Wayland Wood, located near Watton, is famously tied in local folklore to the dark, tragic fairy tale of the "Babes in the Wood".

Briefly, a greedy uncle is left in charge of his young, orphaned niece and nephew. Eager to inherit their family fortune, he hires two men to kill the children. One killer refuses to murder the children, kills the other out of disagreement, and leaves the young pair alone in the deep forest. The lost children wander, starve, and eventually die under a tree, where kindly robins cover their bodies with leaves.

The tale first appeared in a 1595 Norwich broadside ballad by Thomas Millington.

Locally nicknamed "Wailing Wood," the ancient site is said to be haunted by the ghostly wails of the lost children.

Is this tale inspired by real-life suspicions surrounding 16th-century local landowner Robert de Grey of Griston Hall and the mysterious disappearance of his young nephew, Thomas?