Fairy Steps

The limestone Fairy Steps are a manmade cut in Whin Scar on Beetham Fell which has its origins as part of a coffin trail which was used as a shortcut to transport the dead from Arnside to St Michael & All Angels Parish Church in Beetham. This is because until 1866 Arnside was a part of the Beetham parish so the church in Beetham was the nearest burial ground. The steps were also used as a shortcut for Arnside residents to go to services at St Michael's.

Once the route was no longer used for coffins it became a popular spot for tourists to visit when hiking over Beetham Fell. You may, however, be wondering how an old coffin route became known as the Fairy Steps and the answer is in legends.

Local legends and folklore always give a bit of extra interest to an area. A popular legend about the Fairy Steps is that if you can climb up or down the steps without touching the sides then the faeries will grant you a wish. This is easier said than done with the stairs around 30cm wide at its narrowest point and uneven underfoot (hard to believe coffins were carried through here!). Having a first aider on standby is probably sensible if you want to try this!

Another reported legend is that faeries residing in the surrounding woods used the steps to escape from a witch. It's said if you have second sight you may catch a glimpse of faeries playing on the steps.

True or not these folktales were a draw for Victorian tourists visiting the area. They were also not the only legend about the steps.

Marjorie Rowling writes in her book 'The Folklore of the Lake District' about a huge black dog with blazing eyes which frequented roads and lanes around Beetham. Locally it was known as a Cappel, a hell-hound. The story goes that the Cappel was exorcised by the Vicar of Beetham and driven into the River Bela. Despite this a local man in Beetham when returning home sometime after insisted to his wife that he had seen the Cappel (though he had been drinking!).

Legend has it that if you hang around the Fairy Steps at dusk you might still see the large black dog with blazing eyes lurking around and if you do it is a harbinger of bad luck. Whatever you do, don't look it in the eyes, if you do that's said to be an omen of imminent death! Perhaps only visit in daylight hours for your own safety!

From the top of the Whin Scar you get some tremendous views over Arnside & Silverdale AONB including to nearby Arnside Knott (which has a trig point and toposcope!) and the magnificent Kent Estuary.

The walk from Beetham takes you through lovely woodland and is signposted from Beetham Village. The route we took can be found in Cicerone's Walking in Arnside & Silverdale and is called Dallam Park. It starts at the Heron Corn Mill (which is well worth a visit) and as well as visiting the Fairy Steps passes through the Dallam Park Deer Park. It was an enjoyable route for those wanting to make a day's walking out of it!

The direct route from Beetham is around a 2 mile round trip and does involve some climbing, but isn't strenuous. For those who don't wish to go up or down the narrow passageway there is an easier permissive path which takes you around.

Thankfully there were no coffins, faeries, witches or hell-hounds when we visited!