Argyll and Bute Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana
City Gent
Location: A83 - Past the A815 junction, heading towards ferry
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Early 1980s, 04:30h
Further Comments: Two people travelling to the ferry in the early hours of the morning drove past a man walking along the isolated road. He wore a dark woollen coat with a bowler hat, and carried an umbrella and a briefcase. The night sky was pitch black, and the man did not have a light source. The witnesses remained curious about the figure for years afterwards, as he was so out of place, and later found out the area was haunted by a figure dressed in similar clothing, woefully inadequate for the environment he walks.
Mr Stewart
Location: Appin - Invercreran House
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1950s?
Further Comments: Stewart was murdered by the two brothers who once owned the house after they were tricked into selling their property. Sounds of a body being dragged down the staircase have been reported, in addition to the phantom footsteps and the slamming of doors.
James of the Glen
Location: Appin - Old Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2016
Further Comments: Landlord Jim Milligan blamed the ghost of James of the Glen for the mild haunting at this inn, which included footstep-like sounds, rattling of swords on the walls, and tipping chairs.
Children
Location: Ardentinny - Ardentinny Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: One room is said to be haunted by ghostly children - people have awoken and believed the children have entered their room by mistake, only for the ghosts to vanish.
Death Prediction
Location: Ardura, Mull - Area around Lochbuie House
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: 1909
Further Comments: The black dog around this area would warn of impending death. In 1909, Dr MacDonald spotted the dog while treating chief Murdoch Gillian MacLaine - his patient died soon after.
Ogress
Location: Balmaneach, Island of Mull - MacKinnon's Cave
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The cave is named after a piper who descended into it the cave to see how far underground he could travel - he bumped into a female ogre who killed him after he failed to please her with a tune from his pipes.
Humanoid Beast
Location: Balvaig - Area in and around sea, and Grador Rock
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Incredibly ugly to look at, this monster would sit for many hours on the rock. One man went too close, and he was later found with his flesh clawed off.
Nun
Location: Barcaldine - Ardchattan Priory
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Buried alive under the floor of the building, this nun has been seen drifting around the priory.
Donald Campbell
Location: Barcaldine - Barcaldine Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The same figure that briefly appeared post-mortem at Inverawe House, Donald's shade is said to be full of loathing and hate. A blue lady is said to appear and listen to any music played on site.
Bowler Hat Man
Location: Ben Ime - General area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This mountain is haunted by an old man in a bowler hat. A gold watch chain can be seen crossing his waistcoat, and he carries a parcel under one arm.
Colin Campbell
Location: Benderloch - Glendhu Burn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This angry shade, covered in mud and carrying a dirk, is thought to be a famous murder victim.
Goat Man
Location: Bridge of Orchy - Ben Doran
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This Urisk was banished to the mountain by a saint and has remained here since.
Former Owner
Location: Campbeltown - Glen Scotia Scotch Whisky Distillery
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This distillery is reputed to be haunted by a former owner who drowned himself in the nearby loch after being cheated out of a large amount of money.
Shorted Armed Mermaid
Location: Campbeltown - Kintyre Peninsula
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: 18 October 1811
Further Comments: Watched by a farmer for two hours, this mermaid had a pale upper body and a red/grey tail covered in hair. Its face was human, with deep-set eyes and short neck. The creature combed the hair on its head with what looked like short, stubby arms before diving into the water and washing its torso.
Long Necked Creature
Location: Campbeltown Loch - Kilkerran Bay
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: 1934
Further Comments: Two local men reported this creature after watching it splashing around in the waters. They described it as having the head and neck of a giraffe, and although the body remained submerged, a dorsal fin could be seen.
Dark Brown Cat
Location: Colonsay - Close to a stone dyke
Type: ABC
Date / Time: Cat in 1999, fox in January 2012
Further Comments: In 1999, a couple visiting the island observed a dark brown large cat, much bigger than a wild cat, roughly the size of a collie. Thirteen years later, the body of a fox was discovered on the island, worrying the locals as no foxes have ever been found here.
Grey Old Man
Location: Craighouse - Craighouse Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre-twentieth century
Further Comments: Seen peering out of the ruins, this grey haired old man was thought to have been involved in the building of the castle.
Bagpiper
Location: Duntrune - Duntrune (or Duntroon) Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This musician piped a warning to his MacDonald clan leader that he was entering a Campbell trap - as punishment, the Campbells' took the piper and cut off his fingers, leaving him to bleed to death. The bagpiper's warning, a wild and unusual tune, now drifts across the landscape.
Giraffe's Neck
Location: Firth of Clyde - Cumbrae Islands - waters off Great Cumbrae
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: August 1911
Further Comments: A partly submerged creature with a neck not dissimilar to that of a giraffe, though it had the head of a camel, was seen in the waters by several fishermen.
Handprint
Location: Ford - Killinever Chapel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Still present
Further Comments: Over the entrance of the chapel, the imprint of a hand can be seen. This was made by the resident ghost as it tried to grab a tailor who spent the night in the building, the latter character trying (vainly) to disprove the existence of spooks.
Charging Beast
Location: Gare Loch - Mouth of the loch
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: 1918
Further Comments: Two fishermen out collecting lobster pots reported seeing an unidentified creature which rose thirty feet out of the water and charged towards them. They quickly rowed ashore. A sixteenth century text states that a water horse the size of a greyhound emerged and killed three people.
Great Beast
Location: Garloch - Shores of the loch
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Pre-1527
Further Comments: A hunting party was attacked by a monster on the shores of the loch. The beast knocked down trees and killed three men with as many swipes of its tail; the remainder of the group survived by running away or climbing the trees.
Urisk
Location: Glen Lyon - Inbhirinneoin (Burn)
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Evidence that shows this part fairy, part human hybrid still to be in the area occasionally turns up. A barrow known locally as the 'Mound of the Dead' is thought to be an entrance to Hell.
Healing Waters
Location: Glen Lyon - Mineral Wishing Well
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Still present
Further Comments: Once upon a time, people would leave gifts next to the well in return for it bestowing magical waters to the giver.
Beithir
Location: Glencoe - Ben Vair (aka Ben Vehir), in a mountain to the south of the area
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A beithir is an unknown savage animal, sometimes thought to be a serpent or dragon. One such creature was said to have made its home in the mountainous region.
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