The Most Haunted Pub In England

There is a very nice pub at Lydford, The Castle Inn. Indeed, there are a good few hostelries in this part of Devon, nowadays catering largely to tourists, but once the haunt of thirsty farm labourers. However, it is fair to say that no others are quite like...

THE HIGHWAYMAN INN at SOURTON

During the crazy, psychedelic Sixties, a Welshman named Buster created from the dull fabric of a Dartmoor roadside pub something weird and very wonderful. That he succeeded is clear from the 

porch, which is the carriage of an old Launceston to Tavistock stagecoach.

Once inside, the visitor's senses are assailed by a cornucopia of strange artefacts and curiosities, which are best described as Tolkein-esque. Even the ladies toilets are incredible, having been shortlisted for Loo of the Year! The Galleon Bar is the most remarkable room of all, being decorated to resemble the below decks quarters of an old sailing ship. And it is here that things turn very creepy indeed.

The Wishing Tree

The Author Enjoys A Beer At The Highwayman Inn

The Highwayman Inn is said to be haunted by a number of ghosts. One is very possibly a cavalier who died at the nearby Battle of Sourton Down, a Civil War skirmish that took place during the April of 1643. Known as Samuel, he is dressed in green and wears a hat with a large feather in it.

Other ghostly sightings include a seadog named Captain Grenville, a mysterious figure who walked one night into the pub, then promptly disappeared without paying for his ale, and a lady of ill repute. In other words, not all that different to many other pubs in the Plymouth area, except that these punters don't belong to the world of the living.

Oddly Enough, Not The Strangest Visitor To The Inn

Back to the Galleon Bar, which contains a door salvaged from the ill-fated Diana, a Hull whaler from the Victorian age. Trapped in Newfoundland ice, the Diana lost 13 members of her crew in the winter of 1868. When she finally limped back to Britain, she ran aground.

Psychics claim the strange noises heard in the room are due to the presence of this door, which somehow continues to hold the souls of the poor unfortunates who died all that time ago. Whatever the truth, I visited with my daughters a few year's back and found the place very unsettling.

The Haunted "Galleon Bar"

There is a strange atmosphere in the Galleon Bar. It is empty, yet alert, waiting for something to happen. One feels on edge here, uncomfortable. The room is beautifully decorated, fascinatingly so, yet something inside you screams at you to leave. It is as though a very old, and very unwelcoming presence does not want you remaining there.

Charlotte and Erin also claimed to hear things. One said she thought she heard waves crashing, another said she smelt the sea. Of course, that might just have been children's imagination, stirred by the room's dramatic theme. Or it might have been something a lot more sinister, as the Diana sails once more on a voyage towards her doom.