A ride into the spooctacular National Park on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Witches & Wizards Week, 24 October – 1 November 2015
Halloween Story Trains, Friday 30 October and Saturday 31 October 2015
With North Yorkshire regularly proclaimed one of the top places in the country to see ghosts, visitors to the region during October are invited to explore the myths and legends of the moors aboard the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, with story trains and trails for families, and venues of paranormal encounters at each stop along the way.
“Whether you are looking for fiendishly funny witches and wizards, or exploring some of the myths and legends along the railway line, you are more than welcome to climb aboard one of our services during October half term,” comments Laura Hepburn, interim marketing manager of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. “Our ever-popular story trains will see our very own witches’ coven playing tricks and telling trails on Friday 30 October and Saturday 31 October, and we’ll have a fun trail running the whole length of the line for families, with a chance to win a family ticket, throughout the holiday week!”
For those looking for a real paranormal experience, a ride on the railway opens opportunities for ghost-hunting along the way. Local legends include:
- A giant dog-like create called the Gytrash, said to haunt the North York Moors near Goathland
- Although no longer a pub, old Saltersgate Inn on the A169 near Levisham was apparently cursed so that a fire must burn continually in its hearth to avoid catastrophe! The legend dates back to the 1730s, when an excise man was killed in the pub when trying to capture smugglers – his ghost was said to haunt the building after his body was buried under the hearth.
- Newtondale Halt had a previous life as Warrenby Halt, taken from the village of Warrenby, near Redcar, where it was the North East’s last gas-lit railway station on the Darlington to Saltburn line. Warrenby, which saw a massive boiler explosion kill 11 men in 1895, is now described as a ‘ghost village’, as all the residents moved out in the 1980s. It is now home only to industrial units.
- Pickering is the spectral home to many ghosts, with the castle being a particular hub of haunted activity, from a ghost monk said to walk through the grounds, to a mysterious child and her dog spotted by a former custodian in the keep.
- Adopted by Bram Stoker as the place where Dracula arrived on English shores, Whitby has plenty of ghost stories that predate the immortal vampire! The haunting ruins of Whitby Abbey have reported sightings of St Hild high in a window, and a mysterious choir that can sometimes be heard in the grounds, whilst down in the town itself, a phantom stage coach and horses has been spotted near Green Lane, and a headless ghost spotted at Fitzsteps!
October half term is the last full week of operation for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in 2015, but a wonderful time to enjoy the stunning autumnal colours along the line. Services run every day between Pickering and Whitby until 1 November, with daily timetables and fares available at www.nymr.co.uk
For more details, or to prebook onto the Halloween Story Trains (£22.00 for adults, £19.00 for concessions and £12.00 for children, with a family ticket including up to four children for £50.00), please visit www.nymr.co.uk or call 01751 472508.
ENDS
For further media information or photographs, please contact:
Jay Commins
Pyper York Limited
Tel: 01904 500698
Email: jay@pyperyork.co.uk
