What is the story behind the Heart Shaped Wood near Tebay, that can be seen from the M6?

Question

If you are heading north up the M6 in Cumbria, just before Tebay, near the Howgills, is a heart shaped wood on the right-hand side of the valley. Did it naturally take that shape, or was it planted like that for a reason, if so, does anyone know why?

Answer 1

A lot of people think that it stems from lovers who commited suicide. Some people also think that it represents the middle of mainland Britain. However, if you listen to an article on the BBC website, a woman on there states that she went to Kendal archive library and found out that the heart shaped wood isn't actually heart shaped at all, it just looks like it is from the M6, and that is was originally a forest plantation set up in the mid 1800's, and that is all that is left of the original plantation.

That said, I am sure many people see it as something romantic, and why not?

Answer 2

Apparently there were two farming families in the valley who had an ancient feud. One family had a daughter and the other a son who, of course, fell in love. When the respective families found out about the love affair there was a huge scene and the pair were told they would never be allowed to marry.

So the fated lovers met secretly one last time. They climbed the fell where the wood is (though there wasn't a wood then) and he killed her and then killed himself.

Both families were so distraught at the tragedy they had caused that they planted the heart shaped wood at the place where the pair had committed suicide.

This may all sound far fetched, but I'm pretty sure there's more than a grain of truth in it. My grandfather used to like to tell us about people and places he had known, or stories he had been told, but few were as dramatic as this one. As far as I've been able to check, all the stories he ever told me were true, so I have no reason to doubt this one.

Err...no...the person that wrote this was I believe called that tho?