tried to demolish the circle by blasting. As his men set the charges a strange storm arose and rain fell and thunder rumbled. Lightning snaked across the sky and the workmen, soaked to the skin, looked up in awe. They believed that some force was trying to stop them interfering with Tanney (as the largest stone is known). They fled and refused to ever bother Tanney. So Tanney still stands.

And it's still a strange place. In the early 1990s, a local girl called Paula Thompson and her friends decided to do a bit of ghost hunting at the circle. Friends had gone there in their cars late at night to sit and talk and do what teenagers do. They reported seeing flashes of light outside the car, coming from the stones. They told Paula and they all decided to go back another night as a group.

It was late, after midnight and at first Paula wouldn't get out of her car. Her friends teased her and so, reluctantly she opened the door. By that time the others had spread out round the circle. There was some light from the moon, and so she walked over to Tanney, the tallest stone. She saw a dark shape in front of her. As she got closer, it started to move towards her very quickly. She thought it was a male friend having a laugh and called out jokingly for him to stop. He didn't stop and she saw that he was going to run into her. As it got closer she saw the shape wasn't her friend. To her horror it ran right through her. She says she felt cold and frightened and rushed back to the car.

Another time a group of people went there late, they met a coven of witches. When you visit Tanney, you will more often than not see offerings of flowers or suchlike around Tanney herself, or hanging in the tree nearby. My advice would be to stay away from the Circle after dark. These people probably mean no harm, but they don't like to be disturbed.