Tales of the Dales: Ribblehead
Ribblehead Viaduct with Whernside behind
‘The low rhythmic rumble of the engine heralded the departure of last freight train. The signalman ensconced within his cottage, leant back in his chair, his aching muscles finally relaxing at the end of the busy day…… soporific from the warmth of the blaze in the fireplace…. dozing…. Startled back to consciousness, the shrill ring of the lineside telephone pierced the still crisp night. Lethargic from sleep, the signalman stumbled outside and grabbed the receiver. On the other end of the line, rasping breath, a voiceless person, panting…..’
Blea Moor is absolutely deserving of a top ghost story. Bleak, isolated, beautiful, but stark, it is LITERALLY the perfect setting for a ghoulish tale. But the reported ghostly phones call received by the Blea Moor Signalmen is not the only ghostly occurrence which has been reported to haunt this barren place.
The reason for this place being an alleged paranormal hotspot? The Ribblehead Viaduct.
An absolute belter of a feat of engineering, this absolutely mahoosive structure was completed in 1875 after 5 years of building work, carried out by navvies in their thousands.
Camps were set up in the areas immediately surrounding the construction site for the workers. Remote and at the mercy of the elements, these living conditions were brutal, and many folk lost their lives to bouts of smallpox, fighting (I mean the brawling kind!) and then in the construction of the viaduct and Blea Moor Tunnel themselves. Hundreds of men, women and children are buried at nearby Chapel le Dale, and a memorial has been set up to commemorate the lives of those who were killed in the construction of this monumental place.
Such a tragic tale has led to many a ghostly sighting on the moor, at the signal box and in Blea Moor Tunnel itself. Reportedly, an oppressive atmosphere falls upon the train, with a cloying sickly sweet smell, coming from nowhere filling the carriages.
So Ribblehead, not just a giant train bridge (that my friends, is the technical term!) but a pretty legendary place!
You KNOW you want to walk in the ghostly footsteps of the Blea Moor spectres!! So check out our Force Gill walk!
Our route takes you past the awesomeness of the Ribblehead Viaduct, within touching distance of the spooky signal box where the ghostly phone calls were received and over the aqueduct (water bridge… another technical term) where you can see the entrance to Blea Moor Tunnel…… just don’t be answering any telephone calls…….
Woooooooooooo! (ghostly woo sound…..)
Now it’s time to walk in the footsteps of the legend!
This walk takes you past the infamous signal box, Blea Moor Tunnel, and to a SPECTACULAR waterfall, Force Gill.
I would not have been able to write these walks without some of the fantastic resources that I have available.
This walk was inspired by a tale I read in Haunted Yorkshire Dales by Summer Strevens. Her book is available to buy and is literally jam packed full of ghost stories!
We just turned those tales into walks!
MORE GHOSTS PLEASE!
Keep checking back throughout October, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram to find out when our new Spooooooky walks are released!