Written by Phil Bishop from Shropshire
"This may sound strange but here goes. I have fond memories of a holiday I once spent in the picturesque town of Aberystwyth, staying at the Clarendon Hotel on the promenade (1971 July 23). Maybe it's just the fact that Halloween is looming upon us, but my mind goes back to an event which has stayed with me and my wife all of our lives and I would like to share it with you, perhaps to see if anyone can enlighten us, or has had similar experiences.
I will continue in my wife's own words: Apparently not being able to sleep and looking out from our hotel window over the promenade she saw a young girl leaning on the railings and looking out to sea, at first, all appearing normal, she thought nothing of it. Then she saw a young male running up the promenade, at this point she realised that these people were not as they seemed, they were floating silently above the pavement level by about a foot or so, to this she awoke me frantically and I rushed to the window to see.
To my amazement I instantly saw that their feet were not in contact with the ground, I could hardly believe what my eyes were seeing. The young male continued to run towards the girl who turned towards him as if to greet him, they both seemed very happy to see each other as the male embraced her enthusiastically, but all of this seemed to happen in slow motion and not in contact with the floor.
I realised what I was seeing was unnatural and tried to shout to them to catch their attention but was unable to utter a sound. I can still see their attire. After a short time they ran up the promenade, hand in hand, towards the beach access at the end of the promenade.
I was still trying to get their attention but only a whisper would come out. Then they disappeared down the steps to the beach, into the sea at high tide, to our disbelief. We waited to see if they returned for some time, to no avail. Disbelieving what we had both seen we discussed this through a sleepless night.
The next morning as we were leaving the hotel we mentioned this to the hotel proprietor, who dumbfounded and in amazement, disclosed that a young couple in the sixties some time ago had got trapped by the incoming tide on the beach, the other side of the rock at the end of the promenade of which I do not know the name.
I am posting this account in the hope that someone may have similar experiences or could shed some light on the events which transpired that night."
Written by Phil Bishop from Shropshire
your comments
Mr Jones
I believe that I have seen the same thing, i was dow by the prom early one morning last september reading the paper, wen i saw a young boy looking out over the sea, whith his feet slightly hovering off the ground, and in this case it was a boy that ran towards her, and I heard him whisper what sounded like the words "Seven Park Avenue" Does this make any sense to anyone else??
Tue Nov 10 07:58:41 2009
John Bates - Aberystwyth..
I've lived in Aber all 32 years of my life and not seen a ghost..But my great grandfather has so he says..here the story goes.!!About 60 years ago on a Lampeter road he was walking home after playing darts when the roads started to get a bit narrow..he tried to keep in from the oncoming traffic so he tried to stay on the curb..he must've walked for miles he said..any way as time was getting on he could see some street lights ahead to his relief..finishing his cigarette he chucked it in the air!!looking up he could see this figure up on the bank ahead of him on the left hand side.As he got closer this figure was rather large and noises were being heard by him..he stopped and looked up towards the bank and towards his disbelief he honestly thought it was the devil himself..he didn't mention this to any of his friends..just his family..
Mon Aug 24 17:07:15 2009
Sarah from Los Angeles
I lived in Aber, up on Dinas Terrace, past the marina, from September '05 to April '06. I was a post grad student at UWA and experienced MANY ghostly encounters in that house on Dinas Terrace. Among them was a spirit of a little girl who I would hear playfully scream in the middle of the night, and I believe it was also this playful little girl who would take my keys, because they would sometimes disappear and reappear in different parts of the house (I interrogated my housemates, and it was none of them) There were many different things that happened over those months in that house,! and no one needs to convince me that there are ghosts in Aberystwyth!
Fri Aug 14 10:30:53 2009
Thomas - Aberystwyth
It's really weird. I keep seeing this green ghost at the edge of the sea. And it's always at 5:27pm. At first I thought I was day-dreaming but then I saw it again and again. Then it started to appear in different places - like 30 miles out at sea or underneath the end of the jetty. One day I was looking for it at normal time when everyone started pointing at someone - or something!!!! Then everyone stopped pointing and just carried on doing their own thing. Weird!! I then threw a stick at the ghost but it just went through it.
