Six spooky drives for Halloween

Have you ever been driving – alone and on a dark, stormy night, clearly – and suddenly had the feeling you might not be alone in the vehicle soon after all?

Ever observed a spectral kind at the side of the road? Or been tailed by a ghostly coach and horses?

If not, then take a trip along one of these roads this Halloween weekend…

A75, Kinmont Straight, Scotland

The most haunted highway in Scotland has been providing motorists the willies for more than 50 years now, and so frequent are reports of paranormal activity that it’s now identified as ‘the ghost road’.

So what can you expect throughout a drive along the A75? If the stories are to be believed you’ll see anything from screaming hags to eyeless ghouls, as nicely as an unearthly assortment of animals, horse-and-carriages, and phantom figures emerging from the dark.

One particular extended-distance lorry driver was so traumatised at seeing a procession of emaciated males and females pulling handcarts along the roadside that he gave up on the haulage industry altogether as he couldn’t cope with any far more nights alone in his cab.

Stocksbridge by-pass, close to Sheffield, England

Stories of this spooky stretch of single carriageway began back in 1989 whilst it was nonetheless being constructed, when a couple of security guards reported seeing a group of young children in antiquated clothes playing under Pearoyd Bridge.

When they went down to investigate, the youngsters were nowhere to be noticed and no footprints had been left in the muddy ground on which they were playing.

The subsequent evening the exact same watchmen saw what appeared to be a monk on the bridge, but when they drove towards it the figure vanished.

And this wasn’t just a couple of negative nights for the watchmen as there have because been several sightings of Victorian kids at the roadside and the monk is said to have hitched a ride with some poor, unsuspecting motorists.

M6 motorway, England

It is a tiny disappointing to discover that the UK’s most haunted carriageway is not a secluded country road close to an ancient battlefield, but is in fact its longest motorway – the M6 – which has observed far more spectral sightings than any other road.

Motorists have reported sightings of ghostly Roman soldiers wandering the carriageway, the wraith-like figure of an upset lady trying to hitch a ride, and eyes peering out from bushes about the scene of a mining disaster close to Manchester.

Probably most worryingly of all are the reports of a phantom lorry driving the wrong way down the carriageway – if you happen across this apparition, it could be worth looking out for a “How’s my driving?” sticker and letting his employers know.

A229, Sussex to Kent, England

This stretch of the A229 is another contender for England’s ‘most haunted’ road as police have fielded calls from numerous a distressed motorist who have run more than a pedestrian – most notably a lady in white, spine-chiller cliché fans – only to lose track of the body.

There are also reports of a ghostly hitchhiker loitering about the Reduced Bell pub close to Maidstone – so if you choose up a passenger and he disappears before you reach your destination, there’s a likelihood you have had one particular also several spirits.

A9, Scotland

This road runs in between Falkirk and Thurso, in the far north, and is either haunted by an array of Victorian apparitions or is favoured by elaborate fancy dress celebration-goers.

Among the different sights spotted along this stretch of Scots highway are an ornate coach and horses, comprehensive with bewigged footmen, and a despondent horse-rider decked out in Victorian clothes – could just be he’s late for the celebration and he can not get a signal on his sat nav.

A541, Flintshire, Wales

If you drive along this impossibly dark stretch of country road in North Wales, look out for the ‘woman in white’ – presumably not the exact same one particular knocking about on the A229 – who fell down a properly and died although operating away from her stately property at Plas Teg to elope with a neighborhood farmer.

To make matters worse, the ghost of the farmer boy is also mentioned to stalk the region. So fearful was he that he would be accused of his lover’s murder he hung himself – not only saving the village the bother of a kangaroo court but also giving it yet another ghost to help terrify the life out of passing tourists.

Once you’ve taken your road trip, why not attempt a single of these spooky stopovers?

Six spooky drives for Halloween

Six spooky drives for Halloween

Have you ever been driving – alone and on a dark, stormy night, clearly – and abruptly had the feeling you might not be alone in the auto right after all?

Ever seen a spectral type at the side of the road? Or been tailed by a ghostly coach and horses?

If not, then take a trip along a single of these roads this Halloween weekend…

A75, Kinmont Straight, Scotland

The most haunted highway in Scotland has been providing motorists the willies for more than 50 years now, and so frequent are reports of paranormal activity that it is now recognized as ‘the ghost road’.

