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Phantom Hitchhikers & Road Ghosts

Quercus said:
Oh yes, and I just found this link too, on a case which I don't think has been mentioned on here before, but is a well-known legend locally - the M1 Phantom Hitchhiker.

https://digitalfilmarchive.net/media/the-m1-ghost-story-2136

That's the M1 between Belfast and Lisburn - not the M1 between London and Leeds.

Might be of interest, as I think someone had commented upthread that the thing with phantom hitchhiker tales was that they always seemed to happen to the archetypal 'friend of a friend' - never the speaker themselves.

Well, the above link's an archived local news interview with a man who claimed to have picked up a hitchhiker on the motorway one night, and who then vanished from his car moments later.

I transcribed the interview a while ago; there's a few discrepancies about dates (which seems to relate to the archive?) but it's quite interesting nonetheless.

The M1 Ghost Story

View attachment 57424

Location: M1 Motorway, outside Belfast

Date: 1962 stated [but M1 opened July 1962, and sighting reportedly occurred on 31 December – description claims ‘two years after opening’ – so 1964/65?]

Interviewer: Charles Witherspoon (CW) – News Reporter, Ulster Television (UTV)

Interviewee: William Nesbitt (WN)

Duration: 5m 14s

DFA Description:

Restrain your hearty laughter and hear a sober tale of a ghost that hitchhikes on Northern Ireland’s new motorway.

Just two years after the opening of Northern Ireland’s first motorway legends have already begun to take root. Join Charles Witherspoon on the M1 flyover as he interviews William Nesbitt for Ulster Television news about his roadside psychic experience. This encounter with a ghostly hitchhiker is not Mr Nesbitt’s only tale of telekinesis, judge for yourself as he testifies to the viewers at home.

DFA Notes:

The M1 is Northern Ireland’s first and longest motorway. An urban myth was circulated that the straight sections of the M1 were built so that the US Air Force could use them as supplementary runways if war broke out with the Soviet Union. Plans for the motorway were announced in 1946 but work only began in 1959. The first stretch opened without ceremony on 10th July 1962. The RUC instigated a vigorous campaign to educate people on how to use the new motorway. Northern Ireland remained free for years from the 70 mph speed limit that was introduced in the UK. This material is courtesy of the UTV Archive.

View attachment 57425

Transcript:

CW (voiceover):

The M1 – Ulster’s new, or fairly new, motorway. A quick way of getting from Belfast to Lisburn and, in time to come, to the heart of our province.

CW (to camera):

But, new as it is, legends have already begun to spring up about the M1. For the past month, there has been a legend about a ghost appearing on this road. Now is that true, or is it false?

Well, Mr William Nesbitt is one of the most sensible, down-to-earth people I know, and on New Year’s Eve he was driving along this road. Now, to restrain your hearty laughter, let me tell you that Mr Nesbitt is a teetotaller.

CW (turning to WN):

Mr Nesbitt, what happened?

WN:

It was just about a quarter to twelve and I was coming down on – you can see it from here, about a quarter mile up the road – and a girl was walking on the hardcore. I pulled in knowing that she shouldn’t have been on, hoping to give her a lift. She got into the car with me. I didn’t speak to her until I got back onto the… the M-way again, and when she got in to the… or, when I spoke to her, I asked if she wanted a lift, if she wanted a telephone. She made no reply. I glanced round at her – but she wasn’t there.

CW:

Well now, you opened the door, and she got into the car?

WN:

Yes.

CW:

And you felt nothing unusual about it?

WN:

Nothing unusual, no – except the car got very cold at that stage. And remained cold, until she disappeared.

CW:

How long would you say this girl was in the car with you, altogether?

WN:

I would say approximately two to three minutes.

CW:

And what age would she be, roughly?

WN:

Between eight – late teens, early twenties. Quite an attractive looking girl she was, from what I could see – absolutely full, there was no ghostly look about her. Not transparent or anything, absolutely full.

CW:

Well, did you sense anything unusual at the time?

WN:

Not at that time, with the exception of the intense coldness in the car, at that stage.

CW:

How long did you say she was with you?

WN:

Say, about two to three minutes.

CW:

Could you see her all the time she was there?

WN:

Oh yes. Yes I could. I could even – I could even distinguish that she had on a grey-green suit and like a dark coat, while she was sitting beside me in the car.

