In the fall of 2010, to celebrate my 43rd birthday on October 14th and All Hollows Eve I decided to treat myself to a trip to Merry Ol’ England. The highlight of my travels was to visit a place en Wales reputed for being a hot bed of spiritual activity or haunted place. My illustrious blog co-writer Janus, treated me to this wonderful birthday gift.
But this is not a Frommer’s Travel Guide summary of my ghostly encounters at the Skirrid Inn, it is more my impressions on how there is such a hunger to prove the existence of the afterlife and how some are a touch too naïve in the process.
We got there before sunset to have time to see a bit of the country side. As the sun died over the mountains we got to the Skirrid Inn and my eagle eyes spotted a lovely graveyard within walking distance of the Inn, so I said, let us pay respects to Oyá, queen of the cemeteries, and commune with local spirits that no doubt where buried there after they met their destiny at the hands of the infamous Judge Jefferies at the Inn. Curiously I felt drawn to a particular area of the graveyard and I walked there as if pulled by a friendly current, but it was getting dark and it was hard to read the gravestones so I decided to head on to the Inn and start our ghost hunting adventure.
After a couple of pints and some good dinner our hosts, a team of psychics armed with metal suitcases filled with all sort of ghost hunting paraphernalia, divided us in groups and we were on to explore the various rooms of the Skirrid Inn. I had come prepared with my own tool, my trusted pendulum and a bottle of Florida water which I used to work with one of my spirits guides solely. Madam G and I go way back so I figure we could team up this evening and see if indeed there were some restless spirits to be helped.
Our first step as tour was to go and visit the cemetery to find the grave of Fanny Price the Landlady of the Inn who died in the 1600’s. So while the guide explained a bit about her, I pulled out a piece of paper drew the graveyard and divided it in quarters. Then by using my pendulum I asked which area was Fanny Price buried in. I marked it on my makeshift map and marched straight in the holy ground. To my surprised, the same welcoming energy I felt before and the same pull was to no other site but the very own grave of Fanny Price as I was the first to find the grave site that night. And yes, it was dark, cold and rainy, but I was armed with a torch (flashlight) and my little Madam G designed map.
When visiting local haunted places, it pays to honor town elder spirits.
Once we were done with the excursion outdoors we came back to the Inn and started our grand tour. The place was pitch black, we were aided by infrared cameras and temperature gages, dowsing rods, and a lot of other gadgets that truly did not impressed me so very much. The room we had to explore is one that has a large four pillar bed, a small seating room and a bath that is a level below the room. That is the heart of the paranormal activity in that room, but we were not told a thing about the place or its history, nor did I research it ahead of time so I could be a blank slate clean to gather impressions.
As soon as the group settled sitting on a circle on the floor the medium started to address the spirit and to ask for it to manifest. The room dropped down in temperature and the air felt still and strange. In the back of my mind as this medium asked for manifestations of otherworldly life, I kept wondering… Does the spirits that supposedly inhabit this Inn don’t get bored with all these tours and people wanting to poke and prod at them? What is the point of performing for all these paying tourists? What would a spirit possibly have to gain from it? So, I quietly got up and decided to explore the bathroom area alone.
Upon stepping on the doorway to take the steps to bottom floor and visit the tub and see the rest of the room I felt a chill run through my body, so I pulled out my pendulum and asked Madam G if I could work in this room by myself. She gave me a strong yes and I stepped into the dark bottom floor and perched myself on a lovely wicker chair to pray for the soul that was in that location obviously feeling trapped. As soon as the intensity of my prayers picked up and I perfumed the area with some of my Florida water I started to sense that the chills gave way to coolness of mind and purpose. I prayed for enlightenment, freedom and progress for the souls that have lived and died at the Skirrid Inn and for them to be freed of public performance and move on to reach out a higher destiny.
I must have been in prayer a good 15 minutes when suddenly a voice interrupted my solitude to say, “Oh, can you feel that delicate flowery scent, which must be indeed a sign of the spirits”. This was one of my fellow team members who thought my Florida water was a manifestation of some poltergeist activity or whatever. I nearly wet my pants from laughing and gave her a fright for she had not seen me sitting on the dark corner of the room.
Every Pub needs a cool sign to welcome ghost hunters
The next room was supposed to be the courtroom that Judge Jefferies had used to send many to death by hanging. Yes the feeling was heavy and disgusting there, but nothing to write home about. What sort of annoyed me from the psychic guides is that while we sat on the circle we got temperature drops and other little noises, but he started to prattle about offering our energy to be used freely by the spirit to manifest and there I drew the line. I was not about to become an Energizer Bunny battery for no spirit. I don’t give my energy freely to the living I know, why would I do so with dead folks that I have never met before? Time to get up from that circle of “I give my energy freely to ghost” and do my own spiritual research with Madam G …again.