So what can you expect during a drive along the A75? If the stories are to be believed you will see something from screaming hags to eyeless ghouls, as well as an unearthly assortment of animals, horse-and-carriages, and phantom figures emerging from the dark.

One particular extended-distance lorry driver was so traumatised at seeing a procession of emaciated men and girls pulling handcarts along the roadside that he gave up on the haulage business altogether as he couldn’t cope with any much more nights alone in his cab.

Stocksbridge by-pass, close to Sheffield, England

Stories of this spooky stretch of single carriageway began back in 1989 even though it was nevertheless getting built, when a couple of security guards reported seeing a group of youngsters in antiquated clothing playing beneath Pearoyd Bridge.

When they went down to investigate, the youngsters had been nowhere to be observed and no footprints had been left in the muddy ground on which they were playing.

The subsequent evening the same watchmen saw what appeared to be a monk on the bridge, but when they drove towards it the figure vanished.

And this wasn’t just a couple of negative nights for the watchmen as there have considering that been numerous sightings of Victorian kids at the roadside and the monk is mentioned to have hitched a ride with some poor, unsuspecting motorists.

M6 motorway, England

It is a tiny disappointing to learn that the UK’s most haunted carriageway isn’t a secluded country road close to an ancient battlefield, but is in fact its longest motorway – the M6 – which has observed more spectral sightings than any other road.

Motorists have reported sightings of ghostly Roman soldiers wandering the carriageway, the wraith-like figure of an upset lady attempting to hitch a ride, and eyes peering out from bushes about the scene of a mining disaster near Manchester.

Maybe most worryingly of all are the reports of a phantom lorry driving the incorrect way down the carriageway – if you occur across this apparition, it could be worth looking out for a “How’s my driving?” sticker and letting his employers know.

A229, Sussex to Kent, England

This stretch of the A229 is an additional contender for England’s ‘most haunted’ road as police have fielded calls from many a distressed motorist who have run over a pedestrian – most notably a lady in white, spine-chiller cliché fans – only to lose track of the physique.

There are also reports of a ghostly hitchhiker loitering about the Reduced Bell pub near Maidstone – so if you pick up a passenger and he disappears before you attain your location, there’s a likelihood you have had 1 too a lot of spirits.

A9, Scotland

This road runs amongst Falkirk and Thurso, in the far north, and is either haunted by an array of Victorian apparitions or is favoured by elaborate fancy dress celebration-goers.

Amongst the different sights spotted along this stretch of Scots highway are an ornate coach and horses, total with bewigged footmen, and a despondent horse-rider decked out in Victorian clothes – could just be he’s late for the party and he can not get a signal on his sat nav.

A541, Flintshire, Wales

If you drive along this impossibly dark stretch of country road in North Wales, look out for the ‘woman in white’ – presumably not the same one knocking about on the A229 – who fell down a effectively and died whilst running away from her stately property at Plas Teg to elope with a neighborhood farmer.

To make matters worse, the ghost of the farmer boy is also mentioned to stalk the location. So fearful was he that he would be accused of his lover’s murder he hung himself – not only saving the village the bother of a kangaroo court but also giving it another ghost to support terrify the life out of passing vacationers.

When you’ve taken your road trip, why not attempt 1 of these spooky stopovers?

Six spooky drives for Halloween

Six spooky drives for Halloween

Have you ever been driving – alone and on a dark, stormy night, naturally – and suddenly had the feeling you may not be alone in the automobile after all?

Ever noticed a spectral form at the side of the road? Or been tailed by a ghostly coach and horses?

If not, then take a trip along one particular of these roads this Halloween weekend…

A75, Kinmont Straight, Scotland

The most haunted highway in Scotland has been providing motorists the willies for more than 50 years now, and so frequent are reports of paranormal activity that it is now known as ‘the ghost road’.

So what can you count on for the duration of a drive along the A75? If the stories are to be believed you’ll see something from screaming hags to eyeless ghouls, as properly as an unearthly assortment of animals, horse-and-carriages, and phantom figures emerging from the dark.

