LANCASTER LORE
The Canal Faeries
For as long as anyone can remember and much more before, there have been faeries living in this corner of England. You may believe in them or you might not but don’t start prancing around the buttercups because these are not the fairies with pretty little wings and sparkly dresses.
What we’re talking about here, is faeries... not fairies.
Imagine a blood-thirsty pirate, the size of a gnome… or a rat with thumbs. The sole purpose in the life of a faery is to cause mischief, mayhem and havoc to us Big Folk.
A couple of centuries ago, you would have come across a faery by rummaging around on the banks of any self-respecting stream in Lancashire. But ever since we started plonking down carparks and motorways over half the country, the faeries have been in retreat. These days, the only place you’d be lucky (or unlucky) enough to meet a real faery is along the scrubby banks on the far side of the Lancaster canal.