BBC Radio Wales ‘The Unexplainers’ top five spookiest places in Wales

This Autumn ‘The Unexplainers’ return to BBC Radio Wales for an hour long live Halloween special.



On Saturday October 31 at 7pm, John Rutledge and Mike Bubbins will once again unexplain some of the most unexplainable mysteries. They will seek out new and bizarre stories from BBC Radio Wales listeners and reveal some startling new findings from a recent investigation of their own including the actual cave of a Welsh ghost witch, or Gwitch in Brandy Cove, Swansea.

The Unexplainers: A guide to a few of Wales’ scariest places.

As argued by John (registered believer and antiskeptic)

and Mike (certified skeptic and fact promoter).



The Skirrid Inn, Abergavenny



John says:

At well over 900 years old, The Skirrid is without a doubt one of the scariest places to visit if

you want to get right up there in the spookiness stakes. Used as both a courtroom and a

place of execution, you can still see the original wooden beam that hangings would take

place from, on one occasion this summer I took a party of investigators (mates who wanted

beer whilst on a camping trip) to suss the place out, sadly nothing happened, although I did

trip over my own feet on the way to the toilet and and nearly put my face in someone’s

sausage and mash, a truly terrifying experience.



Mike says:

This old pub in Abergavenny is famous for two things; people saying that they’ve seen

ghosts, and there being absolutely no physical evidence to back any of those claims up.

There are reports however, of some bizarre nocturnal activity occurring that I can help to

substantiate. Around five years ago, on a dark, cold, winter’s night, locals reported a large

man dressed in 1970s garb walking around the village, cursing and talking to himself. After

nearly an hour, the angry figure disappeared never to be seen again.

At around the same time, actually at exactly the same time, I myself, Mike Bubbins, left a

comedy gig at Abergavenny’s Hen and Chickens pub, only to find that some local

ne'erdowells had thrown a traffic cone through the window of my Nissan Micra, 1.0 litre. I

paced around the town fruitlessly until my Cuban heels could take no more, before returning

to my Micra to drive back to Cardiff whilst suffering from borderline hypothermia. That same

night, I vowed never again to gig in Abergavenny An Unexplainable and eery coincidence.



Craig Y Nos, Swansea



John says:

Originally the home of opera diva Adelina Patti, Craig Y Nos was then converted into a

hospital before becoming a hotel. This building is crammed to the brim with mystery and

intrigue. On a visit a few years ago I found the old theatre there so mysterious and intriguing

that I nearly filled my jeans with mystery and intrigue and from that point on stayed firmly in

the bar avoiding both mystery and intrigue.



Mike says:

Another reputedly haunted venue, this time in Wales’ second city, and my wife’s home town

Swansea. I’ve been to Craig Y Nos and thought it was quite nice. In fact, there are many

beautiful and historic places in Swansea, from the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery to the quaint

charm of Mumbles Pier. Fair play then to Swansea City Football Club for taking the bold step

of showcasing some of the city’s more contemporary delights. On being promoted to the

Premier League a few seasons ago, the Swans took an open top bus ride along the route,

covered by BBC Wales News, between the Private Shop and Chickoland. An Unexplainably mysterious decision.

Tredegar House, nr Newport

John Says:

Not only is it just around the corner from where I live, providing easy access for those times

when I feel the urge for a dose of fear, Tredegar house is also synonymous with the

spectres, ghouls and strange goings on. Evan Morgan, who was one of the original owners,

was renowned for witchcraft and it’s a known fact that Occultist Aleister Crowley even spent

time there. So far my investigations haven’t led to any solid evidence of witchcraft, no matter

what I’ve dabbled with. I did however know a guy who set a goldfish free in the lake there

around 1990, could the powers of black magic have turned it into a giant lake monster that

steals people from the banks by night?……probably not, but that would be good though.

Mike says:

I have yet to visit Tredegar House, so I can’t comment on whether it’s either scary or

haunted. Actually, I can. It isn’t. What is unsettling is that I haven’t been, despite it being one

of only two National Trust buildings near my house. I joined the National Trust in the summer

to save on the car parking charge at Broadhaven South car park. When I received the

brochure however, I realised the hundreds of venues I’d be able to visit for free were, with

the exception of two, hours away from my house. Consequently, my £100 membership has,

to date, saved me one adult admission to Dyffryn Gardens and a three pounds parking

ticket. An Unexplainable and bloodcurdling financial disaster.

Brandy Cove, the Gower Peninsula

John Says:

Until our investigations led us to Brandy Cove for the Unexplainers Halloween special, I’d

never even contemplated this as a place of mystery, fear and terror. Then I discovered the

blood chilling story of Old Mol, the haggard and dishevelled Witch who lived there back in

the dimmest depths of history. The night me and Mike investigated, something so truly

horrific happened and I will never forget it as long as I live. Screams of terror, mysterious

caverns and wet trousers are the only way I can describe the ordeal, which can be heard in

its full glory on Halloween night, at 7.00pm on BBC Radio Wales or anytime after on BBC iPlayer Radio.

Mike says:

Okay. I have got to admit Brandy Cove was genuinely terrifying. I can't go into too much

detail, because all will be revealed in The Unexplainers Live Halloween Special, on BBC

Radio Wales. Suffice it to say that I saw things which horrified me, and which I will never be

able to unsee. I don’t just mean seeing John Rutledge in his underwear at close range in a

wooded glade, although that also happened. To find out what nearly turned my moustache

white, tune in...if you dare. Or catch it as a podcast thereafter!