Members of the Dumfries-based Mostly Ghostly team are set to share some of their unexplained moments in the field.
They’ll be opening their case files and reliving haunting moments from their supernatural sleuthing over the past 16 years at fascinating places, including the A75 haunted highway, the old Mount Sydney Inn and Closeburn Castle, with many providing strange and thought-provoking results.
Their Close Encounters of The Eerie Kind evening takes place at The Brigend Theatre, Dumfries, on Saturday (October 12) and tickets are available online at Ticketsource and at the Midsteeple Box Office in Dumfries.
The paranormal investigators, who are also known for their award winning history tours, will reveal eerie, unsettling accounts from places such as Threave House, Garlieston Road, and Lochmaben Castle – where a team member, John Hill, was confronted with a chaotic scene near Castle Loch.
He recalls: “I had gone for a walk with Kathleen and Mary along the loch, when all of a sudden I could see a group of men on horseback, and beneath them, women and children running around with no purpose or direction. I stood, quite mesmerised, and realised the scene was repeating itself, like a loop, the same people running backwards and forwards, as if being chased by the horsemen…”
Team founder Kathleen Cronie said: “Close Encounters promises to be an eerily entertaining evening and is the first event of this kind we’ve held. We’re super-excited at the prospect of welcoming our guests, reflecting on the early days, and revealing insights from our most baffling cases.
“We’re often asked about our personal experiences; have we seen a ghost, felt a presence, witnessed an object move – people have an enduring fascination with the paranormal, and Close Encounters gives us an opportunity to share our most curious and unnerving experiences first-hand.”
And speaking of ghostly experiences, Kathleen will never forget her very first investigation at the Theatre Royal in Dumfries – Scotland’s oldest working theatre with a long reputation for the unexplained.
She said: “I witnessed what I believe to be my first ghostly encounter there.
“While gathered on the old staircase adjoining the foyer and balcony, I stood in awe, listening, as the sound of deliberate, measured footsteps walked across a wooden floor.
“Nothing strange – until you consider there was only four of us present, all standing together, with the theatre manager tucked comfortably away in his office.”
Saturday’s audience will discover that team members Kenny Murray and Mary Wood are also keen to share their stories too.
Describing an encounter on a sunny Thursday drive between Dalbeattie and Castle Douglas, Kenny said: “I had just crossed the bridge before you get to the quarry, when I sensed a strong presence coming from the back seat of the car. I was working in my other role as a taxi driver at the time, and this passenger was a bit different from most.
“I couldn’t bring myself to look in the rear view mirror for fear of what I might see, and a bit further along, the sensation disappeared as quickly as it came.”
In another quarry-related incident, Mary witnessed a forbidding presence close to the A75 which has long been regarded as one of Britain’s ‘ghost roads’ because of the many reported strange sightings there.
She said: “Near the old Kelhead Quarry, I was overcome by a heavy dark feeling, as if something terrible had happened there.
“It was the middle of the afternoon – not the stereotypical dark and windswept night – and I was in good spirits up until that point.
“When I returned to the car, John and Kathleen noticed straight away something was wrong.”
The team plan on welcoming two special guests to the stage to share memories of mysterious goings-on, and actively welcome any theories that seek to explain seemingly uncanny accounts with a rational explanation – which Kathleen says they find “every bit as exciting and satisfying as drawing an as yet, unexplained conclusion”.
She said: “We hope Close Encounters will highlight the richness of our supernatural heritage and show a different side to the team, exploring our personal feelings on the intriguing subject of the paranormal and the profound effect of what we’ve seen, felt and heard in our years together.
“We hope the evening will stimulate lots of discussion and encourage people to reach out with their stories from Dumfries and Galloway and beyond.”