Ghostly Encounters, Roadside Apparitions & What Insurers Think

There is a wealth of folklore associated with Britain's roads. When you drive late enough, along the right stretch of tarmac, you'll hear tales of ghost hitchhikers, ghostly vehicles, and figures that vanish into thin air.

Here are five of the most famous spectral road users you might want to avoid this Halloween.

1.   Ghost of Rotherhithe Tunnel (London)

The Rotherhithe Tunnel, which opened in 1908, was an engineering marvel in its day. The driving experience is still claustrophobic: narrow, echoing, suffused with fumes.

There have been reports for decades of a mysterious figure appearing in drivers' headlights... in the form of a pale man in oil-stained overalls.

According to some, he was an injured motorcyclist in the 1960s, while others say a lorry crushed him. Either way, his fate is replayed endlessly for the living.

While drivers brake, swerve, and curse, only an empty road can be seen behind them.

2.   Kent's Phantom Hitchhiker of Blue Bell Hill

Blue Bell Hill, on the A229 near Maidstone, is home to one of Britain’s most famous spectral travellers. Following a 1965 crash that killed three young women, drivers have reported picking up a beautiful, silent hitchhiker in a white dress.

After accepting a ride, she directs the driver a short distance before disappearing from the back seat. Others see her dart into the road, only for her to dissolve into thin air when struck.

There are many witness statements in police files, but no answers.

3.   The Phantom Coach of the A38 (Somerset)

The past and present collide mystically on the A38 near Wellington. There have been reports of horse-drawn coaches charging across carriageways at night, complete with galloping hooves and flickering lamps.

As a result, drivers swerve to avoid collisions because the vision is so solid. Historians point to 17th-century highwaymen whose spirits were cursed to ride for eternity along the route.

The ghostly coach has become one of the South West’s most enduring road legends.

4.   A ghost lorry in the Scottish Highlands

The A9 is Scotland's longest road, and many say it's the most haunted. It is the ghost lorry that stands above the countless tales of white ladies and phantom travellers.

For more than half a century, it has been reported that a huge articulated lorry was bearing down on them at high speed with its headlights blazing and its horn blaring.

In an instant, it vanishes, leaving the shaken driver clutching the steering wheel. There are some who link the story to a spate of lorry crashes after World War II.

5.   The Stockbridge Bypass Children (Derbyshire)

During construction of the Stockbridge Bypass in the 1980s, workers reported hearing children's laughter at night.

It was reported that they saw small figures darting between machinery and piling stones as if they were playing. In the years since its opening, drivers have reported seeing children run across the dual carriageway, only to disappear beneath the glare of headlights.

There are whispers that the road was built over ancient burial grounds, ruining something best left untouched.

In light of that, perhaps it's best to stay inside this Halloween, as we are not exactly sure what our claims team would think if an accident report stated reversing to avoid a ghost…