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…
Earlier this year, I headed to the Llandeilo Literature Festival to talk about Welsh ghosts, folklore and witches… and ended up having a cultural adventure, wandering between graves in search of a holy well where pilgrims used to drink holy water from a skull. Yes, holy water from a skull. It was a very sunny…
I visited lovely Stratford-upon-Avon over the weekend for the Summer Solstice, the perfect place to celebrate the longest day/ shortest night of the year. I’d gone primarily to catch Kenneth Branagh as Prospero in The Tempest, but combined it with wander around the town to do all the usual tourist type things, all finished off…
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, Mark Rees explores the eerie world of Welsh…
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…
Across Wales, there are legends of churches that refused to stay where they were built, with some suggesting they were removed by supernatural agency… In episode 165 of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast, Mark Rees explores some of these curious cases, drawn from traditions across west and mid-Wales, including Carmarthenshire, Radnorshire (now Powys),…
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 episode 164 of the Ghosts and Folklore…
I’ve just wrapped up a week-long series of gigs celebrating Wales’s patron saint himself, Dewi Sant Entitled Ghosts & Folklore of Wales: St David’s Day, most of them were private talks held behind closed doors for some amazing charities, with one public appearance at the Croeso Festival in Swansea. Attention now turns back to the…
The Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast is back – bigger and better than ever (well… nearly)! I’ve been off gallivanting about the world, but normal spooky service resumes VERY soon – in two weeks, in fact (12 March 2026). On this quick video update (click below to watch, or listen on the podcast) I…
