Two Yorkshire roads named among 'most haunted highways' in UK

From ghostly children and ghoulish soldiers to phantom trains and even werewolves, motoring experts at LeaseCar.uk have revealed some of the most reported supernatural sightings across Britain’s road network.

Despite running across some of the country's most remote moorland, the M62 motorway is not included on the list.

However, two roads in Yorkshire do make the list.

Tim Alcock from LeaseCar.uk commented: “Most of us will have heard stories about haunted houses, cemeteries, hospitals and hotels, but who knew there were so many roads that boast their fair share of ghouls, too?

“So with Halloween just around the corner, we’ve researched and revealed 12 of the scariest roads in the UK, in case you feel like taking your own phantom-filled road trip this spooky season.

“Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the stories alone are enough to send a chill down your spine.”

1. Blue Bell Hill, Kent

Over the last few decades, there have been countless reported sightings of ghostly figures in the road amongst Blue Bell Hill. The most reported being that of Judith Langham, a young bride-to-be who was killed in a car collision on the day of her wedding – 19 November 1965 – when she was just 22.

According to the reports, she haunts the road wearing a white dress and startles drivers who believe they’ve hit and injured her, yet when they get out of their car to help, she’s simply disappeared.

2. Stockbridge Bypass, Sheffield

In 1988, a new road was built across the Peak District to help connect the M1 with the Woodhead Pass and the A1616. Once building work started, reports of unusual occurrences began to surface, and the road soon became really famous for its paranormal activity.

During the time the road was under construction, it was reported that two security guards witness young children playing in the middle of the construction site. As they got closer, the children began to disappear with no footprint evidence left in the trail behind them.

3. M6 motorway

Part of this route has existed for nearly two thousand years, having been used by Roman soldiers during the Roman occupation of England in 55 BC, so it’s no wonder the M6 boasts its fair share of spooks.

It’s been reported that motorists driving on the M6 have witnessed unusual phenomena, like Roman soldiers marching across the road. Some people have claimed that there have been a set of eyes looking at them from behind bushes too.

4. The B519 by The Spaniard’s Inn, Hampstead

A sharp turn in the B519 just before The Spaniard's Inn in Hampstead is said to be haunted by an eighteenth-century highway man.

The ghost's father allegedly owned the pub for a time, and his ghoulish son still paces the road looking to target passing motorists.

5. A666, ‘The Devil’s Highway’, Bolton

If any road was going to be haunted, it was always going to be the A666, which shares its name with The Number of the Beast.

Several accidents have been caused by sightings of a hunched-over figure limping at the side of the road along the Devil’s Highway. Known simply as the A666 ghost, dashcam footage from 2015 revealed a white creature appear out of nowhere on the deserted road. The video shows the figure slowly approaching a terrified driver while the passenger cries for help.

6. The Old Tay Bridge, Dundee

A violent storm during the winter of 1879 caused the Old Tay Bridge to collapse while a train was passing over it. The six-carriage train plummeted into the ice-cold waters of the Tay and all 75 passengers on board were tragically killed.

According to an old legend, on the anniversary of the disaster each year, a phantom train can be seen crossing the old bridge and locals report hearing the screaming cries of the victims.

7. Platt Lane, Lancashire

This road in Westhoughton runs close to the site of the 1910 Pretoria pit tragedy, which killed 344 miners. Many motorists have reported seeing spooky eyes peering out of the hedges by the roadside, and phantom miners plodding alongside cars or pulling coal wagons behind them.

8. The A636, Wiltshire

One particular stretch of the A636 – dubbed ‘Sally in the Woods’ – is supposed to be the site of the tragic death of a young girl who was hit by a car and killed when she ran out into the road.

Motorists have reported numerous sightings, and as many as seven fatal accidents in the area have been left with no logical explanation for their cause - leading many to think they are the result of paranormal intervention.

9. B1249 between Driffield and Staxton Hill, East Riding of Yorkshire

Real life wolves roamed the wooded farmland of the East Riding of Yorkshire up until the 15th century, when they were hunted to extinction, so the number of reported werewolf sightings here may not come as much of a surprise.

In the 1960s, author Charles Christian described how a lorry driver was left terrified when a red-eyed, hairy creature tried to smash its way through his windscreen as he drove along the isolated road.

Then in August 2016, a young woman described seeing a monster which looked "like a big dog, ¬probably bigger than my car, but it had a human face" in the nearby village of Halsham.

10. A3 near Burpham, Surrey

In December 2002, Surrey Police investigated reports of a car seen swerving off the A3 near Burpham.

They eventually found a car in a ditch containing the remains of a driver, but the motorist had perished some five months previously! This lead to speculation that the sighting had been a ghostly re-enactment of the crash which killed him.

11. Cock Lane, near the Old Bailey in London

While drivers may not necessarily experience anything on the road, one of the houses is said to be haunted by the ghosts of two women who died in the residence back in the 1760s, so many believe you can still hear strange noises and screams as you travel past.

12. Electric Brae, Aryshire, Scotland

Though there’s been no reports of ghostly goings on per se, this road has long been the subject of speculation regarding a different kind of supernatural phenomena.

Essentially, despite appearing to run uphill, a suitably free-running vehicle will slowly move off from a standstill. For years, it was widely believed that vehicles were being propelled by a mysterious magnetic force, and some even claimed that the road had been cursed by witches.

Ultimately, the Electric Brae is a ‘gravity hill’, whereby the road’s apparently uphill slope is actually an optical illusion – but it’s still popular amongst drivers who want to experience the phenomenon themselves.