Hidden away in the deep East Arncliff Woods near the North Yorkshire Moors village of Danby is a mysterious stone which has the power to grant wishes. In bygone days maids (and lads too I suspect) would secretly go and stand on the stone to make a wish for a rich and handsome partner to marry and other blessings such as wealth and long life. The problem is that over the years the exact location of this stone has been lost. So it's lying there somewhere waiting to be rediscovered and start granting wishes again. A good few years ago Merice and I spent a happy afternoon strolling through these lovely woods armed with a copy of an old photograph by Frank Sutcliffe. He was one of the very first photographers to chronicle the life and times of life in Victorian Britain. He was based in Whitby and the surrounding area and claimed his photo featured the ancient stone. We reckoned this was the nearest match we could find. The photograph was over a hundred years old so the scene was very overgrown. I had to do a bit of 'pruning' for my painting and here it is - "The Wishing Stone". Now if you fancy having a look for it yourself just park near Beggar's Bridge and head up into the woods following the old 'stone trod' - another two legends before you even set off......good luck!
More 'legends' by Glenn Marshall
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