Boggart Hole Clough is one of the most haunted places in Greater Manchester

Don’t worry if you’ve ever been tormented by the Boggart of Blackley’s country park, you’re not the only one. 

If you live in north Manchester, chances are you’ve been out walking, running or meeting some mates in Boggart Hole Clough.

It’s a glorious patch of greenery that covers over 170 acres of woodland. There’s gently sloping gullies, steep ravines, even play and sports facilities. There’s a nice boating lake presumably complete with pleasant ducks (I’ve never been) and of course, a cafe.

All sounds blissful, right? 

Wrong. This dark forest, which dates as far back as the Bronze Age, is riddled with spiritual history, witchy tales and a creature that cackles in your dreams. 

Tucked away in the thick lining of trees, rustling foliage and slippery muddy gulleys of Hole Clough is a child-eating monster. A Boggart. 

You might recognise a boggart as the thing Ron Weasley turns into a rollerskates-wearing spider, and indeed this is where JK got her inspiration – from a mischievous goblin-like creature that originates in Lancashire. 

Boggarts can turn milk sour, make objects disappear and even make dogs unable to walk.

It’s pretty common knowledge that Boggarts don’t like dogs at all, so don’t be surprised if your four-legged friend starts snarling at seemingly nothing in Hole Clough. It’s just a terrifying boggart. 

This Boggart inhabits the old farmhouse which was crumbling away in the woods, after scaring away the farmer and his family way back when. But you can often find Boggarts in muddy holes, sharp bends and in bushes if you ever want to go hunting for one.

The family who used to live in the farmhouse regularly told tales of a strange spirit that behaved like a ‘poltergeist’.

The spirit weirdly gave his hand to a few household chores (which I wouldn’t complain about, to be honest) but more frighteningly it would throw objects around the house and even rip the bed covers off while the family slept.

Most spine-chillingly, goose-bump inducing of all, though, is the laugh. The spirit would screech cackling at night, banging on the walls and waking everyone in sight.

Boggarts even have a terrifying and creepy affinity for children, in particular babies, and there have been many cases of missing children since the 18th century at Boggart Hole Clough.

More recently though, if you grew up near the area you’ll definitely remember being told to ‘watch out for the bogeyman’, a word that originates from boggart.

Could it be the boggart reincarnated into a modern day creature or is the original one still prowling the forest on the hunt for people to torment?

That’s not all though folks,  there’s a giant’s tooth or toe allegedly located there, the devil has his own bench in Boggart Hole Clough, there’s also a White Lady (the spirit of a suicide victim) and even a troll that lurks beneath the footbridge.

On your next visit lookout for the tooth (or indeed toe) that marks the spot where a brave (stupid) human got into a fight with the ancient boggart.

Whether you think its truth or folklore you can’t deny the eerie atmosphere, of the tree-lined park that has definitely seen the rituals and sacrifices of the Bronze Age.