Doxey Pool

The mysterious Doxey Pool can be found on the path that runs across the top of the Roaches, a gritstone escarpment not far from the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border. The pool is relatively small, measuring 49 by 33 feet, but its sinister reputation far exceeds its diminutive size.

Some accounts maintain that this strange body of water is bottomless; others say that it is connected to Blake Mere, another nearby tarn, via a deep subterranean passage. Both pools are reputed to house a malignant mermaid called Jenny Greenteeth, sometimes described as a blue nymph. In 1949, a Miss Florence Pettit claimed to have witnessed a weird creature emerge from the water just before she was about to take a morning swim. 

Although it’s likely that the spirit was a figment of Miss Pettit’s imagination, there’s still a haunting atmosphere surrounding the mere and it’s easy to imagine that otherworldly creatures lie concealed beneath its surface. Whether this atmosphere is due to the pool’s isolated location, and grim waters or the presence of an otherworldly nymph is not known. But unfortunately it’s definitely not the mermaid.  

If visiting the Roaches however you may see a very unusual creature (for the area, at least).

During WW2 five Bennett’s Wallabies escaped from a nearby private zoo and, despite the harsh winters, managed to breed. A colony of up to 50 has been established with the size varying greatly over the years. Sightings are rare but one was reported sighted in 2015, and a video was taken by David Hobson in 2009.