"As a child of 4 in 1946, my parents went to live in Wales on a small holding, moving from Sellyoak, Birmingham. In 1949 we again moved to a different area of Wales, namely Penuwch, some 7 miles from the market town of Tregaron. The farm's name was Blaenwaun.

In the mid 50s, my Mom and Dad parted for financial reasons, Dad going back to live and work in Birmingham, my mother staying behind in Wales to run the farm - in the running of which I, at the age of 11 - 12, played a major role.

In the autumn of 1954, during what we called the 'potato picking' holiday week off school, my mother went to Birmingham to see Dad for a few days. I was left on the farm, looking after the stock. It was arranged that I sleep at a neighbour's farm for the duration.

The neighbour's farm, Gwarllyn, was owned by a fellow English family and was some mile and a quarter away from us. The walk there was lonely, only passing by two neighbouring farms on the way.

On the first evening at around 8.00pm, I finished my chores and headed off to my bed. It was dark, being mid to late Oct. I recall it was a very stormy night, raining quite heavily and somewhat windy.

Part of the journey involved using what was, according to local legend, part of an old Roman road. I have no idea as to the validity of this statement. It was reputed to have been built to give access to an outlying Roman watchtower - as this area is renowned for its hidden peat bog dangers - erected during the Roman occupation. It was reputed locally that the Romans reached the sea at Aberystwyth on the west coast of Wales, driving a wedge through the centre of Wales approaching from the Shrewsbury area.

Whatever, on this night, I had reached around about the halfway point and found I needed to shelter for a moment from a particularly hard downfall of rain in a small copse of wood right next to the roadside. As I hunkered down, pulling my coat over my head, there was a flash of lightning and I saw horsemen approaching my position along the road in the direction I had just covered. I awaited more lightning but the skies did not oblige.

As I waited for the rain to abate, I heard the clop of approaching horses hooves, the chink of metal on metal along with the creaking of leather. I could also smell the characteristic smell of wet horses.

I counted eight pairs of horses complete with riders who seemed to be wearing cloaks and some form of head gear, I could not make out exactly what the head gear was, except that one of the lead riders looked to be wearing something different on his head, all the rest looked identical as the passed by me. There were no voices, just the sounds I have mentioned, along with the smell of wet horses.

As the rain and my initial fear abated, I got up from my position and looked along the road and I could just make out the last two riders as they disappeared from view over a rise in the road some 25 to 30 yards away. I ran after them, but when I arrived at the top of the rise, there was no sign at all of them. They had disappeared into thin air."

Written by Lance Simcox from Derby