The Agglestone

Visiting the Isle of Wight in a bad mood, the Devil hurled a great block of stone at Salisbury Cathedral, but it fell short and landed on Godlingston Heath. So says the legend of the Agglestone, which was also known as the Devil’s Anvil because of its upside-down triangular shape. However, the Dorset dialect word, ‘aggle’, means ‘wobble’, and the stone lost its anvil shape when it fell on its side some 60 years ago.

The geological truth is less exciting than the legend: the stone is a piece of 40-million-year-old sandstone that has eroded more slowly than the softer rock around it. But it does retain a rather mystical atmosphere, as well as providing views across the heathland and Poole Harbour.

Nearest postcode: BH19 3BZ or BH19 3AB
OS reference: SZ023827
What3words: hatter.harsh.trickster