A single lengthy-distance lorry driver was so traumatised at seeing a procession of emaciated men and women pulling handcarts along the roadside that he gave up on the haulage market altogether as he couldn’t cope with any more nights alone in his cab.

Stocksbridge by-pass, close to Sheffield, England

Stories of this spooky stretch of single carriageway started back in 1989 although it was nonetheless being built, when a couple of safety guards reported seeing a group of children in antiquated clothing playing beneath Pearoyd Bridge.

When they went down to investigate, the youngsters were nowhere to be observed and no footprints had been left in the muddy ground on which they have been playing.

The subsequent night the identical watchmen saw what appeared to be a monk on the bridge, yet when they drove towards it the figure vanished.

And this wasn’t just a couple of negative nights for the watchmen as there have considering that been many sightings of Victorian youngsters at the roadside and the monk is mentioned to have hitched a ride with some poor, unsuspecting motorists.

M6 motorway, England

It’s a small disappointing to discover that the UK’s most haunted carriageway is not a secluded nation road close to an ancient battlefield, but is actually its longest motorway – the M6 – which has observed much more spectral sightings than any other road.

Motorists have reported sightings of ghostly Roman soldiers wandering the carriageway, the wraith-like figure of an upset lady attempting to hitch a ride, and eyes peering out from bushes about the scene of a mining disaster close to Manchester.

Possibly most worryingly of all are the reports of a phantom lorry driving the wrong way down the carriageway – if you occur across this apparition, it could be worth looking out for a “How’s my driving?” sticker and letting his employers know.

A229, Sussex to Kent, England

This stretch of the A229 is one more contender for England’s ‘most haunted’ road as police have fielded calls from a lot of a distressed motorist who have run more than a pedestrian – most notably a lady in white, spine-chiller cliché fans – only to lose track of the physique.

There are also reports of a ghostly hitchhiker loitering around the Reduce Bell pub close to Maidstone – so if you choose up a passenger and he disappears ahead of you reach your destination, there’s a opportunity you have had one as well numerous spirits.

A9, Scotland

This road runs among Falkirk and Thurso, in the far north, and is either haunted by an array of Victorian apparitions or is favoured by elaborate fancy dress celebration-goers.

Amongst the different sights spotted along this stretch of Scots highway are an ornate coach and horses, total with bewigged footmen, and a despondent horse-rider decked out in Victorian clothes – could just be he’s late for the celebration and he cannot get a signal on his sat nav.

A541, Flintshire, Wales

If you drive along this impossibly dark stretch of country road in North Wales, appear out for the ‘woman in white’ – presumably not the same 1 knocking about on the A229 – who fell down a well and died while operating away from her stately property at Plas Teg to elope with a local farmer.

To make matters worse, the ghost of the farmer boy is also mentioned to stalk the area. So fearful was he that he would be accused of his lover’s murder he hung himself – not only saving the village the bother of a kangaroo court but also providing it yet another ghost to support terrify the life out of passing vacationers.

As soon as you’ve taken your road trip, why not try a single of these spooky stopovers?

Six spooky drives for Halloween

Six spooky drives for Halloween

Have you ever been driving – alone and on a dark, stormy night, clearly – and all of a sudden had the feeling you may possibly not be alone in the vehicle soon after all?

Ever noticed a spectral type at the side of the road? Or been tailed by a ghostly coach and horses?

If not, then take a trip along one particular of these roads this Halloween weekend…

A75, Kinmont Straight, Scotland

The most haunted highway in Scotland has been giving motorists the willies for more than 50 years now, and so frequent are reports of paranormal activity that it’s now known as ‘the ghost road’.

So what can you expect throughout a drive along the A75? If the stories are to be believed you’ll see anything from screaming hags to eyeless ghouls, as effectively as an unearthly assortment of animals, horse-and-carriages, and phantom figures emerging from the dark.

One particular extended-distance lorry driver was so traumatised at seeing a procession of emaciated guys and girls pulling handcarts along the roadside that he gave up on the haulage sector altogether as he couldn’t cope with any more nights alone in his cab.

Stocksbridge by-pass, close to Sheffield, England

Stories of this spooky stretch of single carriageway started back in 1989 while it was nevertheless becoming constructed, when a couple of security guards reported seeing a group of young children in antiquated clothing playing under Pearoyd Bridge.

