The Storyteller: You never know who you'll meet on walk across the Moor

Last year, I started my Ghost Walks as part of my Moors and More Tours business.

Adding an extra string to my bow, as it were. Now, new strings keep being added...

I started out with four walks this time last year: Bovey Tracey, Chagford, Okehampton, and Princetown (where it all started, thanks to my chance meeting with Chelsie, who has lived and worked there all her life), and I’ve been adding to my repertoire ever since.

As regular readers may recall, I launched my Ashburton Walk last Halloween, when I was joined by local author Stephanie Austin. Our joint venture was a great success, and, with her blessing, I’ve continued to host them as solo efforts. I’ve done a couple since then and met some wonderful people whilst doing so...

On one walk I was joined by a father and daughter. She was 11 years old, called Daisy, and super excited to have me all to herself! She came wearing her backpack and “Paranormal Investigator” badge...so cute! She also brandished a notebook and pen and had lots of questions for me. She made copious notes of all the locations I suggested to visit, books to read, and stuff to research on the Internet.

She couldn’t wait to report back to her friends at school, who are also all interested in the subject, and to plan their own investigations. Daisy joined me on another walk, around Okehampton, this time with her mother. On this occasion, she had to share me with other guests, but she was still full of questions. I feel honoured that I’m passing on my knowledge to the next generation of Ghostbusters!

On that same Okehampton walk, I was joined by Leigh and Ashley, who had enjoyed some of my other walks. They live in Ivybridge and suggested that I should set up a walk there, and, after a bit of research and an evening in The Sportsman's Inn, the first Ivybridge Ghost Walk, by yours truly, took place at the start of my summer season, and very successful it was too! I was joined by 13 people and 2 dogs.

Now, this is a weird little coincidence that I so love...one dog was male, the other female, with different owners. The boy was called Max...the girl...Min...you couldn’t make it up! I particularly like the Ivybridge addition to my repertoire, as it involves a stroll along the River Erme, making use of some strategically placed picnic tables, before heading back into town via some interesting old properties with stories to tell. I also throw in some interesting stories from the Cornwood direction that I’ve dug up.

Whilst I was researching my route and spreading the word about my endeavours, I paid a visit to the local Conservative Club, now renamed the Constitutional Club...for reasons that we can guess at...as Leigh had given me a tale worth pursuing, involving their old snooker tables. This story aroused my interest in particular, for I’ve had previous experience with haunted snooker tables during my investigations in Brixham.

In this instance, Leigh told me that, on occasions, even though the rooms had been left tidy when the building was locked at night, the first person to enter in the morning would find snooker balls scattered all over the tables. When I broached the subject with the barmaid, she found the idea that the club might be haunted a little unsettling, but she was still willing to take me up to the snooker room to check it out.

As we walked up the stairs, there were signs everywhere, reminding members to leave the room tidy and turn the lights off. As we entered the room, the lights were on. The barmaid commented on this, suggesting that someone had left them on...but they had only just opened, so no one had been up there yet. She wouldn’t consider it was anything to do with their ghost...

On a more recent Ashburton Walk, we had an odd little coincidence. As I was doing my introduction in the Old Exeter Inn, we were joined by a couple, who were friends of other people on the walk, as last-minute recruits, accompanied by their 6-month-old twin boys, quite happily strapped to their parents’ chests so that they could see everything that was going on...and what jolly little boys they were too!

As we completed one circuit of the walk, just coming up from St Gudula’s Cross, I spotted a tiny bow and arrow on the floor, possibly off a child’s toy. For some reason, I felt compelled to pick it up and pop it in my pocket. When we reached the next stop, for me to tell a story, I realised we hadn’t asked what the boys’ names were. Turns out, one was called Ptolemy, whilst the other was called...Archer! Again, you couldn’t make it up! I offered the couple the tiny bow and arrow as a souvenir, but they suggested I add it to my hat... I might just do that...

