Britain's top 7 most haunted roads

Britain's top 7 most haunted roads

Saffron Wilson

Saffron Wilson

  • 09 June, 2019
  • 7 min read

It’s dark, it’s misty, it’s raining. Many of us feel a little unnerved driving alone at night when there’s no one around, and on Halloween, it’s the perfect night of the year for ghosts and ghouls to make an appearance.

Perhaps you should be a little scared. There are roads all over Britain which have a history of paranormal activity all year round. You won’t want to be alone behind the wheel on these.

Platt Lane, Westhoughton, England

Platt Lane has a past that is hard to scrub from the memories of the locals. This haunted road passes uncomfortably close to the site of the infamous Pretoria Pit mining disaster.

On the 21st December, 1910, the 3rd worst mining disaster happened in Britain. Out of the 900 men and boys that went into the mine that day, 344 of them never made it back out and home for Christmas.

An explosion deep in the mine engulfed the claustrophobic spaces under the earth after gas was ignited by a broken lamp.

Many men and boys didn’t die from the flames, they suffocated from carbon monoxide, and in a BBC report, they said that “some of the men managed to walk up to 300 yards after the explosion” before being overcome by the fumes.

“They were found as though they had gone to sleep.”

And now, it’s been said that when you drive along Platt Lane and gaze out the window, you’ll see the eyes of the miners watching from the bushes. The road attracts an eerie mist throughout the year, so make sure you drive slow, as there have been reports of miners shuffling along the edge of the road, pick axe in hand and even pulling mining carts.

The A75, Scotland

Arguably the most haunted motorway in Scotland, the A75, stretching from Dumfries to Straener, is sure to send a shiver through your bones.

There have been ghostly sightings on this road dating back for over 60 years. The BBC interviewed many lorry drivers that dared to travel along this road in the night, and even stop in the layby to sleep.

But at least one man we know of has regretted that. He even gave up lorry driving after watching “groups of dejected bedraggled people pulling handcarts [and] carrying bundles like some medieval camp followers.”

Witchcraft wreaked havoc on the Ferguson brothers in 1962on the A75, with overpowering spells shaking their car so violently they were sick.

Other sightings along this haunted highway include a couple walking hand in hand wearing Victorian clothing, a screaming old woman, as well as a screaming old man with no eyes.

Some people were so convinced they had seen these figures, they even reported them to the police. Perhaps they should have called the ghostbusters instead!

A229, Blue Bell Hill, Kent, England

Local police are familiar to the tale of Blue Bell Hill, even to this day.

An accident in 1965 on this very same road took the lives of 3 young women, the day before one of them was due to get married. Although many people will argue that she was killed on her wedding day – no one knows for sure.

Drivers now call the police claiming that a woman in a white dress had darted out of the front of their car, hitting her. But when they got out of the car to help, they couldn’t seem to find her anywhere.

One driver even said that he carried the woman with minor injuries to the side of the road and wrapped her in a blanket before going to get the police. When they returned, the blanket was there but the girl was nowhere to be found.

Countless drivers have reported seeing a woman at the side of the road here too. Some have even stopped and offered to give her a lift as it was usually cold, dark and late. The woman would get into the passenger seat and get driven to their destination, only for her to disappear as soon they arrived.

Stockbridge Bypass, Sheffield, England

The land beneath the bypass is said to have lots of stories to tell. The hauntings began as soon as building work began on the bypass in 1987.

Security guards overseeing the work said that they saw children in “old-fashioned” clothes dancing near the construction site. But, when they went to go and investigate, the children disappeared – along with their footprints.

The story goes that there was a mine that stretched out under where the bypass is being built. Mine chutes speckled the land, and local children playing in the area fell down these chutes and their bodies were never found. Their spirits dwell by the bypass. And if you look out over the fields, you can still see the children dancing and playing.

They even appear in the middle of the road and often cause accidents.

But that isn’t all.

The land is also said to be the final resting place of a monk that became disillusioned with his religion. As a result, he was buried in unhallowed ground, and the building of the bypass disturbed his resting place.

People driving along the bypass, to this day, are said to have seen a monk standing by the side of the road. But others have claimed that the ghostly monk has even appeared inside the car and sitting in the passenger seat next to them.

You don’t have to believe the legends, but believe the numbers. Statistics show a high accident rate on this road, with 14 people in fatal collisions in the first 10 years – many occurring because they believe they had to swerve to avoid a child on the road.

The M6, England

Being Britain’s longest road by far, the M6 passes through lonely parts of the country, away from the lights and safety of the urban landscape. And along this 230-mile-long tarmac belt, numerous people have seen a phantom woman seemingly waiting at the side of the road trying to hitchhike.

And don’t think that the toll road will get you away from the paranormal phenomenon. Roman soldiers have been seen to march along this road – right near the booths – in formation. The road was reportedly built near an ancient Roman burial ground, and the intrusion into their resting place awoke their spirits. The hauntings by the soldiers have led to fatal crashes along this road.

But the scariest sighting – as reported by numerous drivers – is the image of a lorry hurtling towards them on the wrong side of the carriageway, seemingly disappearing into thin air just before impact.

The A21, London, England

Being a dual carriageway, there is another element of peril with high speed haunting. The devilish presence on this road has resulted in several fatal head on collisions through the years.

The ghost of Gracious Lane prowls where the 2 roads intercept. Apparently holding a grudge about the split of Gracious Lane, the spirit takes revenge by trying to lead cars off track and some to their end. After drivers go under the bridge, the A21 seemingly disappears, and a deceptive new road takes its place which points in a different direction.

But that isn’t the only terrifying activity on the A21.

A white haired woman has been seen standing on the carriageway, wearing a fawn coat. Drivers swerve to try avoid her but inevitably knock her down. Shaking and scared, they get out of the car looking to help her desperately. But, she is nowhere to be found.

The B3212, Dartmoor, Devon, England

No one is sure what haunts this thin bit of tarmac stretching from Postbridge to Two Bridges. The haunted hairy hands of Dartmoor have been terrorising drivers and motorcyclists on this road for at least 90 years.

Hairy, strong and scabby hands are said to grab the steering of the vehicle and purposely try to veer drivers off course compelling them to lose control and crash.

The first incident where this was reported in 1921 and involved a motorcycle. The Dartmoor prison worker had his 2 children in the sidecar before he started shouting and screaming at them to jump off whilst he grappled with the handlebars, struggling to keep control.

The children made the leap, but the driver didn’t make it in time.

And this wasn’t the only time. The hands have grabbed handlebars of other bikes and car steering wheels since, making accidents in the areas rife – and the survivors said that they have seen a pair of hairy hands at the wheel.

Stay safe on the roads this Halloween, keep us in mind if you’re looking for a new car to keep your family safe, and try your best to identify the real from the supernatural.