When they went down to investigate, the children have been nowhere to be seen and no footprints had been left in the muddy ground on which they were playing.

The next night the identical watchmen saw what appeared to be a monk on the bridge, however when they drove towards it the figure vanished.

And this wasn’t just a couple of undesirable nights for the watchmen as there have since been several sightings of Victorian children at the roadside and the monk is mentioned to have hitched a ride with some poor, unsuspecting motorists.

M6 motorway, England

It is a tiny disappointing to learn that the UK’s most haunted carriageway is not a secluded nation road close to an ancient battlefield, but is really its longest motorway – the M6 – which has seen a lot more spectral sightings than any other road.

Motorists have reported sightings of ghostly Roman soldiers wandering the carriageway, the wraith-like figure of an upset lady attempting to hitch a ride, and eyes peering out from bushes about the scene of a mining disaster close to Manchester.

Maybe most worryingly of all are the reports of a phantom lorry driving the incorrect way down the carriageway – if you occur across this apparition, it could be worth hunting out for a “How’s my driving?” sticker and letting his employers know.

A229, Sussex to Kent, England

This stretch of the A229 is another contender for England’s ‘most haunted’ road as police have fielded calls from many a distressed motorist who have run more than a pedestrian – most notably a lady in white, spine-chiller cliché fans – only to drop track of the physique.

There are also reports of a ghostly hitchhiker loitering around the Decrease Bell pub close to Maidstone – so if you choose up a passenger and he disappears ahead of you reach your destination, there’s a chance you’ve had one too several spirits.

A9, Scotland

This road runs in between Falkirk and Thurso, in the far north, and is either haunted by an array of Victorian apparitions or is favoured by elaborate fancy dress celebration-goers.

Amongst the numerous sights spotted along this stretch of Scots highway are an ornate coach and horses, full with bewigged footmen, and a despondent horse-rider decked out in Victorian clothes – could just be he’s late for the party and he can not get a signal on his sat nav.

A541, Flintshire, Wales

If you drive along this impossibly dark stretch of country road in North Wales, look out for the ‘woman in white’ – presumably not the identical 1 knocking about on the A229 – who fell down a properly and died even though running away from her stately home at Plas Teg to elope with a local farmer.

To make matters worse, the ghost of the farmer boy is also said to stalk the area. So fearful was he that he would be accused of his lover’s murder he hung himself – not only saving the village the bother of a kangaroo court but also giving it an additional ghost to aid terrify the life out of passing vacationers.

Once you have taken your road trip, why not attempt 1 of these spooky stopovers?

Six spooky drives for Halloween

Six spooky drives for Halloween

Have you ever been driving – alone and on a dark, stormy night, obviously – and suddenly had the feeling you may not be alone in the car after all?

Ever seen a spectral form at the side of the road? Or been tailed by a ghostly coach and horses?

If not, then take a trip along one of these roads this Halloween weekend…

A75, Kinmont Straight, Scotland

The most haunted highway in Scotland has been giving motorists the willies for over 50 years now, and so frequent are reports of paranormal activity that it’s now known as ‘the ghost road’.

So what can you expect during a drive along the A75? If the stories are to be believed you’ll see anything from screaming hags to eyeless ghouls, as well as an unearthly assortment of animals, horse-and-carriages, and phantom figures emerging from the dark.

One long-distance lorry driver was so traumatised at seeing a procession of emaciated men and women pulling handcarts along the roadside that he gave up on the haulage industry altogether as he couldn’t cope with any more nights alone in his cab.

Stocksbridge by-pass, near Sheffield, England

Stories of this spooky stretch of single carriageway began back in 1989 while it was still being built, when a couple of security guards reported seeing a group of children in antiquated clothing playing below Pearoyd Bridge.

When they went down to investigate, the children were nowhere to be seen and no footprints had been left in the muddy ground on which they were playing.

The next night the same watchmen saw what appeared to be a monk on the bridge, yet when they drove towards it the figure vanished.

And this wasn’t just a couple of bad nights for the watchmen as there have since been numerous sightings of Victorian children at the roadside and the monk is said to have hitched a ride with some poor, unsuspecting motorists.

