Ley Lines & the Paranormal

I am often asked, “What are ley lines?” My answer is always the same: ley lines are streams of supernatural energy that crisscross the Earth, forming an invisible network beneath our feet. Where these lines intersect, we frequently find sacred or ancient sites—places where the land rises naturally, or where our ancestors chose to build holy springs, stone circles, barrows, and cairns. Most ley lines connect at least five such points, forming patterns that are far too deliberate to be coincidence.

I believe that our ancient ancestors were fully aware of these alignments. They travelled along them, worshipped on them, and constructed monuments directly on these energetic routes. In many ways, the landscape itself became a map of the unseen.

The term “ley line” was coined by Alfred Watkins in the 1920s. Watkins described them as channels of earth-force, running beneath the ground. He noticed that landmarks such as Glastonbury Tor and Stonehenge seemed to act as nodes—places where this mysterious energy could be accessed or felt more strongly. His ideas laid the foundation for much of today’s interest in earth energies and geomancy.

Long before I read Watkins, I had already sensed something unusual along certain paths and locations, though I didn’t understand what I was experiencing at the time. In my early twenties, I had an encounter that has stayed with me ever since. I had gone to pick up a prescription from a local chemist and chose to walk back along a footpath leading towards the bridge near Hall i’th’ Wood Museum. This historic building began as a wealthy merchant’s home in the mid-17th century and later became a set of rented dwellings. It was here, in one of those rooms, that Samuel Crompton invented the Spinning Mule in 1779.

As I walked up the old cobbled lane beside what had once been the Tudor kitchen, heading towards Green Way, I suddenly felt an icy chill sweep over me. It was a warm summer day, yet the temperature around me seemed to drop. I also felt the unmistakable sensation of being watched. When I looked up at a doorway to my right, I saw a middle-aged woman dressed in Tudor clothing staring directly at me. At first, I assumed they must be filming something—BBC crews often used the museum for period productions.

I greeted her as I passed, but she didn’t respond. She simply continued staring. The moment felt deeply unsettling. When I reached the top of the lane, the coldness faded and I felt normal again. Looking back, the woman had completely vanished. There was no one in sight, and the museum was closed.

It was only years later, after much research, that I discovered a major Lancashire ley line runs directly through this area. Alfred Watkins himself recorded it. The line passes through Worsley Old Hall, Great Lever Hall, Hall i’th’ Wood, and continues to Cheetham Close Stone Circle on Turton Heights.

Over the years, I have collected accounts of strange experiences associated with ley lines: sightings of trolls, boggarts, elves, fairies, goblins and pixies; encounters with cryptids such as Bigfoot, Dogmen, and the Black Shuck; and reports of ghostly white ladies, UFOs, and unexplained lights.

With so much unexplainable activity concentrated along these energy paths, it is tempting to think the veil between worlds may be thinner there—perhaps thin enough to allow beings from other realms to slip briefly into ours.

Mick Mclaren

Winter Hill Investigation Team