Dale Abbey Hauntings

A Monk and a Cave

Introducing Hermits Cave and woods, Church and graveyard - + Others

Brief

Hermit’s Wood – Derbyshire, England

Located near KirkHallam Ilkeston in Derbyshire, an ancient area of woodland.

Hermit’s Wood is an ancient woodland located near KirkHallam Ilkeston in Derbyshire, England. Visitors to the area often report strange phenomena, including unexplained banging noises and a sudden shift in the atmosphere, which becomes overwhelmingly oppressive. Witnesses also claim to feel as though they are being watched and followed by an unseen presence.

Some visitors have even reported seeing the apparition of a monk or other hooded figure, although sightings typically occur at night. It remains unclear whether this ghostly figure is responsible for the eerie atmosphere in the area.

According to local legend, the paranormal occurrences are linked to a location within the forest that was once the site of a hermit’s cave. The tale suggests that a monk, believed to have been from the nearby Abbey of Dale, took his own life at this spot and his spirit continues to haunt the area to this day.

DALE Abbey has always been famous for its hermit's cave but not many people know the story of the highwaymen who was converted to Christianity on a visit to the village in the 12th century. Legend has it that Uthliglas and a group of bandits set up camp near the hermitage and, in the night, Uthliglas, had a vision of a golden cross rising from the sky.
He told his fellow robbers that the land around the cave was a holy place where they could find God and change their ways.
They laughed and went on their way but Uthliglas found the hermit and became a reformed character.