Scurry through this mossy chasm (known as Lud’s Church) and,
legend says, you’ll find yourself ensconced in Robin Hood’s Stride,
the heroic outlaw’s secret hideaway. Swathes of sites across
England tout connections to the skilled archer,
but few boast such ethereal splendour as Lud’s Church.

Daylight stipples the damp, mossy veneer on the cathedral-like
passageways, keeping the crevice cool on even the hottest summer
days. Later in the year, the tumbling, autumnal mists conjure up an
atmosphere entirely appropriate for a mystical quest.

If you believe the stories, the cleft was forged by the devil’s
fingernail as he clawed away at the Earth’s surface, carving out
this sacred corridor. Nestled deep in the heart of the Peak
District’s Black Forest, it’s hardly surprising that this verdant
temple once hosted sacred Druid rituals and clandestine Lollard
ceremonies.

Follow the course of the River Dane that tumbles through this
ancient woodland, visit the Queen’s Chair and the Winking Man’s
Rock, then stop off at quintessentially English pubs you’ll find
flecked across the wooded valley along the way.

Places to visit nearby: The Roaches; Churnet
Valley Railway; Rudyard Lake; Wincle Beer Company; Cheddleton Flint
Mill; The Ship Inn.

Stay: Gradbach

The adventures of King Arthur and Merlin are, perhaps, the most
famous and widely celebrated myths in the English canon. Such tales
have brought us references to Arthur’s court at Camelot and his
resting place at Glastonbury Abbey, but it was the ancient
chronicler, Geoffrey of Monmouth, who provided the first written
mention of Tintagel’s role in Arthur’s magical conception.

Arthur’s father, Uther Pendragon, had fallen in love with Duke
Gorlois of Cornwall’s wife, Igraine. One evening he chased her back
to Tintagel where, with the assistance of Merlin’s seducing
enchantments, Arthur was conceived.

Historians and archaeologists have since contradicted such
claims, but the rugged and dramatic rock formations carved out over
centuries by unrelenting waves make it easy to understand why
Geoffrey of Monmouth chose it. It is the Arthurian associations
that are the supposed impetus behind Richard, Earl of Cornwall,
building Tintagel Castle on the site in the 1230s, the walls of
which now stand as romantic ruins.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can scamper down the craggy
face and discover a cavern on the west side of Haven Beach, known
as Merlin’s Cave.

Places to visit nearby: St Nectan’s Glen;
Merlin’s Cave; Trebarwith Strand; Rocky Valley; the Museum of
Witchcraft and Magic; Bossiney Haven.

Stay: Camelot Castle Hotel

If you look closely, you might just pick out three grooves on
the slopes of Penshaw Hill. It’s said that a medieval dragon, known
locally as the “Lambton Worm”, wrapped its long body around the
hill three times, leaving these enduring marks.

One day, after years of lurking in its lair in the River Wear,
the Worm emerged in a monstrous form and terrorised the Lambton
estate, laying waste to everything and everyone in its path. John
Lambton (heir to the estate) sought the help of an old witch, who
provided him with the spiked armour and magic sword he needed to
defeat the creature. But her help came at a price: she instructed
him to kill the first person he encounters after killing the beast,
or else his family would suffer violent deaths for nine
generations. When John successfully slayed the Worm that had coiled
itself around Penshaw Hill, he encountered his father, but refused
to kill him. The curse held true for the next three generations of
Lambton men.

Climb to the top of Penshaw Hill to the Grecian-style monument
(erected for one of John Lambton’s descendants) and, on a clear
day, you can catch a glimpse of the Cheviot Hills 80km to the north
and the magnificent Durham Castle and Cathedral (a Unesco World Heritage Site) to the south.

Places to visit nearby: Durham Castle and
Cathedral; Durham City; WWT Washington Wetland Centre; Roker and
Seaburn beaches; the Angel of the North.

Stay: Lumley
Castle

St Herbert’s is the largest of the Derwent Water islands in the
Lake District, home to Wordsworth, Coleridge and, of course,
Beatrix Potter – St Herbert’s, in particular,
provided the inspiration for the fictional Owl Island in The Tale
of Squirrel Nutkin.

St Herbert’s was named after the saint that brought Christianity
to the region in 685 CE. The island became his hermitage and his
cell is still visible in the undergrowth. It is said that St
Herbert’s ghost still wanders the island at night. Beware; both
visitors and locals have reported ghostly sightings.

You may recognise the Islands of Derwent Water from the 2016
Swallows & Amazons adaptation that was filmed there. Recreate
your own nautical adventure by hiring a canoe from one of the
marinas and enjoy some island-hopping. Alternatively, visit one of
Ruskin’s favourite viewpoints, Friar’s Craig, and gaze over St
Herbert’s island from the mainland.

Be sure to look out for Tizzie-Whizies – they’re rare and
legendary creatures in these parts. With the body of a hedgehog,
wings of a dragonfly, antennae of a bee and the tail of a squirrel,
they’re instantly recognisable.

Places to visit nearby: Beatrix Potter’s house,
Hill Top; William Wordsworth’s family home, Dove Cottage; the
Ruskin Museum; Coleridge’s Greta Hall home; the Derwent Pencil
Museum.

Stay: Hazel Bank Country House Hotel

Following in the footsteps of others doesn’t always mean
treading the same path; in fact, we thoroughly recommend you don’t
when visiting Lake Semerwater. For plunged to the very depths of
the lake is where you’ll find its lost city.

According to local legend, an old man visited the town, knocking
on every door in search of food and water. Each time, he was turned
away. He came to a hovel just outside the town, where a couple
welcomed him in and supplied him with provisions. To punish the
uncharitable townsfolk, the old man (often referred to as a
disguised angel) chanted a curse. As soon as the words left his
lips, every house in the town began to flood, leaving only the
hospitable hovel untouched. An eerie twist to this tale came in the
30s when remains of an ancient settlement was found at the bottom
of the lake.

Rather than waiting for a glimpse of the world below the
surface, you can skim across the water while enjoying a range of
water activities or traverse the surrounding countryside in which
you’ll pass by beautiful rivers, becks, Horton Gill Force waterfall, and the
Semer Water Nature Reserve.

It’s unsurprising that this lake, cradled in a sequestered fold
of the undulating Yorkshire Dales, became the subject of a number
of J.M.W. Turner’s sketches and paintings.

Whether you go in search of the lost city, to trace Turner’s
brushstrokes or to witness the cinematic vistas, Lake Semerwater is
unlikely to disappoint.

Places to visit nearby: Wensleydale Creamery;
Horton Gill Force; Semer Water Nature Reserve; Aysgarth Falls;
Raydale; Hawes.

Stay: Simonstone Hall