On a dark January night, a woman in a white evening dress crossed the busy A75 near Annan. Mostly Ghostly team member John Hill reported seeing her on the Kinmount Straight, a stretch of road associated with strange encounters.
Kathleen Cronie of Mostly Ghostly shares this account on tours exploring Dumfries and Galloway’s ghosts and folklore.
Other motorists have reported figures appearing in front of their vehicles. They think they have hit someone, only to find no trace of an accident.
“To see a solid-looking person walk into the path of thundering traffic is enough to make anyone’s heart stop dead,” Kathleen says.
The A75 has been dubbed “Scotland’s Ghost Road“. Kathleen describes reports of an elderly man in tweeds, a mysterious hooded figure, women and children who appear to belong to another era, and sightings of unusual animals.
Kathleen says there is nothing unusual about the road itself. It is the reported encounters along the Kinmount Straight that make it central to Mostly Ghostly’s A75 Haunted Highways Tour.
Yet one of Kathleen’s favourite legends lies away from the traffic, on the moorland around Corsock.
The Headless Piper of Corsock Moor
Kathleen remembers her grandfather, Tom Carnochan, asking whether she had finally encountered the Headless Piper, a phantom associated with the moorland he knew so well.
“Have ye fun that piper yet?” he would ask. It was his way of taking an interest in her ghost stories and supporting her work.
“The story of the Headless Piper is a particular favourite for its personal connections,” Kathleen says.
The legend tells of a drover caught on exposed moorland in a fierce storm, where he encounters the spectral piper. For Kathleen, the landscape is as important as the story itself.
Her interest in ghosts goes back to primary school. She ran a playground ghost club called Spirit World, where friends swapped stories during their breaks.
How Mostly Ghostly began at the Theatre Royal
Mostly Ghostly launched on Halloween 2008 with a paranormal investigation at the Theatre Royal in Dumfries. Kathleen and her colleagues wanted to research lesser-known local accounts alongside established stories, often using traditional methods.
They began by appealing for stories through local newspapers. The group has since developed into a four-person storytelling collective offering tours and experiences across Dumfries and Galloway.
The team has won multiple awards and works with partners across culture, education and heritage. Their experiences combine careful research with storytelling, with an emphasis on inclusion.
Kathleen recalls sitting on the theatre staircase that first night when she and others heard deliberate footsteps crossing a wooden floor. They radioed the theatre manager, who, she says, was sitting in his office.
“I remember feeling in awe rather than frightened, and am very grateful to have been there,” she says.
The theatre opened on 29 September 1792 and remains particularly important to the team. Kathleen describes its balcony as a place where guests often feel anticipation as they settle into their seats.
At Castle Loch in Lochmaben, one visitor reported what she called a “battle cry”. Others have mentioned horses’ hooves or a strong feeling of being watched from the surrounding woodland.
Kathleen searches Dumfries and Galloway’s borderlands and coast for stories that have nearly been forgotten.
She points to the region’s turbulent border history and strong maritime heritage. Its communities have distinct stories and traditions, with some tales passed down through oral storytelling.
What to expect on a Mostly Ghostly tour
Mostly Ghostly combines local history with storytelling and dramatic, costumed presentations at some locations. The guides want visitors to discover places they might otherwise pass without a second look.
“A warm welcome awaits our guests, who are at the heart of what we do,” Kathleen says.
There is time to chat along the way. If a story captures someone’s imagination, she hopes it might encourage their own research.
“We aim to bring alive the past, making history accessible,” Kathleen says.
The tours also cover witchcraft, crime, justice and battles. Kathleen hopes visitors will want to explore the region further.
Find out more and book Mostly Ghostly tours. You can also contact the team on 07912 145865.
