Country diary: A chasm so divine it may be enshrined in folklore | Amy-Jane Beer

Lud's Church, Buxton, Staffordshire: With its lush green and hushed interior, is this the lair of the Green Knight, as depicted in a medieval poem?In midwinter, the verdancy of the rocky chasm known as Lud's Church is enough to make the eyes ache. Green on green; emerald on viridian; malachite on jade. Liverworts, mosses, lichens, ferns, tiny herbaceous plants and crevice-rooted trees.Legend grows thicker still. The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (written down in the 14th century but doubtless older) tells of a year-long duel between a Knight of the Round Table and a mysterious green giant. In the first round, at a Yule feast in Arthur's court, Gawain strikes his opponent's head clean from his shoulders, only for the giant to collect it, and goad the young hero to travel to a mysterious Green Chapel a year hence and receive a single blow in return. Gawain honours the terms and arrives at the chapel on New Year's Day to meet his fate. Continue reading...