As the days shorten and Halloween approaches we travel some sinister paths
Dartmoor’s corpse roads
Originally these routes were used to carry the dead to their final resting places. Known as the ‘corpse roads,’ they are now solely trodden on by the living (we think). Try the 20 km (13 miles) Lych Way, infamous for phantom sightings and stream crossings (thought to confuse ghosts from following one back home).
Hike by the Skirrid Inn, Abergavenny, South Wales
The Skirrid Mountain Inn near Abergavenny is Wales’ oldest inn and one with the most gruesome past. Nearly 200 people have been hanged here since records were first kept, dating back to 1110. The pub is an excellent starting point for a walk up the Skirrid (Ysgyryd Fawr) – a fine little hill to climb.
Black Dog Woods, Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a county where the P.K.E. Meter (Ghostbusters reference) goes whirr whirr whirr. Megalithic monuments, historical cross roads and haunted inns make for excellent haunted walking territory. Then there’s the recurring folklore of the Black Dog. An eight-mile walk starting from Cley Hill, Warminster, passing through Noridge Woods and Black Dog Woods should get your hearts racing.
Castle Fraser, Aberdeenshire
Apparently a young princess was murdered at Castle Fraser, her body was dragged down the stone stairs staining them with blood. The blood could not be removed so wood panelling was made to cover the stain – the panelling is still there today. You can hike through the estates’ woods. The Forestry Commission for Scotland publish a ‘Forests of Aberdeenshire’ guide.