With six different Dartmoor Ghost Walks under my belt, I added the Brixham Ghost Walk to my repertoire back in January, and that has proved very popular. Stepping into the shoes of Dastardly Dave, I took up the reins, choosing to run them once a month for the foreseeable future. With the summer holidays now upon us, I’ve taken the plunge to run one every Wednesday, throughout August, until mid-September.

The reasoning being that the harbour town is more of a holiday destination in itself; therefore, more people are likely to see the advertising or hear about my walks and hopefully sign up on a weekly basis. Since I started in January, I’ve been able to add extra details to my stories, in particular to those surrounding Black House, one of Brixham’s more famous hauntings. The old home of Miss Joyce.

I have a story told to me by her dentist, who, whilst making a home visit, heard the sound of crashing noises and chains being dragged across the floor of the room above the kitchen...the same experience was had by a woman, who joined me on my walk a few months ago, who heard the same dragging of chains in Black House when she was 13 and interviewing Miss Joyce as part of a school project.

Just last week, I was hosting a friend of mine, and her sister, in Brixham. They had lived there for a while, some years ago. My stories triggered many memories, especially ones about Miss Joyce, who attended the same church as them. They both recalled being invited to various afternoon teas that the elderly lady hosted for fellow members of the congregation, but the sister remembered a very disturbing event that occurred one Christmas time...

A group of children were visiting the homes of housebound members of the church to sing carols for them, and she recalled gathering in the vast lobby of Black House. The sister and her friend opted to sing from the balcony, overlooking the other children as they sang.

When it was time to join in with “Whilst Shepherds Watched...”, the two girls, cheekily, decided to change the words to “Whilst Shepherds Washed Their Socks...” and found it hilarious, as young children do...but it would appear that Miss Joyce’s ghost didn’t! For, as the wrong words were uttered, a row of dining chairs, positioned against the back wall of the balcony behind them, started to move, and were pushed over one by one! As you can imagine, the girls couldn’t get down the stairs quick enough...and the shepherds never washed their socks again...

Alongside doing three walks every week throughout August, I’ve also got a few other engagements to keep me busy. When this article is published, I will have just entertained a group of scouts, staying at a campsite on Dartmoor, with an evening of storytelling around a campfire...something I’m really looking forward to, as I write, as I did something similar at Midsummer last year for guests staying at Wray Valley Camping, and it was quite creepy, telling tales of the Devil, and witches, and Kitty Jay, by the light of a flickering bonfire...

Then, on Monday, 18 August, you are all invited to an Evening of Storytelling with myself and fellow storyteller Helen Bruce at The East Dart Inn, in Postbridge, where we will be repeating the Bad Friday event that we launched at Field System, in Ashburton, last Easter, to rave reviews...except this time we won’t be calling it Bad Friday...

Funny story, when I started advertising my Bad Friday event, I posted my advert on various Facebook pages, including ones in Totnes. One of the first people to comment was an elderly lady from there, who said she found my idea of changing Good Friday to Bad Friday offensive, as she was a very devout Christian...needless to say, I stopped promoting myself in Totnes, as I have no desire to offend anybody...

Fast forward to the day of the event, and, if you recall, it was a particularly miserable Good Friday, weather-wise. As I drove into Ashburton, towards the car park, my attention was drawn to a group of people, getting soaked, standing outside Field System, holding placards. My mind, straightaway, went to the lady I’d upset in Totnes.

Had she brought a group of friends to protest about my little event? I rang Helen to warn her that we might have to break through a picket line in order to access the venue and to meet me in the car park. Once we met up, we agreed it could be aimed at us. It was obviously something religious, as some placards contained words in Hebrew. Stealing ourselves, we proceeded through the alleyway, that leads to Field System, and prepared to meet our “audience”, but they had all gone!

Puzzled, we had a word with Mark, Field System’s owner, and he told us they were outside, protesting about something, every week, since he’d taken over ownership...this week it was a vigil for peace in Palestine...not a protest against Bad Friday! I must admit to feeling a bit crestfallen, not to have had to defend myself against a little old lady and her friends!

If you fancy a bit of spooky entertainment during August, then see the attached posters for details on how to book, and do so ASAP, as places are limited!

Everyone is welcome...including protestors!