The haunted highways of Bolton are not marked by crumbling ruins or shadowy halls, but by restless spirits lingering on the everyday roads we travel, writes GEMMA JOHNSON
Roads are our way of getting from A to B. We use them every day without thinking.
They are mundane, occasionally irritating, and something that we all try to avoid in the depths of rush hour. Yet they are essential. They always have been.
The roads that we have today—tarmacked and convenient—weren’t always there. In fact, this type of road wasn’t introduced until 1902. Prior to this, there were cobbles and dirt tracks.
It is in the cobbles and dirt where the stories remain, forming urban legends and tales to send a chill down the spine.
Bradshaw Gate
Bradshaw Gate is a main road running through the town of Bolton. It is the source of nightlife, with pubs, bars and restaurants, thousands of revellers walking up and down the road each weekend, queues of taxis forming with the humdrum of frivolity in the background.
But there is a dark secret lurking on this very road.
In 1940, Minnie Stott tragically lost her life on this road, at the hands of an unknown killer. Minnie was just 17 years old when she died and her murder has never been solved.
Local legend is that her spirit remains in the area, unable to find true rest.
Belmont Road
Belmont Road is a rural road which passes through moorland favoured by hikers. It is a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of Bradshaw Gate.
But don’t be fooled. This road has an equally chilling reputation for hauntings.
The road is rumoured to be haunted by a doomed highwayman who was falsely accused of a crime for which he was executed. Locals report seeing his lonely figure pacing in the road, the noose remaining around his neck.
Legend also has it that his appearances are often accompanied by screaming sounds, piercing the quiet and stillness of the surrounding countryside.
A666, the most haunted highway
However, it is the A666 in Bolton that has the reputation as being one of the most haunted roads in the UK.
It is a major road linking Bolton, Blackburn and Greater Manchester. It is also locally referred to as The Devil’s Highway—not just because of the number 666 but also because of the strange experiences that occur there.
A shadow figure has been reported on the road: the shadowy outline of a hunched-over figure, limping into oncoming traffic. Drivers are so alarmed by the appearance that they brake sharply, afraid of injuring a person.
So much so that there have been accidents caused as a result of the eerie apparition.
In recent years, since the introduction of dash cams, there have been an increasing number of recorded images—allegedly of the shadow figure—appearing on social media.
But that is not the only strange experience reported on the road.
There have been many reports of drivers experiencing what can only be described as a ‘time lapse’. They describe a loss of time, recalling pulling on to the A666 but then remembering nothing more until they arrive at their destination much later than expected and confused as to the loss of time.
It could quite easily be drivers disassociating with the route because of the familiarity that they have with it. But it could also be something completely unexplainable.
Haunted roads are fascinating. They are a reminder of our history and the stories of those that have come before us.
These stories are not always happy ones.
Just as emotion and stories can be absorbed into the walls of a building, they can also be absorbed into the fabric of a road.
Next time you are stuck in traffic, take the opportunity to look around you—because your fellow passengers may be of the otherworldly kind.
Find out more about England’s most haunted roads on Spooky Isles.
