Croglin

The fellside village of Croglin by the beck of the same name is in the picturesque county of Cumbria, beautifully set between the Pennines and the River Eden. It is thought that Croglin may originally have been two separate hamlets and was settled long before Croglin’s first stone church, St. John the Baptist that dates from the Norman period. The villagers here will have relied on barley, oat and turnip crops in early agriculture. As Croglin lies so close to the Scottish border, it was often raided by the Border Reivers in the 1400’s, evidence of the threat is found in the lower two stories of a pele tower that remain.

Croglin has a pub and post office but few other amenities, although these are plentiful in nearby, more developed towns. The main attraction for visitors here is the wonderful choice of outdoor activities in beautiful surroundings, rich with flora, fauna and wildlife. Historic attractions and sites are here too along with the scary legend of the Vampire of Croglin! The story is well known across Cumbria and has been part of folklore since about 1650. It is said that residents of Croglin Low Hall saw two lights in the trees that separated the garden from the nearby graveyard. A dark shape moved closer and there was scratching at the window; long boney fingers picking at the window panes. This scene played out again and this time the dark figure was shot and chased to the graveyard where a vault, rumoured to contain vampires was found to have all the coffins open, except one. The lid was lifted to reveal the same shrivelled figure that had run off and it had a pistol ball embedded in its leg.  The coffin and its vampire were burned… but can vampires really die? Watch your step in Croglin.