THE moors of Todmorden are littered with boulders.
The rocks are very popular with climbers and walkers. Bridestones is a cluster of rocks that is one of the most well-liked in Todmorden.
Bridestones stretches about half a mile long, and the tallest one is just a bit higher than five metres.
Climbers come from all over to climb on the grit stone rock. Most come around winter time when the friction is at its best.
Bridestones is a beautiful stretch of boulders in the morning, noon and when the sun is setting the sight is spectacular.
The folktale of Bridestones is not known to many people. Some think it may be true, others don’t think so.
The story is a man and a woman who were deeply in love decided to get married and chose to have their wedding at Bridestones.
After their marriage, they grew apart. He worked late shifts and hardly saw his wife.
One night he came home with friends drunk. She heard them and got scared so she hid.
He got angry that he couldn’t find her so he grabbed his axe and walked to Bridestones where they got married. When he found the bride stone he swing his axe once “clunk!” twice “cluck!” but on the third swing as the rusty blade hit the cold stone a piercing scream echoed around the valley.
The next day the woman was found dead near her house.
For Todmorden it is a mystery what happened that night. No-one knows the truth. It is one of the secrets that Bridestones has and it may or may not be true.