As we drove down the windy, narrow, backroad with bright green hedges that grew around it to formulate a tunnel, our guide told us some of the eerie stories about our next destination, The Skirrid Mountain Inn—a hot spot for ghost hunters, and a place that has a gruesome past.
Once upon a time back in 1100, there sat a popular pub that was located off-the-beaten-path in a small village called Llanfihangel Crucorney. The Skirrid Mountain Inn was known to be a rallying point for local supporters in the Welsh Revolt against the rule of Henry IV in the 15th century, and was also used as a courtroom where locals would be punished to death for crimes like sheep stealing.
As you walked into the eerie inn, you could see the dusty haze in the air. As you approached the staircase that was just off the pub that led up to the bedrooms, you felt like you were in a place that you just didn’t belong. On your way upstairs, there was an oak beam that has been rumoured as being the beam which criminals were hung from. There are even markings on the beam said to be from the rope.
The whole place made me feel uncomfortable, and the ghost stories that one of the innkeepers told us didn’t settle me down. As we were shown around the three bedrooms in the inn, I found it hard to believe anyone would ever want to stay here—but to be honest, I feel like the only people that would are ones with a ghost fetish. The rooms were large, dusty, and gave me the heebie jeebies, and were once home to parts of the courthouse that held prisoners. Once you see this place there is absolutely no surprise why this inn has been featured on shows like Extreme Ghost Stories and Most Haunted.
From guests running out of their rooms claiming ghosts were strangling them while taking a bath, to weird flashes of light being seen from outside flying from the chimney/roof—whether true or not, these stories would make even a skeptic believe in ghosts.
One of the haunters is said to be the hanging judge, Judge Jeffery who apparently walks the upper floors looking for people to condemn to death. Some guests at the inn have reported waking up with rope burns around their necks where there once was none.
Whether or not you believe in ghosts, it can still be eerie visiting a place with so many stories to tell and a history to prove that this place could quite likely be haunted. If you need a place to be spooked, that isn’t your typical haunted house with cheesy costumes, this is the place to visit, or stay, if you dare!
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