Ghosts and Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees

Did a ghost haunt the grounds of Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant? Why was a man in a top hat seen walking a Monmouthshire hillside? Can a thorn bush really be haunted? And who was the Woman in White said to appear near Penallt?

In this episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast, I return to Monmouthshire to revisit accounts collected in the 1960s by archaeologist Stephen Clarke in his book Ghosts of Monmouth.

These are n...

What do you do when phantom hounds howl outside your home? What does it mean when a bird appears at the window? And are Wales's - and England's - death omens mere superstition... or something more?

In this episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast, we explore the eerie world of Welsh death omens - from ghost dogs and phantom hounds to mysterious birds said to bring warnings from beyond.

Drawing on strange accounts recorde...

Who was the mysterious Queen of the Lakes said to rule the waters of north Wales? How did one Pembrokeshire woman armed with only a pitchfork help defeat French invaders? And did Welsh folklore really tell of women strong enough to wrestle grown men, fight invading armies, and become giants?

In this episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast, we explore a trio of larger-than-life Welsh women whose stories tow a fine line b...

Who - or what - was moving the stones in the dead of night? What were  those uncanny voices? Why would a church be built in one place… only to appear somewhere else the next morning? And why do so many Welsh villages share the same unsettling story? 

Across Wales, there are legends of churches that refused to stay put.

Builders would spend all day raising walls and laying foundations… only to return the next...

Who is the faceless figure drifting silently along the banks of the River Wye? What happens if you anger the spirits said to live within an ancient Welsh oak tree? And what crashes through the night on a long-lost road… even after the road itself has vanished? 

In this episode, we head to Monmouthshire - an area packed with strange sightings, old stories and accounts passed down through local newspapers and word of mout...

GHOSTS AND FOLKLORE IS BACK - BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER! 👻

*** PLEASE NOTE: The video version of this episode is available on YouTube only, despite what I said - you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/DRvNwVVFSyw - sorry! ***

I’ve been off gallivanting about the world, but normal spooky service resumes VERY soon - in two weeks, in fact.

You can check out the new YouTube series Paranormal Unpacked here: https://www.youtube...

Which Christmas decoration began life as a witch-repelling charm? What haunted Welsh mansion has glowing fog drifting through its corridors even in summer? And who is the mysterious Boy in Blue said to appear in an unnerving old painting?

This Christmas, we return to Dinefwr and Llandeilo - some of the most haunted locations in Wales - with storyteller and National Trust guide Ronnie Kerswell-O’Hara, who previously joined us ...

How do you build a Mari Lwyd? Where do you find a horse skull? How heavy is it really – and how on earth do you dance with one?

This Christmas, we go behind the folklore of Wales’s most iconic winter visitor – the Mari Lwyd – to uncover the practical secrets rarely talked about: construction, decoration, materials, performance, and the surprisingly tricky art of bringing a skeletal horse to life.

Mark Rees i...

What happens when you spend Halloween night in one of Wales’s eeriest ruins? Who – or what – haunts the sand-blown walls of Pennard Castle? And could the terrifying Gwrach y Rhibyn still be keeping watch?

It’s Halloween Eve, and Mark Rees heads to the haunted remains of Pennard Castle on the Gower Peninsula – a place steeped in ghostly sightings, fairy-folk legends and one of Wales’s most c...

🎃👻 What dangerous games did people play on the night when the veil between worlds was at its thinnest? Who walked the dark lanes of Wales on Nos Calan Gaeaf long before modern Halloween lights flickered? 

In this special Halloween episode, Mark Rees explores centuries-old Welsh traditions that mixed fun, fear, and fortune-telling. From sowing hemp seeds in graveyards to listening at church doors for whispered names, di...

Who is the mysterious Ghost Rider haunting a lonely Welsh road plagued by Halloween Jack-o'-Lanterns? What dark link ties this spectral horseman to an old murder, a flickering light in the darkness, and the Devil himself?

On this episode, journey into the shadows of rural Wales, where folklore and fear merge on moonlit lanes. Discover the chilling tale of a ghost rider whose hooves are not quite human, and why this terrifying...

What if death could knock on your door — quite literally — before claiming a life? Would you answer? Would you believe it? And what strange thread connects these events in Wales to a death in America?

In this eerie real-life account from 19th-century Wales, a tailor living in a remote farmhouse near Newcastle Emlyn is disturbed by strange and persistent sounds — knocking at doors and windows, ghostly wailing...

Why do people report ghostly knights, phantom horses and spectral visions during the full moon in this Welsh beauty spot? What ancient force still lingers atop Cefn Bryn? 

On this episode, Mark journeys to the windswept heights of Gower during the summer solstice to investigate one of Wales’s oldest and most mysterious sites — a place steeped in druidic ritual, pagan legend, and haunting lore.

Is this neolith...

Why has Craig-y-Nos Castle drawn ghost hunters, psychics and TV crews for decades? What secrets still linger in its shadowy halls? Find out in the 5th anniversary episode of Ghosts and Folklore of Wales.

This month, Mark returns to one of the UK’s most famously "most haunted" sites — a place so notorious it’s become part of British paranormal legend. Once home to opera star Adelina Patti and now a hotspot fo...

What kind of spectral creature leaps onto a corpse, rides in the hearse, and disappears into the mourners at the graveside?

In this folkloric lucky dip of ghostly odds and ends, Mark Rees unearths the eerie tales too strange, too short, or too scattered to fit anywhere else… until now.

Why did a grand Welsh mansion blaze with phantom lights long after its owner had died? Who — or what — tormented a hardwork...

Who knocks at midnight—and what do they want? Are these visitors of the night bringing gifts or a curse?

When a knock came at midnight, the family inside had no idea the supernatural visitors weren’t just visiting—they were hunting. 

A seemingly generous call from the Tylwyth Teg—the fairy folk of Welsh folklore—soon unravels into one of the darkest changeling tales ever recorded in Wales. W...

What lurks in the shadows of one of Wales’ most striking castles? What happens when a medieval battlefield becomes a haunted ruin? And can a headless ghost really ask for help?

In this spine-chilling episode, we uncover the eerie legends of Kidwelly Castle - an ancient fortress steeped in bloodshed, rebellion and restless spirits.

From the tragic tale of Gwenllian, Wales’ first warrior princess, who was brutally e...

What would you do if you came face to face with a ghostly hound? Would you reach out to pet it, or run the other way? And what if that spectral dog wasn’t just a harmless apparition, but a chilling omen of death?

In this episode, we explore two terrifying real-life encounters with ghost dogs in Wales - one a faithful spirit bound by loyalty, the other a sinister harbinger of doom.

What happened when a man walking home t...

What would you do if you stumbled upon a stash of gold in the forest, knowing it might vanish with just one word? Could it be the legendary fairy gold of folklore, a treasure bound by secrecy and mischief?

In this episode, we dive into enchanting tales of the mysterious wealth bestowed by the fairy folk—fortunes that could disappear in a puff of smoke if their origin is revealed.

What makes fairy gold so coveted yet so ...