Tue Apr 21 09:54:31 2009
Lisa Hollaway
I once saw a lady on the cliff and she was in the games room playing on a games machine,I thought nothing of it until I saw her move quickly away and headed towards the edge of the cliff, after turning round and turning back she had gone!....... Spookey hey.
Fri Apr 17 11:41:18 2009
S
I was at University in Aber between 2001 and 2005. For a year I lived with friends in Cambrian Street. I always felt uneasy in the kitchen and utility room, often feeling watched with crills up my back. Sometimes I saw one of my friends entering the kitchen in the corner of my eye and would begin talking to them, but there was no one there. After a few weeks I told one of my house mates who confessed to me that his mother also thought there was a presence in that part of the house. After I had been living there for a few months I spent a hour or so watching TV in my own in the front room... I switched ! off the TV and went to put my cup in the kitchen, you entered it from the halllway which had semi light the kitchen. As I put the cup down I saw someone in the window in the corner of my eye, I did a double take looking straight at him. He was the single most sinister thing I have ever seen, with black eyes which stared right at me and frightened me. I screamed (and I am not a screamer!) and fled three stories to my best friends room. Someone checked the back yard and the windows, there is no way anyone except my extremely old neighbours could have entered the back yard. He was wearing a blue jacket and a blue hat with a rim in a similar colour and had dark hair.
Wed Mar 11 10:10:59 2009
Alun, Bridgend
I stayed in Plynlymon Hall, Victoria Terrace whilst at Aber in the late seventies. I shared one of the attic rooms with another student. Early one morning I was awoken by my terrified room-mate claiming that a female form had appeared at the foot of his bed. The apparition was formless from the waist down. She slowly lifted her hand to point at my friend who was petrified and unable to move. Only when she vanished could he call out to me. My room-mate refused to sleep in the room again and changed accommodation shortly afterwards. Plyn burned down some years later and has now been rebuilt with the facade the same as the original
Thu Mar 5 14:34:27 2009
Mark Rheinlander
I was a student at Aberystwyth and during 1982/1983 I lived in the Clarendon Hotel in a room overlooking the ocean. Sadly, while I never saw a ghost, I did see our Landlord, an ex-boxer, nearly become one when he tried to fix the faulty battery in his ancient Jag by bridging the contacts with a large wrench. He almost cleared the railing from the roadside.
Sun Mar 1 19:58:28 2009
Alys from Cardiff
Staying in Aberystwyth this weekend (16 Aug 08). We stayed in the Marine Hotel on the front - very nice but sloping floors in the attic. Went to visit the Castle late Saturday evening, about half an hour before sunset - took photos. ON one there is a glowing shape that was not there on the night. On another a light is coming from the top of one of the gorsedd stones. Another stone looks like it has changed into a wildcat - my son and I both see a cat, but my partner does not.
Wed Aug 20 09:08:06 2008
Felix Cryer
i was walkin out of my boyfriends house on june 8 2008, I saw this black shadow over the beach as if there was a man standing there this was at 10 o clock at night ,iwent closer and closer to it then it started to move away,i was about 200 feet away, then this gust of wind came and it swept away i was certain it was a ghost.
Sun Jul 20 13:36:37 2008
Shelley Hobbs, Gibraltar
I was at university in Aber about 10 years ago and my mum was driving me home through the B roads to Bristol+ (like theres a choice!). I saw through the sunroof of the car, an enormous WWII grey bomber plane skimming the top of the trees above us as if it was going to crashland but was making no noise. We had all windows and the sunroof open as it was summer, but yet heard nothing.We both saw it just miss the side of the hill as we went round the corner and both expected to see the wreck on the other side of the hill - but there was nothing there. It was bizarre - w! e have both always thought we saw a ghost plane and have seen in the national papers stories of ghost planes in Wales.We both honestly think to this day we saw a ghost plane - there could not have been any other explanation - it could not have missed the hill - it could not have been any more than 50 ft above us!
