Happy Halloween!

If you love a spooky story at this time of year, you’ll love our list of Devon’s most haunted locations. These buildings around Devon have all reported sightings of ghosts and other spooky goings on, so make sure to gather together your own Scooby gang and try your hand at a spot of ghost hunting.

Churston Court Inn

This pub is one of Brixham’s oldest buildings and was said to be a particular favourite of Agatha Christie. Sadly, it isn’t the novelist that has been spotted haunting the inn but rather a group of monks that can be seen blowing out candles in the dining rooms.

Powderham Castle


powderham castle

Image: Powderham Castle.

Powderham Castle just outside Exeter is one of the region’s most popular attractions and sees thousands of visitors every year. The castle was built in 1391 and as such has a rich history, one story claims that a group of workmen once discovered the remains of a woman and a baby at the Guard Tower, but neither of them have ever been identified, it’s also not known whether the bones belong to the woman that is said to roam the castle grounds. Known to the castle’s owners and staff as the Grey Lady, the apparition has been seen walking between the castle and the church and her presence is often felt in the library.

Torquay’s mummy
Torquay Museum is home to Devon’s only mummified human and it is this that draws paranormal groups to the museum. Various things have been reported including books flying off shelves, ghostly figures turning up in photographs and fingerprints appearing on the inside of the mummy case.

Buckland Abbey

buckland abbey

Image: Buckland Abbey. 
There’s a pretty famous ghost that is said to reside at Buckland Abbey. The abbey was purchased by Sir Francis Drake in the 16th century, he planned to renovate it and according to local legend summoned a demon to help him get the work done quicker. Apparently part of the deal was that Sir Francis was to be damned and would have to drive a hearse around Dartmoor for all eternity. His ghost lives in his drum which remains in the abbey and makes sounds whenever England is deemed to be in danger.

Okehampton Castle

okehampton castle

Image: Okehampton Castle.
The castle ruins in Okehampton are the largest castle remains in Devon and there are plenty of spooky tales to keep even the most avid ghost hunter enthralled. The site’s main ghost is said to be that of Lady Howard. She was well known locally for murdering her four husband and it is widely believed that her spirit travels from Okehampton to Tavistock at midnight in a carriage made of bones. Other local legends say that she picks one strand of grass for the hill every day and that only once the hill is completely bare will her punishment for her crimes be over.

The hairy hands of Dartmoor

Moors are well known for their legends and spooky goings on, but this is one story that is just downright weird. There have been reported sightings of large, disembodied hairy hands appearing in front of drivers on roads through Dartmoor since 1910. The stretch of road on which these sightings occur is a local accident blackspot with many victims claiming that their cars swerved violently seemingly of its own volition. The hairy hands also reportedly torment campers in the local area, apparently large hairy hands like to creep up the side of caravans and hang out near the windows.

Kitty Jay’s grave

While we’re talking about Dartmoor, another local legend surrounds Kitty Jay. Visitors to the village of Manaton will find a gravesite which is widely suspected to be that of a local lady called Kitty Jay, the exact circumstances about her untimely death have never been verified, but the story in the village is that she had an affair with the landowner’s son and found herself in a spot of trouble which led her to being shunned by her lover. It is believed that she killed herself following the rejection and was buried at a crossroads because at the time, suicide victims were not allowed to be buried in consecrated ground. These days the grave is a somewhat morbid tourist attraction because of the mystery of the flowers. Apparently every day fresh flowers appear on the grave daily but no one knows who is responsible, because its Dartmoor, the stories of where the flowers come from include pixies but some speculate that a spirit can be seen kneeling by the grave and it is them that leave the flowers.

Berry Pomeroy Castle


berry pomeroy castle

Image: Berry Pomeroy Castle. 
This castle near Totnes allegedly has two ghosts living within its walls. It’s said to be one of the most haunted sites in the UK. At one time, the castle was owned by the Pomeroy family (where it got its name) before being taken over by the Seymours who history fans will know as being connected to the royal family. Lady Jane Seymour went on to become Henry V111’s third wife.  A White Lady, who some believe to be Lady Margaret Pomeroy,   is said to haunt the dungeons where documents say the unfortunate lady was imprisoned and the Blue Lady, whose identity has never been agreed,  she likes to lure unsuspecting travellers into the ruins.

The hairy hands of Dartmoor

Moors are well known for their legends and spooky goings on, but this is one story that is just downright weird. There have been reported sightings of large, disembodied hairy hands appearing in front of drivers on roads through Dartmoor since 1910. The stretch of road on which these sightings occur is a local accident blackspot with many victims claiming that their cars swerved violently seemingly of its own volition. The hairy hands also reportedly torment campers in the local area, apparently large hairy hands like to creep up the side of caravans and hang out near the windows.

Kitty Jay’s grave

While we’re talking about Dartmoor, another local legend surrounds Kitty Jay. Visitors to the village of Manaton will find a gravesite which is widely suspected to be that of a local lady called Kitty Jay, the exact circumstances about her untimely death have never been verified, but the story in the village is that she had an affair with the landowner’s son and found herself in a spot of trouble which led her to being shunned by her lover. It is believed that she killed herself following the rejection and was buried at a crossroads because at the time, suicide victims were not allowed to be buried in consecrated ground. These days the grave is a somewhat morbid tourist attraction because of the mystery of the flowers. Apparently every day fresh flowers appear on the grave daily but no one knows who is responsible, because its Dartmoor, the stories of where the flowers come from include pixies but some speculate that a spirit can be seen kneeling by the grave and it is them that leave the flowers.

Spooked out yet? Find out what Halloween themed events are going on in Devon here.