Atchin Tans

 

'Atchin tan' translates from Romany into 'stopping place'. Atchin tans are places used by Travellers as camp sites or temporary dwellings. Sites were chosen for a variety of reasons. Often choices were made on the basis that clean water was nearby or that a place was abundant in wild food.

 

Other, less obvious reasons could include the fact that a landowner or farmer was friendly towards Travellers or that they could provide them with paid work. It maybe that Travellers chose a stopping place because it was close to a village or town in which they could sell goods such as silk and pegs or services such as knife grinding and labouring.

 

The landscape of the South West Peak District National Park is full of atchin tans that are no longer in use.

 

On the right are lists of the ones we have found so far.