Terrifying tales from the towpaths

Whether it’s the shriek of the Harecastle boggart or a glimpse of our kind ghostly volunteer at Market Drayton, the canals are full of spooky tales to tell this Halloween.

Beware at Blisworth Tunnel

On the Grand Union, Blisworth Tunnel at Stoke Bruerne welcomes boaters daily, but they’re not the only ones passing through this long, dark tunnel. When the last of the light disappears behind you, beware of the 14 navvies who still roam with their picks and shovels.

At 2,811 metres, this tunnel was a major engineering feat when construction began in 1793. After three years of digging by hand, tragedy struck. A section collapsed into quicksand, claiming the lives of 14 workers.

A new tunnel was eventually completed in 1805, but some say the original, ill-fated route still lingers in the shadows. As you pass through, you might catch a glimpse of lantern-lit figures continuing their eternal labours…

Haunting at Harecastle Tunnel

For centuries, boaters have been haunted by the headless boggart of Harecastle Tunnel. There are several tales of her origins, but the story goes that a young woman by the name of Kit Crewbucket was travelling to meet her husband when she was murdered by two boatmen.

Her headless corpse was unceremoniously dumped in the waters beneath Harecastle Hill.

Kit’s ghost is said to torment boaters with her piercing shriek and slamming the barriers at each end shut to bar certain boaters. Some even claim to have seen her ghostly workboat drifting through the dark waters. In the 19th century, superstitious boaters often took long detours to avoid risking her wrath at Harecastle.

The centurion of Chester

If you venture along the Shropshire Union into the ancient city of Chester, you may encounter the spirit of an old Roman centurion still standing guard at the Northgate. In the 18th century, the canal was dug into the city’s former Roman moat, and it seems the centurion never left his post.

But he’s not alone. Chester’s rich history has birthed many ghostly tales.

The old coaching house, the King’s Inn, is believed to have three spirits roaming its grounds. Boaters have also reported hearing a shrieking spectre near Betton Cutting and glimpsing the ghost of a WWII American pilot haunting his crash site in Little Onn, Staffordshire.

Not all our ghosts are ominous, though. At Tyrley Middle Lock, just past Market Drayton, there waits a helpful resident ghost. When darkness falls, this kind spectre will shut lock gates behind passing boats.

The faceless horseman of Atherstone

The Atherstone Locks on the Coventry Canal are haunted by a faceless horseman, a victim of a brutal canal-side brawl centuries ago. He still charges through the night on his spectral steed in search of revenge.

The phantom at Bingley Five Rise

Bingley Five Rise might be a spectacular sight during the day, but when darkness falls, the locks sit in eerie silence.

Locals whisper of a spectral figure tending to the locks. This phantom boatman appears to be real until he mysteriously vanishes on approach.

Others tell of ghostly footsteps and the echo of ropes being pulled that haunt the lock flight at night…