CW:

Well, how did you know that, with the car being dark?

WN:

Well, I had the dashlight – was on, I could see from the dashlight what she had on.

CW (nodding):

Well you had no – she didn’t ask you to stop?

WN:

No, she didn’t ask me to stop; she was more walking along a road, with a view of looking around as if she – as if she knew somebody was coming, or somebody was behind, going to lift her. More the type of, say: well, if you know me, give me a lift; and if you don’t, go on ahead, type of thing. If you wish to stop, stop; if you don’t… [nod of head].

CW:

When she got into the car, did she shut the car door?

WN:

No, I shut the car door. She didn’t make any attempt to shut - to close the door, and I had to reach over and pull the door closed.

CW:

And there was no possibility during that time of her getting out of the car in a natural way?

WN:

None – none whatsoever.

CW:

How did you feel, after it?

WN:

Well, I was shocked I suppose, after it. Very much so. I - only one thing I wished, I had have had wings on the car rather than just having four wheels!

CW:

Um – have you had any other psychic experiences, at all?

WN:

Yes, one or two, which I pass no remarks on. One was in 1948 in South Africa – uh, my father appeared to me on board the ship that I was on. I learned about a week or so after that he had just passed away at that particular time; about five past midnight when he appeared; spoke; spoke back… that was one of them. Other one was on the High Donaghadee [to] Bangor Road; that can be verified by a witness. We were motoring home from Donaghadee one Sunday evening, just about half past eleven, and this friend suddenly said, “look out, there’s a man in front of the car” – but I knew it wasn’t, because I – because I’d already seen that man before.

CW:

He’d appeared to you a number of times?

WN:

He had, yes. Twice before.

CW:

So the experience doesn’t alarm you now?

WN:

Not now, not any more, no.

CW (turning back to camera):

Well, there it is. Mr Nesbitt, I think you’ll agree, is a solid, sensible man. Now, I’ve been talking to the psychic research people about this and they tell me that this form of what they call telekinesis – someone appearing – is quite common. And they have also assured me that in this kind of manifestation, there is absolutely nothing to be frightened of. These are very gentle ghosts indeed. They are not the malicious poltergeists, who bang doors and throw furniture and crockery about. So if you should be driving along the M1; you should pick anyone up; they should disappear – don’t be frightened, because there’s nothing to be frightened of.

https://digitalfilmarchive.net/media/the-m1-ghost-story-2136
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Just replying here Quercus so that the Beechmount thread isn't derailed.

The story I heard was told to me 4 or 5 years ago by an elderly man I was working with.

Unfortunately I can't remember the precise details, but the gist of it was that it was another M1 phantom hitchhiker story.

The man who told it to me didn't give the ghost a lift, but he was there at a gathering of people who were being told the story by the person who had.

When the person finished telling the story, a girl went white as a sheet and started crying uncontrollably, saying that the "phantom" was her fiancé who had died in a motorcycle accident on the M1 almost immediately after it had opened.

The man I was working with still recalled her intense distress almost 60 years later and how she was certain it was her fiancé.

Again, I can't remember the precise details of the story, but that was the gist of it.

I hadn't realised that this was just one example of many such stories until you shared that clip.

Edit - almost 60 years ago. Not "over" 60 years ago
 
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If someone here has a copy of Sean Tudor's book, could they be so kind as to look something up for me please? TIA
 
There's apparently a White Lady whose been seen on a road in north west Norfolk. I didn't catch the name of the nearby town but it had "Bircham" in the name (I remember that part because we were talking about the nearby, now defunct, RAF base at Bircham Newton)
 
DrPaulLee said:
There's apparently a White Lady whose been seen on a road in north west Norfolk. I didn't catch the name of the nearby town but it had "Bircham" in the name (I remember that part because we were talking about the nearby, now defunct, RAF base at Bircham Newton)
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I've scanned through the (very thorough) index and found nothing. I googled Bircham Norfolk, which gives Great Bircham, Bircham Newton, and Bircham Tofts, none of which are indexed. There are four pages referenced for Norfolk (pp. 112, 208, 333 and 360), relating to the ghost an old tall man with scraggly hair who appears on the A12 near Hopton (pp112, 333, 360), a phantom cyclist on the A12 between Ipswich and Lowestoft (p208). There is no mention of a White Lady in Norfolk... I also quickly skimmed through the "More White Ladies" chapter and drew a blank. Sorry.
 