Mon Jul 14 16:57:26 2008
G Williams, Aberystwyth
Regarding the comment by Paul Jay Willenhall about the low flying ww2 bomber he saw on the A44 between LLangurig and Aberystwyth on the hilly area. I think the area he is talking about is Eisteddfa Gurig which is a farm at the base of the mountain pumlumon. There is a walkway to he peak of this this mountain and on the walk their is a old mine and strangely enough their are remains of an old ww2 bomber up their which might have somthing to do with your sighting that day.If you want directions to the remains of the old bomber,speak to the owners of the farm/land and they will direct you to it.
Mon Jun 16 09:10:07 2008
Rebecca from Aberystwyth
My Dad had a strange experience on the old Penparcau Bridge which stretched across the Rheidol river. It was a stormy night and he could see a man walking towards him over the bridge. My Dad could not hear the man's footsteps so assumed he must be wearing rubber soled shoes (my Dad was a shoe repairer so he'd think of things like this!) Anyway, as the man passed my dad, he disapeared. My Dad looked over the bridge to see if this man had jumped off but there was nothing, he just vanished.
Tue Apr 15 16:39:14 2008
Ethan Kent , Aberystwyth!
yo! I live in Aberystwyth that story really gives me the chills! its weird I live here too! with all the paronormal events going on.
Wed Mar 5 09:12:58 2008
Georgia Herbert South Wales
Jamie b! This has happened to me on several different accounts, and happened to my brother too. Its a horrible feeling and i get it alot! i will be fast asleep, and suddenly feel something or someone grabbing me, so naturally i would bolt upright but its happened so much i try not to keep my eyes open because im terrified of what i might see!
Mon Feb 11 00:02:18 2008
MJ, Aberystwyth
Aber has a lot of history connected with the castle and also many people have drowned in Cardigan bay. Only a few weeks ago, someone drowned. But I don't think there's anything to be afraid of: Aberystwyth has such a lovely feel about it I don't think anything supernatural here would harm anyone. Aber's crammed with churches: God's stronger than anything like this and He wouldn't let these things hurt anyone.
Mon Nov 26 08:00:04 2007
Helen, Manchester
After finishing uni in Aber, I stayed with friends in the now derelict Boar's Head pub where we heard heavy set footsteps and jangling keys which hark back to when a former landlord lost his fiancee in winter storms on the promenade. Devestated, he climbed the stairs and hung himself from a beam in the attic rooms. Legend has it that if you follow the footsteps, you will see his ghost. We certainly heard him!
Wed Oct 17 12:06:07 2007
Paul Jay, Willenhall
I was driving along the A44 betwen Llangurig and Aberystwyth on Thursday 15 March 2007 midway between Llangurig and Aberystwyth at a point where the landscape is very hilly. About half way along I was startled to see an old green aircraft only about 15 feet, if that, from the ground, it was making no noise which struck me as odd, it was to my right and looked as if it was about to cross the road and crash.I looked in my rear view mirror and saw nothing cross the road, there was no noise and no crash, the plane had just vanished.About a week later I was watching Foyles War on TV. They showed a sequence of a bouncing bomb being tested during WW2, to my surprise the aircraft be! ing used was exactly the same as the one I saw on the way to aberystwyth ( but foyles war had used archive film).I have driven that route several times since and have not seen any plane again.I am also puzzled as to why the aircraft was flying so low in such a hilly srea,why it made no noise and why there was no crash.I am convinced I saw a ghost plane from WW2.
Tue Jun 5 17:05:11 2007
Garin - Aberystwyth
Look at the comment from George Smith coz i am in it.
Sat Apr 7 18:10:17 2007
Gareth , Stafford
I'm speeking in my mums words. when se was a little girl she woke up one night and saw a old man sitting at the end of the bed. the next morning she asked her mum and discribed the man to her, to my mums amazment the man at the end ofthe bed turned out to be my great great grandfarther
Sun Mar 25 11:25:51 2007
Bini, India
My father shared this incident with me. This happened before he got married. At around 12:30 am, he was sitting outside his house with his friend. It was a hot night. There was an old widow next to my father's house. She never use to mix with people, but she had a best friend (another old widow of her age) staying opposite to her house. My father saw someone coming out of her house (in a white gown).He could not see that persons feet. That shadow moved towards the other old lady's house. They were little surprised by seeing this at the middle of the night, as women normally do not go out at this time.
