Steps for Fairies? - The Fairy Steps of Beetham
If you go down to the woods near Beetham today you're sure for a big surprise... Fairy Steps! Situated at the top of a hill, amongst the woodland above Beetham are these interesting and somewhat cute steps. Rising up through a tight gap in the large rock face are what is known as Fairy Steps. The steps are known as such due to a legend that surrounds them. The legend being that; if you climb or descend the steps without touching the sides of the narrow gully the fairies will grant your wish! A tantalising prospect, sadly though I doubt anyone has ever managed to achieve the challenge to verify that the fairies do indeed grant your wish. In reality the steps were used for something little different and somewhat macabre. The route, now a footpath, which Fairy Steps sits on will start to give you an idea of what it's original purpose was for, it sits on the 'coffin route'. Before 1866 when a church was built at Arnside the town was part of the parish of Beetham, th...