The Wishing Stone is a large natural gritstone rock, about 14 feet in diameter, and is located close to Lumsdale conservation area in Matlock.

Wayne Anthony documents in his book; Haunted Derbyshire – how this mystical boulder operates:

‘Many people journeyed to the stone in the hope of having a wish granted, for it was believed that a nature spirit dwelt in the rock. To entice the spirit to favour your request, it was necessary to perform the small ritual of walking around the rock three times, each time repeating under your breath the desired wish. It was further held that you could wish for anything you like as long as it was not money or material gain. If the nature spirit favoured your request, your wish was sure to come true within the next three lunar cycles’.

Other sources stipulate circumnavigating the rock nine times will also grant your wishes.

The area most certainly has a mystical feel to it, and if you’re a ‘Stone Bother’ as I am, I’m sure you will love the walk. The woodlands, which it sits within, hosts a beautiful scene for an autumny walk and leads straight to Lumsdale waterfall as well as a romantically overgrown mill ruin.