Beneath Uppermill’s charm lies a darker tale. Step into the shadows to uncover stories that time tried to forget, of restless spirits, eerie coincidences, and strange happenings that still defy explanation. A chilling walk through history you won’t soon forget.

Uppermill, nestled in the valley of Saddleworth, harbours secrets beneath its quaint exterior.

On this atmospheric walking tour, you’ll journey through a village whose stone buildings and quiet corners have witnessed centuries of unexplained phenomena. You’ll also discover why this picturesque spot has earned a reputation as one of England’s most haunted villages.

The tour starts outside the Uppermill Civic Hall, built in 1859 in Gothic Revival style as a Mechanics’ Institute. You’ll meander along Spring Street and down to the Huddersfield Canal where a human skull was once dredged from the murky depths. You’ll wander through quiet riverside paths, and climb to the abandoned Micklehurst railway line, where the ghosts of navvies and lost children are said to linger in the twilight.

Along the way, you’ll hear about the woman in black who appears on the road near the viaduct, the ghostly policeman who still rescues children from the duck pond decades after his death, and the mysterious little boy in blue who vanished at the railway station in 1902. The tour ends where it began, at the Civic Hall car park, where modern encounters suggest the supernatural continues to make its presence known in Uppermill.

On this 60-minute tour, you’ll also:

• Visit Saddleworth Museum and see the site where a Victorian cot borrowed from the museum brought a terrifying presence into a local teacher’s home

• Learn about Ammon Wrigley, Saddleworth’s poet laureate, whose deep connection to the landscape continues beyond his death

• Stand on the former Micklehurst railway line, still haunted by its workers

• Discover the tragic story of Rita, who fell from the viaduct with a broken heart and now appears before drivers entering the village

• Hear about the unexplained phenomena in the library, where a forbidden book triggered supernatural events

• Walk past the former site of Saddleworth mortuary, linked to one of Britain’s most notorious crime cases

• Explore local superstitions about standing stones and “witches’ seats” that were believed to trap evil spirits

• Learn how grief and tragedy leave their mark on places, creating imprints that some believe manifest as apparitions

Prepare to see Uppermill with new eyes as you discover the thin places where the veil between worlds grows transparent.