Ghostly Soldiers

On the outskirts of Glossop lie the ruins of an old Roman fort, known as Melandra. This Pennine garrison was linked to another fort at Brough called Anavio. The path between the two forts is a well-known focus for sightings of ghosts of Roman soldiers. The wardens of the Peak National Park have received reports from ramblers in the area who have sighted spectral legionnaires marching on Bleaklow. Sometimes whole legions of them have been seen and the witnesses have been able to describe in perfect detail the distinctive weaponry and protective clothing of the soldiers. Legend has it that the best time to catch a glimpse of the phantom Romans is at the first full moon after the spring equinox when they will once more march across the windswept and rugged moorland. 
 
The High Peak and Longdendale areas are steeped in Roman history and legends. Local folklore decrees that a great battle took place there between the Roman armies and the native Britons. Before the battle commenced, Druids sacrificed the chieftain's daughter, Nesta, in the hope of winning favour with their ultimately unsympathetic Gods. They gathered their forces on Coombes Rocks but the Romans outmanoeuvred them by drawing them onto nearby Ludworth Moor and the Britons were slaughtered. The defeated warriors were buried in barrows on the Moor and it is said that at certain times of the year the ghosts of the fallen fighters gather once more on Coombes Rocks to await the advance of their Roman enemy.