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Thanks for looking; I now think it was Great Bircham my contact was talking about, and he says that it was quite famous.

The other cases sound interesting, I think I've read of them in one of the Bord's books. Theres another road ghost too- the Brown Lady who is said to frequent the byways near Raynam Hall. Its mentioned in "The Ghost Hunter's Road Book" by John Harries.

Anyway, thanks once again :)
 
DrPaulLee said:
There's apparently a White Lady whose been seen on a road in north west Norfolk. I didn't catch the name of the nearby town but it had "Bircham" in the name (I remember that part because we were talking about the nearby, now defunct, RAF base at Bircham Newton)
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There's a White Lady on White Woman Lane in Norwich? Is it that one they were thinking of?
 
Thinking about the prevalence of 'road ghosts' - wouldn't this just be the result of roads being very much frequented?

If, say, a building is 'haunted' (whatever we mean by haunted), then the number of people who come into contact with the ghost is going to be limited to the number of people who live in, or visit, that building. If the ghost only appears at certain times or under certain conditions, then that limits the number who will experience anything even further.

Whereas roads have been travelled for thousands of years by an ever-increasing number of people. Any ghost, therefore. stands a much greater chance of being perceived.
 
@catseye agreed, and the same thing can be said about anniversary ghosts. Certain dates, such as executions, get a reputation and more people turn up. This increases the chance of encountering something, so more people turn up, increasing the chances etc etc
 
catseye said:
Thinking about the prevalence of 'road ghosts' - wouldn't this just be the result of roads being very much frequented?

If, say, a building is 'haunted' (whatever we mean by haunted), then the number of people who come into contact with the ghost is going to be limited to the number of people who live in, or visit, that building. If the ghost only appears at certain times or under certain conditions, then that limits the number who will experience anything even further.

Whereas roads have been travelled for thousands of years by an ever-increasing number of people. Any ghost, therefore. stands a much greater chance of being perceived.
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Interesting.

I posted this encounter with a phantom horse that as experienced by a work colleague:

"Hi Ruth

Have posted the following on the UK Paranormal Database. In the early-90s I worked at Passford House Hotel near Lymington in Hampshire and on the edge of the New Forest. This is a rural area and a back road called North Common Lane connected the hotel with the main Lymington - Sway road. We used this lane a lot at night as it its as the quickest way to the Wheel Inn, our nearest pub when we managed to get out of work before 11pm. The main part of the lane is pretty much straight, which is of relevance below

We had a long-serving porter called Ron who was in the 50s and made good use of the pub. One Winter's night in the late-80s he was walking alone to the pub at about 10pm. He became aware of the sound of a "fast" horse approaching along the road from behind him. This area is full of riding stables and he spun around expecting a horse and rider to be approaching but there was nothing other than the sound which, as it passed through him also manifested as a quite violent gust of wind. The sound then diminished as it moved ahead of him.

He told us it was a classic case of arriving at the pub "as white as a ghost" and to be honest he took a lot of stick for it over the years from the locals in the pub and us co-workers, however he always stuck by what happened and sadly died of cancer in 1994. I have fond memories of him and my time there and would love to know if anyone else has experienced this or if this area has any other hauntings (Passford House Hotel is reputed to have a 'grey lady' ghost)"

I can confidently say we hotel staff were the only people who ever walked this lane at night, it wasn't a dog walking lane and there were very few houses at either end, just a couple of cottages. Even then, we didn't do so that often as the pub wasn't that great and so if we could persuade someone to drive to Sway we would give it a miss. But Ron liked it and made the journey more frequently and his role as a porter allowed him to get away from work before 11pm on a more regular basis. Ergo, Ron experienced the phantom horse and not one of us...
 
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catseye said:
Thinking about the prevalence of 'road ghosts' - wouldn't this just be the result of roads being very much frequented?

If, say, a building is 'haunted' (whatever we mean by haunted), then the number of people who come into contact with the ghost is going to be limited to the number of people who live in, or visit, that building. If the ghost only appears at certain times or under certain conditions, then that limits the number who will experience anything even further.

