Pools of despair

NOT ALL MERMAIDS ARE AS LOVELY AS DISNEY'S ARIEL ... HERE'S A FEW VERY FISHY WATERS

MERMAID'S POOL

IN the Peak District there are tales of two mermaids. One is said to have swum around an ancient Celtic water worship ritual spot aptly named Mermaid's Pool, which lies just below Kinder Scout in the High Peaks.

Bathing in the water is said to provide healing qualities. And if you fancy a splash at midnight at Easter, according to legend you might be in with a chance of seeing the mermaid herself if you peer into the water. If she likes the look of what she sees then immortality is said to be granted but if not she'll pull her victims to their death.

SILENT POOL

SAID to be the UK's most haunted body of water, the Surrey spot between Dorking and Guildford is home to the ghost of a woodcutter's daughter, said to appear at midnight.

While swimming she was approached by King John, inset, and drowned. A feather from his hat was found in a tree so Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton, led a revolt against him which ended in the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215.

Agatha Christie's car was found nearby in 1926, sparking fears she had drowned, but 10 days later she was found with amnesia at a Harrogate hotel.

SACO RIVER

AROUND the year 1675, a group of drunken English sailors are said to have crossed paths with the chief of the Saco tribe and his family at this river in Maine, US, and thrown a baby into the water to see if it could swim.