Anyways! next day my father went to meet the other lady and asked her if her friend came to meet her last night. She said that no one came to see her and moreover that, her friend was out of town last night.
This is really weird
Tue Mar 6 15:19:39 2007
Rob Buckinghamshire
While at uni in aber i decided to drive out to Llanidloes one evening to try all the pubs. Me and a mate went in four or five pubs (I had one drink then on lemonade the rest of the night). While walking back to the car we admired all the old buildings in the dim streetlight and decided to take a few photos of the market place and the old church. On driving back on the A44 between Llangurig and Pant Mawr around midnight, I was really startled to see something moving along the side of the road, it was a black dog just walking along the roadside towards us, seeing it at the roadside made me swerve a little yet the dog didn't react to us speeding along the empty road. We wandered what it was doing there in the middle of nowhere at night. The spot is particularly desolate with nothing spare a farmhouse which is aboot 2 miles away on the other side of the valley. The animal lover in me wanted to stop and see if the dog was allright but everything else including my passenger said keep on driving. The next day we looked at the pictures from the digital camera we had and found of five pictures we took of the old church in Llangurig the last had three or four whispy streaks of mist in the picture. It still freaks me out when i think of that night.
Sat Feb 17 17:51:37 2007
Mike Griffiths from Aberystwyth
I also experienced many similar ghostly and eerie sightings in the early 1970's, on the Promenade at Aberystwyth. Usually after leaving The Marine Hotel, under the influence of Watney's Red Barrel beer !
Mon Jan 1 12:28:41 2007
George Smith - Aberystwyth
What an experience I love seeing ghosts. I remember when I was with my friend Garin, I kept on seeing a young man dressed in a brown army uniform by the rock pools on the aberystwyth prom, floating one or two feet above the ground. Every time I go to the prom I always see the same gost over and over again but in 5 difrent places - the top window of the Marine hotel,on the edge of the pier,Tanybywlch lighthouse,in the sea and on the rockpools.
Fri Nov 3 10:25:13 2006
Jamie B
I lived on the sea front in Aberystwyth a couple of years ago, and one night i was quickly awoken, at 3:10am, by a tap/grab on the shoulder, as i looked up i saw the the outline of a woman with no face, who then slowly backed away and dissapeared. It could have just been me being silly and waking myself up but what was strange was that every natural instinct in my body told me someone was there, i was asking what was the matter, thinking it was a housemate with an emergency. A few months later a friend of mine visited with her parents, who are all quite 'switched' on to these things apparently. I had not said a word to her about the incident, but as soon as they walked in she said there are two presences here in this house, one male and one female, they are both good but the female one has been looking after you. It had been a rough few months. Was pretty scary, also in her visit she saw a monk walk upstairs in a local pub, better not say which though!
Mon Oct 30 17:15:03 2006
Jane, Danville
I remember a very sad summer when we were transitoning from Penparcau to Ardwin, when Clive Edwards 11 years old tried to save his brother John Edwards off Clarach beach and drowned triying to save him. It always haunts me.
Mon Oct 2 11:03:59 2006
C from Birmingham
I remember at primary school a guy came in with a painting of the south of the promenade in Aberystwyth. Vaguely remember something about a mysterious woman on the painting, I think she may have appeared to the painter or something along those lines. No doubt there are supernatural occurances in Aber, I'm sure my student house is haunted.
Mon Jan 30 19:56:50 2006
Gibson
What a great experiance, I hope it did not frighten you. Quite a few people have sadly lost their life in the sea off Aber and something like this can bring some hope to famlies and friends.
Thu Jan 19 12:01:23 2006
J
maybe they were looking for each other and at the point of meeting went to their final resting place
Fri Dec 2 04:46:02 2005
Can you shed any more light on this suspected ghost sighting? Have you ever experienced anything eerie on Aberystwyth prom? Add your comments below and we'll add them to the site!
Phil Bishop sent in this eerie account of a ghostly sighting on Aberystwyth prom in the early 1970s. He hopes that someone may have had a similar experience. Can you account for what he saw?
