Hallowe'en haunts

To celebrate Hallowe’en, HAZEL SILLVER looks at the folklore of seven of the county’s most mysterious places

- HAZEL SILLVER

The old folklore of Devon is steeped in tales of magical creatures and strange superstition. For example, turn your coat inside out so the mischievous pixies can’t steal you away on the moors. A hare seen in moonlight may be a local witch in disguise. Carry a bottle of holy water if you venture onto Dartmoor at night, in case you meet the hellish Whisht Hounds. And should you find yourself ‘pixieled’ (lost) out in the wild, ask the jack o’lantern faery to guide you to safety.

If you fancy a spine-tingling outing on Hallowe’en weekend, here are seven places to brave.

VIXEN TOR, MERRIVALE

Between Princetown and Tavistock lies the iconic tor said to belong to the witch Vixana. Folklore states that when she’s in a foul mood and sees a lone walker striding across the moor, she will conjure a fog. Losing their way, her victim will wander off the path and sink into the bog. Vixana waits until they’ve almost disappeared into the mire and then snaps off their fingers.

She lives in a cavern under the tor, which is easy to spot: the 120fthigh mound of stones is the largest mass of granite on Dartmoor and resembles a sphinx. It’s on private land, but you can get close to it on the open access moorland to the north west…just don’t get too close.