Only a few yards beyond the cottages and just slightly left of the track in the level bed of the Gill, lie the "Dancing Flags", a large expanse of flat natural rock slabs used for centuries by local weavers for "waulking" their newly-woven lengths of cloth, or "webs" as they were called.

This was done by first wetting the fabric thoroughly and then treading it with bare feet, causing it to shrink slightly and "felt up" to create a much thicker and therefore much warmer material. At one time this was a universal practice and in many places became known as "dancing the web" - hence the name of the stones. Indeed, its association with "webs" and "dancing" may also account for the lingering belief that fairies frequented this particular spot!

 

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