The third room was reputed for its many apparitions but as the guide rattled on and on I got comfortable on a corner of the bed and went to sleep, after all it was like 3:30 a.m. and I had some serious jetlag.
Overall the night was enjoyable, the company was very good and I had a great time. Would I do it again? Sure. I don’t get these U.K. tour mediums though. They love to thank spirits for every little show of energy or manifestation the spirit does, as if it was a trained monkey dancing for coins. Why not simply ask the spirit what it needs to move on and progress? I guess if they move on…the gig is over.
Omimelli, Oní Yemayá Achagbá Ghost Hunter Extraordinaire…NOT!
Responses to A Night of Ghost Hunting at the Skirrid Mountain Inn
📷Kjerstin says:May 24, 2011 at 5:34 amOmimelli Oh I laughed so much reading this. I am so glad you wrote up your time in Wales – you were in my thoughts so much when you were there! I am with you, I just clear a haunted place asking for healing and release… asking them to perform – I can not even understand that? once a person knows there are spirits why prove it again and again? It makes about as much sense and walking out in the rain again and again to prove you need an umbrella! I can not believe the naivete of that medium – Wow. … thanks for the grins! Love KjerstinReply
📷Omimelli says:May 24, 2011 at 12:26 pmKjerstin, I guess there are business people, those who live to seek the thrill and yes, some naughty spirits that get a kick out of the show of it all. Thanks for reading. OmimelliReply
📷Kjerstin says:May 29, 2011 at 7:41 amOh I enjoyed it… funny thing was – when you e-mailed me around the time of the trip I had a fleeting thought go through my head ‘Wonder if she knows the place she is going to is haunted?’ Yep! You did! I find their faux medium gig quite distasteful. I still smile when I think of you sitting there in the dark and the ‘flowery scent’ Oy!!! Love KjerstinReply
📷Omimelli says:May 31, 2011 at 3:54 amKjerstin, The imp in me wanted to leave them out in the dark, hide my Florida water and simply let them believe there were ‘rosy fragrances’ floating about as I prayed. Hehehe, but that would have been well…mean. 🙂 OmimelliReply
📷Kjerstin says:June 20, 2011 at 5:05 pm*giggles* you could have said “It was in Imp!” and it would have been true! *giggles some more* This is just too much fun! ‘sigh’ when will people even learn… Love Kjerstin
📷Omimelli says:June 21, 2011 at 4:45 amKnerstin, I can be impish indeed! I just don’t have the poker face to pull it, I would crack up to laugh… Omimelli
📷Kjerstin says:July 23, 2011 at 2:45 amHee heee *laughs* I just came back to re-read some articles and started laughing all over again! I must confess, I do not have a ‘poker face’ either… Hee heee Heeeee… Still Laughing… *snort* *giggle* Thanks for this! Love KjerstinReply
📷Brujo Luis says:November 16, 2011 at 1:00 pmI laughed my ass off, I was once invited to Salem Ma to a coven of witches and had the same experience, lol I should post it on my blog, on Espiritismo, Any way keep up the great work, the articles are what the internet needs, tu Paisano, Brujo Luis in Ma.Reply
📷Omimelli says:November 16, 2011 at 2:12 pmSaludos Brujo Luis, It is impossible not to chuckle when you see folks that are so clueless about spiritual matters. The agua florida moment was, like the ad says “Priceless”. Thanks for your encouraging words and yes, by all means write what you experienced in Salem before details are forgotten. 🙂 OmimelliReply
📷jamie shorney says:November 1, 2012 at 12:10 amno 1 will no unless they stay a few days ther aspecially in room 2 and 3,iv walked in to the down stairs on suite 2 put a coin on paper with my sister 2 try n see if it would move,n as we cme back up the stais to open the door,the tv cabinet door was wide open as 2 try n stop us getting pased,i pushed it forward 2 get passed 2 go down in 2 the lounge 2 tell my mother,we went back in 2 our room i opend the tv cabinet door 2 show my mum what hapend n there was no way it would stay open as it was a spring on thedoor wich basically would shut as quick as u would open it,2 this day i cant understand how it was open in front ov us 4 that amount ov time til i shut it and would not do it again as much as i tried 2 look for a way 2 keep it open,just weird and freaky,going back soon,if u dont believe try 4 your self.