With Summer coming to an end, why not take in the changing seasons with a lovely woodland walk?
There’s birds, bugs, maybe even a deer or two to look out for, but in these four freaky forests, you may need to keep your eyes peeled for a ghost.
Let’s explore four freaky forests and weird woodlands.
Hoia Baciu, Romania
Sitting in Northwest Romania, Hoia Forest, as it is sometimes known, is 3 square kilometres of weird woodland.
The forest is allegedly named after a missing shepherd who went into the depths of the forest with his flock of 200 sheep, never to be seen again.
He’s not the only one who’s fallen foul of the forest. Another tale speaks of a 5 year old girl who disappeared in the woods, only to return five years later, completely unchanged and even wearing the same clothes she vanished in.
Ghostly visitations are abundant in Hoia Baciu, but it’s also gained notoriety as a UFO hotspot. In the 60s, military technician Emil Barnea came forward with photographs of strange arial phenomenon taking place over a section of forest known as The Clearing.
The Soviet government weren’t too happy about this and Barnea subsequently lost his job.
In subsequent years, Hoia Baciu has been featured in a host of paranormal reality shows and is infamous for effecting its visitors with nausea, rashes and acute anxiety. Even today, it’s said that visitors arrive specifically to open portals and conduct seances in the woodland.
If you choose to visit the forest, be sure to stay on the path. Try not to be lured deeper into the woods by its spiralling trees, or you may become Hoia Baciu’s next ghost.
Cannock Chase, England
Nestled in the heart of Staffordshire, this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is well known for its countryside views and woodland walks. However, according to some, there’s more to watch out for than the occasional deer.
In modern folklore, Cannock Chase has gained notoriety for sightings of Black Dogs, Big Cats and even Werewolves. However, one of the most infamous paranormal entities said to lurk among the trees of Cannock Chase are Black Eyed Children.
A ghostly girl with black eyes has been reportedly seen since the 1970s. She is said to dress in “old fashioned” clothes, and approach strangers for help, only for them to fall under the spell of her pitch black eyes. Witnesses are often said to report nausea and headaches after seeing her, as well as the feeling if being “hypnotised” by her presence.
Other supposed ghosts include soldiers from World War I and II, located around the Chase’s War Cemetery, as well as the ghost of the First Marquess of Anglesey, who is said to ride through the woodland with his pack of ghostly hounds.
There’s also been talk of UFOs, phantom cyclists and a pig-person hybrid, supposedly resulting from an abandoned military experiment.
Devil’s Tramping Ground, North Carolina, USA
A camping spot can be found near Harper’s Crossroads in Bear Creek, North Carolina, that you might want to avoid.
This clearing has been the subject of local infamy for generations. Legend has it that on certain nights, the Devil’s said to walk in circles around the clearing, thinking up all manner of nasty, wicked deeds.
It’s thought that nothing grows in the circle the Devil “tramps”, and its said that anything left there overnight will mysteriously disappear by the next morning.
The State Department of Agriculture has allegedly taken soil samples from the area, but can’t seem to find a reason for why the circle is barren.
Dering Woods, Pluckley, UK
Dering Woods surround the village of Pluckley, known as “the most haunted village in England,” so it’s no surprise the forest has a few spooks of its own. In fact. It’s sometimes given the monicker, Screaming Woods.
This is for seemingly good reason, as visitors often report chilling screams from the darkest parts of the forest at night. This could be blamed on the occasional fox, but many avoid the woods in daylight too, when whispers and footsteps are said to be heard.
A Highway man was known to stalk the woods, and its his ghost that supposedly haunts Screaming Woods. Still, others believe the forest’s chilling tale results from a Halloween massacre in 1948, where 20 people were allegedly found dead in the forest by unknown means.
Fortunately, the latter story is likely an urban legend, but it’s still best to avoid Dering Woods, because the next scream the residents hear could be your own.
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