Spectre Frightens Paranormal Vigil Participants

Dark corridors, strange creaks, cold spots and the eerie feeling of being watched - Alnmouth's Schooner Hotel had it all when I went ghost-hunting there at the weekend.

But the creepiest part, I was to find, was the repeated 'appearance' of a six-year-old girl who allegedly continues to haunt the building long after her untimely death.

I joined Falkirk-based Ghost Seekers UK, a team of professional paranormal investigators, for the vigil, which started at 11pm on a cold and rainy Friday night.

For the next five hours, I was to experience chills and thrills, as I crept around the Schooner's dimly-lit hallways and sat in pitch-black bedrooms as spirits were summoned.

Around 20 people turned out for the experience, led by Anne and Allan Clark and accompanied by two psychic mediums, Jayne and Shaun.

After our introductions in the lounge, things got quickly underway as everyone split into teams and headed off to various darkened spots around the building.

I was already well acquainted with the Schooner's fearsome reputation, and chills of anticipation were quickly running up and down my spine.

Over the years, the hotel has garnered significant interest from the paranormal world, not least appearing on the Most Haunted television series.

Among the 60 supernatural entities claimed to be resident are a man in uniform, an executed German spy, a coachman and even a ghost chicken.

Added to the fact that the inn has supposedly clocked up more than 3,000 sightings of spirits in the last few years, I was understandably a bit wary of turning off the lights.

Shaun was our guide and took us to rooms 16, 17 and 28.

During his sessions, held in almost complete darkness save for a couple of candles, he made contact with Jack, a man who had died of an illness in the hotel, and Walter, who was 89 when he passed away.

Shaun spoke with a particularly bad-tempered spirit in room 28, where the freezing temperature and feeling of dread was quite apparent.

But the creepiest moment came when 'Abigail' came through via Shaun, also in room 28.

She told him she was six, and how she still liked to play around the hotel and scare guests with her tricks.

Abigail didn't stay long, so I headed down to Room 7, where Jayne was conducting her own session with the planchette - a kind of ouija board with a wooden triangle which points at letters.

Jayne asked if any spirits were present and the planchette began to move towards 'yes'.

She asked if the entity present could spell out its name.

Slowly, it spelled out the letters "A-B-A-A-I-G-A-I-L."

Jayne then asked how old she was when she passed over.

The planchette moved to the number six, and my blood ran cold.

Two different rooms, two different floors and two different mediums.
Was this proof of the afterlife?

I've always been very open-minded, and in all honesty I couldn't say for sure how this happened.

Co-incidence?

But one thing was certain - this was a night to remember!

Spectre Frightens Paranormal Vigil Participants
Spectre Frightens Paranormal Vigil Participants

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