Storyteller: On Black Pilgrimage with ghostly companion Bob - and mum, of course

My good friend Bob Mann is a member of A Ghostly Company which is a group from all walks of life from all around the world, united in their love of ghost stories. There are some who like to write, others who prefer to read, but all love to share their passion for the scarier side of life.
Every year they like to go on a Black Pilgrimage, a weekend away, to a suitably spooky location where they indulge their interests in the weird and wonderful to the max, secreted in the middle of which, is their annual meeting.
This year, Bob persuaded them to come to Totnes to see what dastardly delights glorious Devon has to offer and he enlisted my help.
Events kicked off with a Ghost Walk on Friday the 13th after the delegates had settled into their rooms at the Royal Seven Stars Hotel. This was followed by a minibus trip over Dartmoor, tracing the route of my Devil’s Quest, finishing the weekend with a visit to the allegedly most haunted ruin in England, Berry Pomeroy Castle - something that every self respecting aficionado of ghosts and hauntings must do whilst in the area.
Having checked myself into a room at my friend’s pub, The Bay Horse, I joined Bob and his partner, Barb, for a pre-walk repast so we could discuss our strategy for the evening’s antics. Bob wanted me to act as a 'heckler' at various locations, adding a frisson to the proceedings that his friends might find a tad unsettling.
Meal over, it was time to assume our positions. Bob insisted we left separately so he went off to The Albert Inn where he starts his walks whilst I took a seat on a bench on The Plains, waiting for the Ghostly Companions to pass me by.
Dressed as a true Totnesian, I sat there blending in until Bob and my 'victims' appeared on the opposite side of the road. As Bob finally drew level with me, I greeted him and asked if he was doing one of his ghost walks. Confirming that he was, I asked if I could join them, pointing out that it was a Friday night and his walks were advertised for a Tuesday. He informed me they were a special group, so I enquired, 'how special'?. This raised a reaction from some walkers, and broke the ice, I was in.
Making a stop outside some shops, Bob referred to the flats above where a child’s presence had been felt. I made my move, informing the throng that my mother was psychic, claiming she too had picked up on said child during the course of her job as a cleaner in those very flats...no response...we moved on.
As we continued up the road, a member of the group who turned out to be local commented as we passed a certain shop that he always felt uncomfortable when inside, but he couldn’t say why. Taking this as my cue, I concurred that my mother also felt odd in that same shop. They seemed to like this confirmation, but I couldn’t help feel sorry for Bob as it seemed he now had two members of the group out to add their contribution to his narrative. So I took myself off to a spot where I knew what I had to offer would count...outside the haunted museum.
This time, as Bob approached me, I asked if I could tell the group about my mum’s experience in the building whilst taking part in a ghost hunt. He tried to fob me off by saying if there was no time, but as he informed the group about all the activity that had been witnessed there over the years, he was interrupted by a young woman, leaning out of the window of the flat next to the museum eager to tell him about all the noises of furniture being moved around that she had heard, on more than one occasion, in the early hours of the morning when no one was present next door. This story rang a bell with me and I realised that I myself had spoken to the woman after my friend, Kathy, who oversees the night-time investigations in the museum, had been approached by her wanting to share her experiences. It was suggested I might be interested to hear them, and we had subsequently spoken on the phone. I therefore had to kerb my desire to introduce myself for fear of revealing my true identity to the Ghostly Companions.
After Bob had listened to her story, he felt obliged to allow me to have my say so I proceeded to talk about the time my mum and her friend, both of whom are psychic, had taken part in an investigation inside the museum. At one point, the friend had been standing in front of a large, ornate cabinet when suddenly one of the doors had swung open by itself, stopping short of striking her on the side of her head. She always maintained that her spirit guides had protected her from serious injury that night. Having said my piece, which is actually a true story, having witnessed it happen to a medium friend of mine during the course of one of our investigations, I took my leave heading further up the road to where we would have our last confrontation.
Sitting on a bench in the churchyard, I waited for Bob to appear again and when he did he told a tale about a haunting in a holiday let, above an old building society. Once again, I informed the group that my mother was aware of the spirit as she used to clean those flats too. This time Bob suggested we meet up over a coffee, so we could discuss my mum’s experiences further. I said I would look forward to that and scurried away into the night, my work here was done.
Finally, I hung around near the Kingsbridge Inn, waiting for Bob to wrap up his spiel before I approached the group, allowing him to introduce me as their guide for the Dartmoor trip the following day. They had no idea this had all been an elaborate act between Bob and myself, they just felt my mum was a very busy cleaner, but they appreciated our efforts.
The events of the rest of the weekend were equally enjoyable, and the Ghostly Companions returned home, singing our praises. Next year they are off to Whitby.
With Halloween just around the corner, can I mention that Bob’s Ghost Walk season ends on Halloween night itself. I'm planning a return visit to Totnes Museum in the near future and I’m always available to hop on a minibus to act as guide and storyteller. If you would like further details, please drop me an email davidtiptrips@gmail.com