On Tuesday, coming back from Stockport, I passed the most unusual tree I think I’ve ever seen (and that’s saying something as I’ve seen a lot) located on the A515 towards Ashbourne. It was a tree full of shoes and boots hanging from the branches…
It was that strange I had to stop just to take a look and wondered to myself if it symbolised how many people may have lost their life on that bend of the road?
However, after coming back home and researching the tree, I found out it did have some meaning, though it’s debatable… and somewhat mysterious.
The website ludchurchmyblog documents that ne popular belief is that travellers passing by would throw their old boots into the tree as a form of good luck or to mark their journey. Over time, this tradition transformed the tree into a quirky and unexpected roadside attraction.
It also states that some locals claim that the tree possesses magical properties. They believe that hanging a boot in the tree brings good fortune and wards off bad luck. Others say that the boots represent lost souls or travellers who never returned…
However, I came across a post on Facebook that suggested a few other meanings to the tree. One commenter wrote:
‘I was told by an army veteran that used to drink in the old clubhouse that it was for when people were to move out of Buxton it was tradition to hang your most worn pair of shoes in the tree so a to start your new path in new shoes. Dunno how true it is but I loved the story ♥️’
Since posting on our paranormal page on Facebook, I found out this was not one of its kind, there was a few across the UK.
Though it’s thought by many that by hanging shoes/boots in a tree could possibly be gang related, it would seem many have more spiritual meanings.
Some suggest it signifies someone who has died, with the shoes belonging to the dead person, and when their spirit returns, it will walk high above the ground, closer to heaven.
The Buxton boot tree and its story seems to be a forever mystery… and I suspect there are many more stories out there to why people do this tradition.
So, if you are reading this blog and have hung your shoes or boots in its branches, I would be interested in knowing what story attracted you to do this.