Whereas roads have been travelled for thousands of years by an ever-increasing number of people. Any ghost, therefore. stands a much greater chance of being perceived.
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I said exactly this on Tring Radio Live on 16th August :)
 
Have the A22 Caterham road ghosts been mentioned on this forum before?

"Several motorists reported eight figures dressed in black cloaks or cowls running and leaping around, heading towards the dual carriageway. "The witnesses said that they moved strangely and silently""

...and:

"In the 2000s, stories began to appear concerning a ghostly woman in white along the road, either standing on the side or running out in front of cars."

Full details at:

https://www.paranormaldatabase.com/recent/index.php

Wondering if Ruth Roper-Wylde is aware of these, can't remember if they have featured in your books...?
 
Paul_Exeter said:
Have the A22 Caterham road ghosts been mentioned on this forum before?

"Several motorists reported eight figures dressed in black cloaks or cowls running and leaping around, heading towards the dual carriageway. "The witnesses said that they moved strangely and silently""

...and:

"In the 2000s, stories began to appear concerning a ghostly woman in white along the road, either standing on the side or running out in front of cars."

Full details at:

https://www.paranormaldatabase.com/recent/index.php

Wondering if Ruth Roper-Wylde is aware of these, can't remember if they have featured in your books...?
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I wonder why the 8 Ghosts were seen running and jumping strangely ? reminds of that ITV show Strange But True when a couple driving along the Stockksbridge Bypass report seeing a Ghosts running up a bank but was very erratic.
 
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Giant R said:
Is this available on listen again? Missed it 'live'.
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I tried looking for it myself to post a link, but as far as I can make out in order to listen to it again you have to pay a subscription - which seems a bit excessive for one interview if I'm honest! Sorry x
 
RuthRoperWylde said:
I tried looking for it myself to post a link, but as far as I can make out in order to listen to it again you have to pay a subscription - which seems a bit excessive for one interview if I'm honest! Sorry x
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Yes, that is a shame, I took a look at it and found that too but wondered if there was another route to it.
 
Paul_Exeter said:
Have the A22 Caterham road ghosts been mentioned on this forum before?

"Several motorists reported eight figures dressed in black cloaks or cowls running and leaping around, heading towards the dual carriageway. "The witnesses said that they moved strangely and silently""

...and:

"In the 2000s, stories began to appear concerning a ghostly woman in white along the road, either standing on the side or running out in front of cars."

Full details at:

https://www.paranormaldatabase.com/recent/index.php

Wondering if Ruth Roper-Wylde is aware of these, can't remember if they have featured in your books...?
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OK this is a bit weird! Yes - the A22 at Caterham is featuring in my new book out very soon "The Roadmap of British Ghosts Volume 2"..... but NOT for these 8 figures. I've got a different sighting there... of the lady in white.
 
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uair01 said:
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I had not heard that story before. I had read a very similar story by John Janaway (I think), but it read like a fictional short story so I dismissed it.

That section of the A3 has now been bypassed by the Hindhead Tunnel, and is now part of the National Trust-owned Hindhead Common/Devil's Punchbowl, beautiful, and the sighting area is on the side of Gibbet Hill, where 3 men were gibbetted for murdering someone on their way to Portsmouth... the murder site is also very close to the area of the sighting.

I have heard rumours of "something that runs out in front of traffic" outside the northern end of the tunnel, and speculation that this might have caused a nasty coach crash there a few years ago, but nothing in the accident reporting supported this.
 
SimonBurchell said:
I had not heard that story before. I had read a very similar story by John Janaway (I think), but it read like a fictional short story so I dismissed it.

That section of the A3 has now been bypassed by the Hindhead Tunnel, and is now part of the National Trust-owned Hindhead Common/Devil's Punchbowl, beautiful, and the sighting area is on the side of Gibbet Hill, where 3 men were gibbetted for murdering someone on their way to Portsmouth... the murder site is also very close to the area of the sighting.

I have heard rumours of "something that runs out in front of traffic" outside the northern end of the tunnel, and speculation that this might have caused a nasty coach crash there a few years ago, but nothing in the accident reporting supported this.
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Isn't this the area where a car is seen to crash into a ditch but on inspection there's nothing there- or something along those lines?
 
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