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Magic on moors or fertile imagination?

Damon Wilkinson
12/ 1/2007

ONE correspondent likened them to Masai tribesmen.

Other sources say they could be witches performing ancient rituals, druids or merely frustrated mums hoping to harness the powers of a mystical fertility stone.

Since the Observer postbag started receiving reports of a group of white-robed people walking on Blackstone Edge moor the theories have come in thick and fast.

But as yet no concrete answers have been found.

Natalie Marney, landlady of the White House pub at the top of Blackstone Edge, subscribes to the fertility stone theory.

She said: "Sometimes there is only two of them, sometimes 42. It doesn't matter what the weather is like they change into their robes in the bottom car park and climb up the moor.

"One of the locals said there is a fertility stone up there so maybe they are all trying to get pregnant."

Graham Pearson, secretary of the Littleborough Historical and Archaeological Society, said he hadn't heard of the fertility stone, but had been told of a stone circle on the moors.

He added: "Someone came to me and said they had found a stone circle up there but when I asked around it appears to have been created recently.

"Whether this is anything to do with these people I don't know, but it is fascinating."

Melanie Dunn, manager of the Animals in Distress sanctuary, at Leach Farm, Blackstone Edge first started seeing the group about two years ago.

She said: "They all dress in the same long white robes and they seem to follow the route of the Roman road.

"I have been told they could be connected to something called the witches' triangle which is made up of three hills around here and apparently Blackstone Edge is significant because it is the highest point of the triangle."

  • ARE you a member of the group or know the reason for their hikes? Contact Damon Wilkinson on 354321.

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Most recent 2 of 2 user comments

    I took my wife up to Blackstone edge and parked on the car park innocent romantic views expected 2 Black gentlemen changed into white robes and walked past th back of our car?, the car park was full to the brim ?, about 9:45pm a thurs a few weeks ago, we then noticed groups of white robbed black people coming down off the hill and walking up the road to the car park we were in, they passed me close and i had my window open, i got only one smile from a large group of mixed aged white robbed people approx 23 They didn't seem very happy and this put me off asking plus the fact that the couple of conversations i overheard weren't a language i had heard of before, we were very puzzled and then we noticed more coming down off the hill i think we then felt a bit intimidated and thought better of staying thoughts ranged from religion to sect to choirs and aliens as a laugh, even the wickerman came to our thoughts its given us some laughs these last few weeks Not sure we want to know yet we,ve had that many laughs got to be a comedy sketch there Puzzled keith and margaret from Middleton

keith, middleton
12/08/2007 at 21:56
   I read with some intrigue this story in todays OB. There was or maybe still is a stone circle, of sorts, up on the moors. I decided to get some air one Sunday afternoon in October last year, took my camera and I stumbled across them. I'd forgotten all about the photos I took that day until I read this story. I'd like to take this opportuntiy to share them with the readers in the Dale. Yes, I laughed as well when I saw them by the side of or should I say on the shore of White Holme Reservoir. I'll attach them to an e-mail after I've sent this in.

Regards Peter O'Donnell
Peter O'Donnell, Prince St Rochdale
13/01/2007 at 21:37
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