WEIRD AND WONDERFUL STRANGECATIONS

It’s going to be busy out there on the motorways when the roadmap out of lockdown opens up on Monday. But rather than follow the crowd, get off the beaten track with these 12 strangecations from Leasecar.uk…

1

Pendle Hill, Lancashire: The ancient hunting ground of Pendle Hill was once home to wolves and wild boar, and is now famous for the notorious witch trials of 1612 when 10 women were hanged at Lancaster Castle and buried beneath the hill.

2

Alnwick Poison Garden, Northumberland: All the plants here are poisonous, and visitors are forbidden from touching, smelling or tasting any of its 100 toxic species.

3

Ancient Ram Inn, Glos: This 12th century pub was built on the site of a pagan burial ground and is supposedly one of the most haunted sites in the UK.

4

Eyam Plague Village, Derbyshire: During the bubonic plague outbreak of 1665, the inhabitants of Eyam quarantined themselves in a famous act of self-sacrifice to prevent the spread of the plague.

5

Highgate Cemetery, London: Opened in 1839, more than 170,000 people have since been buried in Highgate Cemetery, including Karl Marx, George Eliot and rock star Gene Simmons. Rumours of occult meetings in the cemetery still persist.

6

Mother Shipton’s Cave, North Yorks: One of the oldest visitor attractions, the cave is where Mother Shipton is said to have been born. Next door is the Petrifying Well, a geological phenomenon where the water appears to turn objects to stone.

7

Pluckley, Kent: Named as Britain’s most haunted village, thanks to its 12 official ghosts and the number of spots around the streets that have a distinct “feel” to them.

8

Isle of Wight: Dubbed the UK’S dinosaur capital, most of the island’s dinosaur treasures can be found along the south-west coast, with footprints and fossils dating from the Lower Cretaceous period (probably also to be found in my car footwell).

9

The Small House, Conwy: The smallest house in the UK sits in a terrace of houses on Conwy’s quayside and was occupied until May 1900.

10

Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh: Beneath the hustle and bustle of Edinburgh, this 17th century street has become a popular tourist site. It was emptied and sealed up in the early 20th century and then rediscovered by workmen digging through from the street above.

11

Glasgow Necropolis, Glasgow: This mega-cemetery was created following increased demand for more cemeteries in the 19th century. There are around 50,000 people buried here, but only some have gravestones – and even fewer have names.

12

The Dark Hedges, Ballymoney: This avenue of beech trees in County Antrim was planted by the Stuart family in the 18th century. Game of Thrones’ fans will recognise it as the King’s Road.