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New book reveals Northumberland supernatural sights

Aug 28 2011 by Sara Nichol, Sunday Sun

UNTOLD stories of the spooky and supernatural in the rural North are being published for the first time.

Ghost hunter Darren Ritson has spent the past year exploring some of Northumberland’s most haunted castles, pubs, and buildings.

As well as notorious ghostly hotspots, such as Chillingham Castle and the Schooner Hotel, in Alnmouth, the 39-year-old uncovered some never-before-told tales of unexplained phenomena.

Among the stories were creepy whispers and sightings of a ghostly man in the Eagle Pub, in Blyth, and a Grey Lady visiting rooms at the Percy Arms Hotel, in Otterburn.

Staff and regulars at Oliver’s Bar, also in Blyth, a former butchers, have reported seeing a ghostly figure of a man in the lounge area.

It was later discovered that the former butcher hanged himself in that exact area decades before.

Now Mr Ritson has published his findings in a new book ‘Haunted Northumberland’.

Mr Ritson, of Howdon, North Tyneside, said: “A lot of people think of the South West of England when they think of spooky or spiritual phenomena, such as Cornwall and Glastonbury.