Road Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana
Male Silhouette
Location: A11 (Norfolk) - Road from Norwich, heading towards London
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Between 06:00h-07:00h, January and February
Further Comments: On two occasions, a DJ returning to London encountered a lone figure on the road. On the first encounter during a light snow shower, the driver swerved to avoid the silhouette of a man in hat, though the figure vanished as the driver neared. A similar event happened again the following month, although the snow was replaced by mist.
A Cyclist Pulls Out
Location: A12 (Suffolk) - Junction between Jay Lane and Rackham's Corner
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1988, late afternoon during winter, again in August 2001
Further Comments: Driving back to Great Yarmouth, a driver and his wife watched as a cyclist pulled out in front of their car, while travelling at 70 mph. They hit him, but felt no bump, and could find no trace that the cyclist had ever existed. A phantom jaywalker has also been seen in this area, described as having a weird and horrible leer.
Tall Biker
Location: A15 (Lincolnshire) - A15 northbound near Ruskington turning
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 14 November 2013
Further Comments: A driver spotted a tall male figure, wearing a leather jacket, with medium length black hair standing on the roadside. The witness said that the figure literally appeared out of nowhere and vanished soon after being seen.
Road Crossers
Location: A23 (Sussex) - Various locations
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s onwards
Further Comments: A plethora of ghostly figures have been reported on this road, from London to Brighton. Most appear to interact with drivers - one male figure walks in front of a car, only to disappear when hit, while figures dressed in light coloured clothing have also been observed.
Old Man
Location: A272 (Sussex) - A272/A24 junction (Buck Barn crossroads)
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: October 1947
Further Comments: An aging man sitting on a stone stood up and walked into the path of an oncoming motorcycle. The cyclist felt the impact but retained his balance and took several seconds to stop and turn back to the scene of the accident. However, the old man had vanished.
Horse and Buggy
Location: A272 (Sussex) - Goldbridge Road towards Newick, after the bridge and before the bend
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: November 1994, 23:20h (approx)
Further Comments: Two cars driving in opposite directions were forced to perform emergency stops to avoid a horse and buggy being driven by a cloaked man wearing a top hat. The horse and buggy disappeared. One of the drivers left his car quite shaken, running over to the other to ask what had happened to the old vehicle.
Box Carriage
Location: A31 (Surrey) - Hogs Back, Guildford bound. 1 mile Northeast of Tongham junction
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 08 January 2007, 22:40h, and 1960s (around 03:00h)
Further Comments: Travelling home in 2007, a driver watched a horse drawn box carriage cross the road around 100 metres in front of him. The witness reported that he could not make out too many details as it was raining hard, though he was able to see a dim lantern towards the front of the carriage. As the driver reached the spot where he had seen the vehicle pass, he realised there was no side road where the coach and horses could have crossed. Another witness in the 1960s spotted a female figure with long hair, wearing a white dress, standing by the roadside. The witness stopped to see if she was lost or needed a lift, but she had vanished. Mentioning the encounter to a work colleague the following day, the colleague described the figure which was encountered and said the area was haunted.
Red Bus
Location: A324 (Surrey) - Road heading towards Pirbright
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 1995
Further Comments: Driving towards Pirbright in a convertible, this witness passed an old fashioned bus as it headed in the opposite direction. However, no sound came from the bus, and there was no smell of exhaust or wind turbulence generated as their paths crossed. The driver of the convertible also realised that his headlights did not reflect off the bus, which he later identified as 1920's Dennis J Type of the Aldershot and District bus company.
Running Boy
Location: A37? (Somerset) - Heading towards Glastonbury
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Summer 2001 (?)
Further Comments: While driving fast along a straight stretch of road, a driver his wife and child spotted a young boy holding a goldfish bowl run up an embankment at superhuman speed and into the road. The driver hit the brakes as the boy passed in front of the car, thinking it was too late to avoid collision, but there was nothing. The boy had gone.
Car Crossing
Location: A4 (Hampshire) - Road west of Hungerford
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This phantom car crosses the road on a rise, vanishing as it does so.