M6 motorway, England

It’s a little disappointing to learn that the UK’s most haunted carriageway isn’t a secluded country road near an ancient battlefield, but is actually its longest motorway – the M6 – which has seen more spectral sightings than any other road.

Motorists have reported sightings of ghostly Roman soldiers wandering the carriageway, the wraith-like figure of an upset lady trying to hitch a ride, and eyes peering out from bushes around the scene of a mining disaster near Manchester.

Perhaps most worryingly of all are the reports of a phantom lorry driving the wrong way down the carriageway – if you happen across this apparition, it could be worth looking out for a “How’s my driving?” sticker and letting his employers know.

A229, Sussex to Kent, England

This stretch of the A229 is another contender for England’s ‘most haunted’ road as police have fielded calls from many a distressed motorist who have run over a pedestrian – most notably a woman in white, spine-chiller cliché fans – only to lose track of the body.

There are also reports of a ghostly hitchhiker loitering around the Lower Bell pub near Maidstone – so if you pick up a passenger and he disappears before you reach your destination, there’s a chance you’ve had one too many spirits.

A9, Scotland

This road runs between Falkirk and Thurso, in the far north, and is either haunted by an array of Victorian apparitions or is favoured by elaborate fancy dress party-goers.

Among the various sights spotted along this stretch of Scots highway are an ornate coach and horses, complete with bewigged footmen, and a despondent horse-rider decked out in Victorian clothing – could just be he’s late for the party and he can’t get a signal on his sat nav.

A541, Flintshire, Wales

If you drive along this impossibly dark stretch of country road in North Wales, look out for the ‘woman in white’ – presumably not the same one knocking about on the A229 – who fell down a well and died while running away from her stately home at Plas Teg to elope with a local farmer.

To make matters worse, the ghost of the farmer boy is also said to stalk the area. So fearful was he that he would be accused of his lover’s murder he hung himself – not only saving the village the bother of a kangaroo court but also giving it another ghost to help terrify the life out of passing tourists.

Once you’ve taken your road trip, why not try one of these spooky stopovers?

Six spooky drives for Halloween

Do you celebrate Halloween?

“When is Halloween?” is a query asked in a lot of Australian households these days – certainly households with youngsters (such as mine). And there is no doubt that Halloween can be huge enterprise: according to the USA-based Alliance Information Retail Services, 60% of Americans planned to celebrate Halloween final year by opening their wallets and in truth it is the 4th-largest vacation spending period in the USA, behind Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter.  It’s lucrative also, with the US National Retail Federation estimating a total $ 7.4 billion spend on Halloween 2014. That consists of $ 2.8 billion on costumes (with adults spending more than little ones).

Enthusiasm in Australia is not quite as high, but according to McCrindle Analysis, a quarter of Australians (26%) planned to celebrate Halloween last year, such as over half of those (51%) with main school aged children. A heartening 64% planned to supply treats for trick-or-treaters, with a more modest 34% preparing to place up decorations.

I will place up my hand and say that my household is one of the 26% who celebrate Halloween and pay for the privilege. For us, that spending will encompass:

• Costumes for 3 youngsters. Almost certainly not brand-new costumes – we do have an overflowing costume box already and certainly ghouls don’t want to look co-ordinated or straight-off-the-rack new – but there will no doubt be some replacement fangs/horns/pitchforks and so forth needed.


• A pumpkin. A jack-o-lantern is exciting and with Coles apparently escalating sales of pumpkins by around 25% at Halloween, it seems they’re well-liked.


• Treats. The phrase is “trick or treat” but it is in fact just treats that are anticipated, preferably of the sweet selection.


• Food. We use Halloween as a content excuse to get together with a bunch of fellow parents for a exciting evening of food and drink as our young children are set loose to unleash havoc on the neighbourhood .


• Other decorations. A jack-o-lantern is a start off, but we also like to develop a suitably spooky atmosphere in the home. That involves dusting off the smoke machine (it’s amazing how usually a smoke machine comes in handy) and disco ball, and  getting some streamers, balloons and fake spider webs.

I’m not quite confident what our total household commit on Halloween will be – I’d favor not to think about it. Suffice to say that it’s possibly above the national average…

Do you celebrate Halloween?