SPECIAL FEATURE

ALDERLEY is no stranger to hubble, bubble, toil and trouble on Hallowe'en, from pagan rituals at Stormy Point to hard pressed police controlling tipsy teenagers along the edge.

The teetering cliff face looking out across the Cheshire Plain has been a hub of supernatural activity through the ages, with tales of pagan rituals, sorcerers, witches, stone circles, sprites and time slips.

From the ancient myth of Britain's best loved mythical king, Arthur, resting in the caves to white robed covens chanting on the cliff top in the 1960s, the tales keep on coming.

But what is it about the Edge that keeps the myth makers in business?

Modern day witch, Susan Yates, of the Stockport Coven, says on Hallowe'en the Edge is like the St Paul's Cathedral of the pagan world.

"It is quite a spiritual place and one of the few areas where you do feel confident working outside. Not so many years back there were three or four working there, you had to race down to get the prime site.

"But we tend not to go up there on Hallowe'en anymore. Because there are so many people it is not conducive, we could be part way through a ceremony and have to stop.

"Which is a real shame because it is such a wonderful place and Hallowe'en for many Pagans marks the start of the new year so it would be nice if we could do.

"The nearest example I could give is that it is like Christians wanting to celebrate Easter at St Paul's Cathedral."

Hallowe'en, the night celebrated in Christian traditions as All Souls, derives from the Celtic festival Samhain, the beginning of the dark time and for some, the start of the new year.

"A lot of people think there is something very dark about Hallowe'en, but actually for us it is a festival of light. We light candles, burn incense and try to communicate with our ancestors.

"We also do enjoy a good party and of course, for us, feasting is a major part of a religious festival."

Pagans mark Samhain in a variety of ways, from tarot reading to performing plays or toasting apple trees with cider to ensure a bumper crop - the root of apple bobbing.

In recent times, Alderley Edge has become a Mecca for sightseers on Hallowe'en after pictures emerged of pagans dressed in flowing white robes performing ceremonies in the 1960s.

The attention prompted an influx of tourists, making it virtually impossible for covens to carry out pagan ceremonies to celebrate Samhain. But for them it remains a sacred site, imbued with centuries of folklore and tradition, with each ritual and prayer renewing the energy of the area.

Susan says the lure of the place is complex and powerful due to a combination of geography and spirituality.

Alderley is believed to be at the centre of a cross over point for powerful ley lines, which are energy fields from deep within the Earth's biosphere.

Although there is no scientific evidence, it is believed that where they cross over, they can emit a powerful force, either for positive or negative, but fortunately positive in Alderley's case.

"It also has a connection with Merlin and there is a legend that King Arthur is asleep under there, one of the many places he is supposed to be!

"There is also a small stone circle there which is a Victorian folly, however because people have worked there it has been energised so it actually has got quite a lot of power."

The mines and industrial heritage of the Edge has also added to the magic, said Susan, as workers often prayed for a safe day's toil or held superstitions which remain in the aura.

And as a site of natural beauty, it is a perfect place for witches to commune with nature and elemental spirits, which can appear to witches in many forms.

Its powerful lure is well documented within pagan circles, making it a popular site to celebrate the summer and winter solstices.

Wedding ceremonies, known as hand fasting, are also carried out on Alderley Edge, where the couple will jump over a broom stick, the origin of the phrase 'living over the brush'.

It all adds up to make a magical and sacred site for pagans, providing an enduring and fascinating legacy of folklore, myths and legends.