Henry Watts
Location: A4 (Wiltshire) - Memorial between Marlborough and Hungerford (now relocated)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: October 1956
Further Comments: Henry Watts erected a memorial along this road to his son Alfie after the boy was killed in a cart accident in 1879. Four people spotted a tall man in a long coat standing by the memorial one evening as they all travelled home, but he vanished when they stopped the car nearby. Some speculated the ghost was concerned that the cross would be destroyed by the planned widening of the road, but instead the memorial was carefully relocated close by.
Two Men Crossing
Location: A421 (Buckinghamshire) - Dual carriageway between Tingewick and Buckingham
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 17 January 2016, 10:35h
Further Comments: A driver observed two figures across the dual carriageway, who seemed to disappear into an out of sight staircase on the verge. As the driver passed the verge, he could see no staircase or other concealed exit where the figures could have vanished without trace. One was described as very tall while the other was short with baggy clothing.
Black Human Shape
Location: A442 (Shropshire) - Between Telford and Bridgenorth
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 11 March 2009, 20:00h
Further Comments: Halfway between Telford and Bridgenorth, both passenger and driver of a car spotted a black human shape wearing a long coat, on the side of the road. They thought the figure would step out in front of the car, but it disappeared before doing so.
Horsemen
Location: A58 (Yorkshire) - A58/A641 junction, also known as Hell Fire Corner
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Both ghostly horsemen and phantom car have reported around this junction. The area is considered an accident black spot, so the question to ask is do the ghosts cause the accidents, or are they the products?
City Gent
Location: A83 (Argyll and Bute) - 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.
Ornate Coach
Location: A9 (Perth and Kinross) - From Pitlochry heading towards Newtonmore
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown - 2000s?
Further Comments: A husband and wife, together with their 12 year old son, all saw a golden coach pulled by white horses, accompanied by well-dressed coachmen in white wigs. Even though the road was quite busy, the coach travelled towards oncoming traffic, albeit on the side of the road, but no other drivers appeared to notice it.
Glowing Face
Location: A92 (Angus) - Road approaching Arbrouth
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: A driver and her son encountered a strange woman standing on the roadside. The area was completely unlit, but the woman's head was illuminated as if it was a lantern.
Running Shadow
Location: Abbotsbury (Dorset) - B3157, between Abbotsbury, Portesham and Chickerell
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 31 August 2014, 02:00h
Further Comments: A driver hit the brakes as a shadowy figure ran in front of their car. The driver then watched as the figure disappeared, its legs evaporating before reaching the side of the road.
Romans
Location: Abbotsbury (Dorset) - New Barn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The ghosts of Roman Centurions are reputed to haunt the hills in this area.
Hosea Pope
Location: Aberbeeg (Gwent) - A4046 to Ebbw Vale
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Hosea Pope was a policeman who was murdered while trying to arrest a man named James Wise. Pope's ghost has since been seen along this stretch of road.
The Clencher
Location: Aberdeen (Aberdeenshire) - Union Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Many people have reported feeling this entity grab their arms or legs, holding on for several seconds before letting go. It is believed to be a little girl who died violently nearby.
David Bowen
Location: Aberhowy (Powys) - Road to village from Cardigan Bay
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Weather Dependent: Foggy nights (last reported 1956?)
Further Comments: The ghost of David on his push bike is said to guide people along the road when the weather is densely foggy and dangerous. Bowen lost his son in an automobile accident on such a night, and now tries to ensure such a tragedy never happens again.
Brown Man
Location: Aberystwyth (Dyfed) - Crossroads en route to Waun Fawr
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1901
Further Comments: While newspapers reported that a phantom had taken up haunting the lanes in this area, local police maintained that it was a case of mistaken identity - a witness had observed a person in the distance and panicked needlessly.
Coach with Headless Driver
Location: Abington (Northamptonshire) - Pig Lane (lane may no longer exist or has been renamed?)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Racked with guilt after deliberately running over his daughter's lover in 1780, this man now continues to drive his coach and horses down the lane, though he has lost his head since death.
Screaming Girl
Location: Accrington (Lancashire) - Black Abbey Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This ghostly figure drifts quietly down the road, screaming only if approached. She was burnt to death after having a love affair with one of the monks.
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