Sunday 14 April 2013

The Haunting Trip Around Britain Article.

So here it is, my first completed article.


Summer is coming and for some, it is the last large amount of time you may spend with your friends, either because you (or they) are about to leave for university, or you are about to part from your uni friends for the summer. Either way, or the way of another, summer is the best time to spend with friends and what better way, especially if you don’t want to – or can’t afford to – go abroad, than to spend your summer with friends travelling across Britain in search of ghosts. Plunge yourselves into a hunt you’ll never forget.

The Red Lion – Avebury, Wiltshire
This Inn, situated within the Avebury Stone Circle, is renowned for its haunting. Almost as famous as Stonehenge, the Avebury Stone Circle has long been associated with paganism and witchcraft. It’s very fair to say that the wandering spirits in this area are not afraid to interact with the living and the Red Lion is the perfect place to witness the cold spots; the phantom woman whose body was left in the, now glass covered, well and the noise of clattering horses’ hooves in the courtyard late at night.

Glamis Castle – Angus, Scotland
This beautiful castle, situated in enchanting Scotland, was once home to the Queen Mother and is said to be haunted by many; one of which being the imaginatively named ‘Grey Lady’. The spirit of a once great Lady, burned as a witch many years ago, has been said to appear in many areas of the castle. Also been seen is a tongue-less woman that looks out from a barred window; a, poorly treated, little black servant boy, said to haunt the hallway outside of the Queen’s bedroom and other, more infamous ghosts of Earls that famously haunt the halls of their castle.
£9.50 (Concession) - £10.75 (Adult)

Kitty Jay’s Grave – Dartmoor, Devon
Years ago a young servant girl fell in love and fell pregnant out of wedlock. Suffering with the shame of her situation and rejection, the poor young girl hung herself to escape the humiliation of going to the poor house. Because of this, Kitty Jay’s soul was believed to be restless and so, because of her suicide, and as was tradition, was buried at a crossroads and there she remains. What is strange, however, is that every morning since fresh flowers are found laid atop the grave. And no one has ever managed to capture the culprit.

The Tower of London – London
Probably the most obvious place in which to search for ghosts, but where better than the very venue many spent the last few days of their lives, preparing themselves for their appointment with the hangman’s noose or the executioner’s axe. There is a never-ending list of spirits that have been seen drifting through the corridors and courtyard of the tower including – the second wife of Henry VIII – Anne Boleyn, Thomas Becket and Walter Raleigh.
£18.50 (Concession) - £21.45 (Adult)

Pendle Hill
Walk to the beautiful Pendle Hill and experience a haunting unimaginable, a place that even ‘Most Haunted’ physics have taken strong interest in. According to legend it is the site where ten supposed witches were hung by their necks until dead. Victimised by the cruelty of James 1st obsession with witch-hunting, the women were killed and are said to still roam the earth, haunting the hill and town – where at least one is supposedly buried – in which they were so cruelly persecuted. No need to go on a tour to feel the presence here.

Hangman’s Hill Ghost Walk – Epping Forest, Essex
To this list the Hangman’s Hill ghost walk must be added. This brilliant hunt has left many a member feeling, uneasily, that they are not alone, with many having been touched or even pushed as they walk. With the accompanying mediums battling to communicate with the various spirits that are said to haunt every step, a young girl, a reckless runner that threatens every passing car and a headless horseman dwelling in the trees’ shadows. This walk is not to be missed, beautiful and almost undeniable.
£12.50

Culloden Moor – Inverness, Scotland
This moor is the tragic resting place of thousands of Jacobean Britons, having spent their last moments there, fighting for their lives in the bloody Battle of Culloden. Soldiers killed and prisoners brutally slaughtered, by order of the, then, Duke of Cumberland, are said to return every anniversary, 16 April, causing the moor to echo with the anguished screams of the spirits, forced to relive the horror of their torture. 

Llancaiach Fawr Manor – Caerphilly, Wales
This beautiful Tudor Manor house has long been described as the most haunted house in Wales. With the tour being conducted by (acting) citizens of the English Civil War continually convince you of the caught-in-time sense that the rooms convey, many of which are said to contain presence that have affected visitors, so much so that some have simply burst into tears. If you want to experience the perfect ghost hunt you can even attend a two-course meal and receive an introduction to paranormal research before walking the corridors hunting for the lost spirits.
Tour - £13.50 Meal - £23.50

Ghosts and Legends Red Coat Tour – Exeter, Devon
Tour the beautiful Roman City, acclaimed as one of the most haunted cities in the country, completely free! Visit the haunting gothic Cathedral, supposedly the home to a nun that haunts the yard, find apparitions from the English Civil War and victims of the infamous witch-hunts. More than enough to get that chill running down your spine and the hairs rising on the back of your necks.

Berry Pomeroy Castle – Totness, Devon
Home to yet another ‘White Lady’ this castle holds yet more tragedy. Believed to be Margret Pomeroy, the ‘White Lady’ was the victim of her jealous sister, for sharing her love for an unnamed man and imprisoned in the dungeons as punishment. Similarly, the ‘Blue Lady’, an unnamed female that haunts the grounds, beckons visitors away from the safety of the castle ruins, the result of which is unknown.
£3.80



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