Dare you drive down the creepiest roads in Britain?
Dare you drive down the creepiest roads in Britain?
As Halloween approaches, we all prepare to dress up, children go out trick-or-treating, and suddenly everything is about Halloween spooks and scary stories. But it’s not just buildings that can be haunted – some roads can also be a source of reported paranormal activity. So, to give yourself a terrifying thrill that’ll make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, jump in your car and hit these roads to see what awaits…
This stretch of road has been dubbed ‘the most haunted road in Britain’. Stories date back to when it was built in 1989, and both drivers and passers-by have felt, seen and heard ghostly activity. There have been reports of multiple sightings of young girls playing ring-a-ring o’roses around the pylons, as well as several experiences of cars being shaken and banged on while in motion. Two security guards were once reduced to a state of hysteria after they saw children playing below the Pea Royd bridge, but when they went to approach them the children were nowhere to be seen, and some unknown force was holding the doors of their car closed.
Haunted by the infamous spirit, also known as ‘The Hairy Hands’, the history of accidents on this road is united by a common theme. Survivors of crashes have all reported the sensation that their steering wheel had been pulled from their control, causing an accident. This particular spirit reportedly also terrorised a camper in a field nearby, pinning her to the floor before vanishing. Local Devon filmmaker Ashley Thorpe has even made a short film about the myth of ‘The Hairy Hands’. You might want to wait until after your Halloween road trip to watch this!
This is also known as ‘The Ghost Road’ due to mounting reports of paranormal activity over the past 50 years. It runs though the areas surrounding the borders of Scotland and England, known historically for battles between the two countries, and as the site of many deaths. Tales of haunted spirits appearing then disappearing in a flash are common. A lorry driver gave the first account of supernatural activity when he was convinced he’d knocked down a couple crossing the road – however, when he got out of his vehicle, the victims had vanished. On another occasion, two brothers drove along this dark road at midnight when a hen came flying towards the windscreen, but disappeared at the point of impact. It gets creepier: a woman with her arms stretched out was chasing the hen, followed by a man with more animals, all of whom vanished at the point of impact with the car. The recurring theme of ghostly appearances and disappearances have popped up in multiple reports, arguably making this the most haunted road in Britain.
This road is particularly straight with no obvious dangers, so the question remains; why are there so many reports of accidents here? This has long been a source of mystery, with a history of ghostly figures emerging from the roadside shrubs, causing motorists to divert their attention and often swerve. Paranormal sightings have become increasingly frequent and it is locally rumoured that the spirits of the drivers and passengers who have passed away on this road are now haunting new drivers.
This eerie track also happens to be the same route the miners of the 1910 Pretoria Pit disaster took to work every day. The explosion caused 344 deaths, and 106 years on there are continuing reports of unexplained experiences, from eyes peering out of the bushes to the spirits of ex-miners’ spirits emerging with pickaxes in hand to terrify those brave enough to continue to use the route.
