Dragons & monsters

51 places across Britain and Ireland

• BownessieWindermere, Cumbria · England's own lake monster, seen in its biggest lake.
• Dragon HillUffington, Oxfordshire · Where St George killed the dragon, and no grass will grow on its blood.
• Lig-na-PaisteOwenreagh valley, County Tyrone · The last serpent in Ireland, bound with bands of rushes.
• Martin's StaneNear Bridgefoot, Strathmartine, Angus · A carved stone where a dragon that ate nine maidens was killed.
• Mermaid's PoolKinder Scout, Derbyshire · A moorland pool where a mermaid grants immortality, or drowns you.
• Morag of Loch MorarLoch Morar, Highlands · Two men said they hit a monster with an oar and shot at it.
• Peg PowlerRiver Tees, Piercebridge · A green-haired river hag who drags children under the water.
• Seileag of Loch ShielLoch Shiel, Lochaber · Loch Ness's less famous cousin.
• Teggie of Llyn TegidBala Lake, Gwynedd · Wales's answer to Nessie, in its largest natural lake.
• The Afanc of Llyn BarfogLlyn Barfog, near Aberdyfi, Gwynedd · A lake monster dragged out by King Arthur's horse.
• The Afanc of Llyn yr AfancRiver Conwy, near Betws-y-Coed · A water monster dragged over the mountains by giant oxen.
• The Aller DragonAller, near Langport, Somerset · A dragon slain by John Aller, whose spear hung in the church.
• The Bisterne DragonBisterne, near Ringwood, Hampshire · A knight, two dogs and a hut covered in glue.
• The Blue Men of the MinchSound of Shiant, Outer Hebrides · Sea creatures who sank ships unless the captain could finish their rhymes.
• The Brinsop DragonBrinsop, Herefordshire · A village that claims St George killed his dragon here.
• The Bures DragonBures, Suffolk · A medieval chronicle reports archers shooting at a dragon.
• The Caoránach of Lough DergLough Derg, County Donegal · The mother of demons, killed by St Patrick, turning a lake red.
• The Christchurch DragonChristchurch, Dorset · A fire-breathing dragon that set a town alight, recorded by monks.
• The Deerhurst DragonDeerhurst, Gloucestershire · A labourer, a trough of milk and a sleeping dragon.
• The Dobhar-chúGlenade Lough, County Leitrim · A 'water hound' carved on a woman's gravestone.
• The Dragon of DenbighDenbigh, Denbighshire · The dragon that gave a town its name.
• The Dragon of LlanrhaeadrLlanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Powys · A dragon tricked into attacking a pillar covered in spikes.
• The Dragon of Loschy HillNunnington, North Yorkshire · A knight in razor armour, helped by his faithful dog.
• The Dragon of WantleyWharncliffe Crags, South Yorkshire · A dragon defeated by a man in spiked armour, who kicked it in the bottom.
• The Gurt Wurm of Shervage WoodShervage Wood, Quantock Hills, Somerset · A woodcutter sat on a 'log' that turned out to be a dragon.
• The Gwiber of Llyn CynwchNear Dolgellau, Gwynedd · A serpent killed in its sleep by a shepherd boy.
• The Gwiber of PenmachnoPenmachno, Conwy · A winged serpent, and a prophecy of three deaths that all came true.
• The Henham DragonHenham, Essex · A winged serpent reported in a 1669 news pamphlet.
• The Kellington SerpentKellington, North Yorkshire · A shepherd, his dog and a serpent, carved on a church slab.
• The KelpiesHelix Park, Falkirk · Giant steel horse heads honouring Scotland's shape-shifting water spirits.
• The Knucker of LyminsterLyminster, West Sussex · A water dragon in a 'bottomless' pool, and the slayer's slab in the church.
• The Knucklas WyvernKnucklas, Powys · A wyvern slain by four brothers on the Welsh border.
• The Lady of Llyn y Fan FachBlack Mountain, Carmarthenshire · A fairy bride who rose from a lake, and the doctors descended from her sons.
• The Linton WormLinton Kirk, Roxburghshire · A worm killed with a spear tipped with burning peat.
• The Llandeilo Graban DragonLlandeilo Graban, Powys · A boy defeated a dragon with a dummy covered in hooks.
• The Loch Hourn Sea SerpentLoch Hourn, Highlands · Two clergymen watched a huge creature swim alongside their boat.
• The Longwitton DragonLongwitton, Northumberland · An invisible dragon guarding three healing wells.
• The Lough Nahooin CreatureNear Claddaghduff, Connemara · A family watched a long-necked creature in a tiny bog lake.
• The Lough Ree MonsterLough Ree, County Roscommon · Three priests reported a strange creature in an Irish lake.
• The Ludham DragonLudham, Norfolk · A dragon trapped in its burrow by a brave villager with a boulder.
• The Mester Stoor WormOrkney · A sea serpent so big its teeth became the islands.
• The Mordiford DragonMordiford, Herefordshire · A girl's pet dragon that grew too big, painted on the church wall.
• The Muirdris of Dundrum BayDundrum Bay, County Down · A sea monster that disfigured a king.
• The Pollard WormBishop Auckland, County Durham · A knight won all the land he could ride round while a bishop ate his dinner.
• The Saffron Walden CockatriceSaffron Walden, Essex · A knight in armour made of crystal glass.
• The Slingsby SerpentSlingsby, North Yorkshire · A knight and his dog who killed a serpent and died with it.
• The Sockburn WormSockburn, County Durham · A falchion still handed to every new Bishop of Durham.
• The St Leonard's Forest SerpentSt Leonard's Forest, near Horsham, West Sussex · A 1614 pamphlet about a nine-foot serpent in a Sussex wood.
• The Wherwell CockatriceWherwell, Hampshire · A monster hatched from a duck's egg by a toad.
• The Wormingford DragonWormingford, Essex · A 'crocodile' that escaped from Richard I's zoo, in a stained-glass window.
• The Wyvern of Newcastle EmlynNewcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire · A wyvern shot on the castle wall, whose poison killed the river.