I have always been interested in the paranormal from a very early age. When I was three years old (I’m in my early 60’s now!) I saw what I believe was my first ghost in my bedroom of a 200yr old farmhouse. It wasn’t frightening, just seemed to be going about its business doing its own thing but at the same time trying not to disturb us children.
We moved house when I was five to Harrogate. In my early 20’s I moved into another farmhouse. The house and old buildings were inhabited by many spirits ranging from children, farm workers, a soldier who unfortunately killed someone on the farm to a tramp and his dog! The buildings are long gone now but fond memories remain!
In my 30’s I became a Reki Master and practiced spiritual healing with a small group of people. There I went with the group to a public house in Sharrow outside Ripon to see a ghost sitting by the fireplace.
What an interesting story Jonty.
Thanks CJ N.Y.P.I .
Fairfax House, Castlegate, York
By Jonty Olivier
It was a windy but warm evening in St. Augustine, Florida and I was spending the night, as I had done on many occasions, at The Penny Farthing Inn, a B&B run by friends of mine who had moved there from England.
The house, dating from the late 1800s has 9 letting rooms and I had stayed in most of them over the previous 2 years when visiting the city on business. Except for Penny's Attic. This is the most expensive room and is situated at the top of the house, as you might expect from its name.
I settled in the roomy interior, unpacked and prepared to go out for dinner. I left the bedside lamps on and headed out in a light jacket to an Irish pub that I knew served good grub.
The top window is Penny's Attic
Two hours later at around 10pm, I was approaching the Penny Farthing Inn from across the college car-park which was opposite. I should point out at this point that I had consumed a couple of pints of cider at the pub and was perfectly sober. I looked up at my room as the front top window was that of Penny's Attic, and low and behold, I could see a figure standing in the window. This made me stop dead in my tracks. It was kind of silhouetted but I believed it to be a female and my goodness, it was waving a small hand. At me? I was getting that raised hair, tingles down the face and spine type of feeling and I reached for my phone to take a photo. Phone was in the reverse pocket of my jacket and I had trouble locating it. By the time I had averted my eyes to get out my phone, the apparition/figure had gone. I then thought perhaps someone was inside my room and I dashed across the road, down the side of the inn and within a matter of seconds, was scaling the rear external stairwell, the only way in and out of Penny's Attic, located three floors above.
When I arrived at the entrance door (a little out of breath), I half expected it to be ajar or at least unlocked, though I hadn't passed anyone on the stairwell. The door was closed and locked. Upon entering, what hit me immediately was a strong smell of perfume, what I would refer to in a non-PC way as Old Ladies Perfume, one that I would associate with being used by an elderly female relative. Everything was exactly as it had been left earlier. What I did notice was that where the figure had been standing in the window, there was a modern jacuzzi-type bathtub. I stood in it and my shoulders came to the top of the window. The head of the figure I had witnessed had been only halfway up the window, so the figure had been very short or had been standing at a lower level or probably a bit of both. Also, there were modern blinds in the window which I hadn't noticed when viewing whatever it was I had seen only a minute or so earlier. I was intrigued, not frightened and commenced to enjoy a very restful sleep.
At breakfast next morning, I recounted my experience to the owners. They were not surprised and very matter of fact. "We get many unusual sightings reported by our guests," they told me. Mine was just another to add to that list.
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Pittenweem Toll Booth Tower
Interview for The Stray Ferret, Harrogate.
Your Stories & Experiences of The Paranormal
Thanks for your Story Rick, Thanks for sharing your experiences with us for others to enjoy.
Best Wishes CJ N.Y.P.I.
We were contacted by a family in Spofforth whose young son was 'befriended' by the spirit of another child. The parents were afraid and asked if we could go down and have a look. This was my first real encounter where we didn’t know what to expect, whether it was malicious or otherwise! The leader went upstairs first and entered the little boy's bedroom where she encountered a spirit who immediately fled the room and away to the far end of the landing. I was then asked to come upstairs, and nervously approached the top stair. As soon as I put my feet on the landing I saw the spirit of the boy hurtling towards me! I didn’t know if I should turn and run or stand my ground! Suddenly the entity opened its arms and slammed gently into my right leg holding on tightly. A wave of relief spread over me and I was overcome with emotion! The entity was stuck here in the house and wanted us to send him over to the other side!
What an experience!
The dress was light blue with white around the top and waist and a white bonnet. Not once did I see any physical features. I watched as the figure disappeared from view behind one of the tall banner signs and as I could see that an open staircase was just behind it, I expected the figure to reappear at any moment.
When it didn't, I followed (I had been strangely rooted to the same spot while watching) and when I got to the bottom of the staircase, there was one of those ropes draped across instructing no public access. There was no sign of the figure. Where had she gone and what had I just witnessed?
On the way out, I asked staff whether any of them had been dressed in period costume during my stay. None had. I still cannot explain to this day what I had seen.
Here at N.Y.P.I, we are like one big family and love to share stories of our collective experiences and knowledge.
This is why it was decided to set up this page on our website in order to share experiences and interesting facts relating to the paranormal.
If anyone wants to share their experiences, please e-mail them to chris.myers8@yahoo.co.uk or fb Cj Myers.
We will be giving away an investigation for the best rated story on our website once a month, so get writing everyone.
Team Leader CJ starts the ball rolling with his very first paranormal experience..
Ghost hunting with a paranormal investigator on the Stray
by Thomas Barrett
Last updated Feb 13, 2022
CJ Myers believes ghosts are all over the Stray
A paranormal investigator claims the Stray is haunted by spirits of the dead.
CJ Myers from York was near the train line on Stray Rein at 4am earlier this week hunting for spirits when he said his psychic powers led to a phantastic discovery.
He said:
“I have psychic skills so spirits communicate with me. I usually get the answer I’m looking for”.
CJ claimed he saw a ghostly shadow move mysteriously over the turf.
The spirit stopped and communicated to him via his dowsing rods, two metal sticks that move when he asks the apparition questions.
CJ said the spirit had a tragic backstory, but he already knew something was not right as the spirit “smelled of blood”.
He added:
“When he was alive, he was walking across the Stray to commit suicide on the tracks. But as he was walking across, these lads attacked him and disabled him. They badly injured him.”
We feel we should point out there is no scientific evidence of the existence of ghosts. Comment from the Editor
Read more:
The Stray Ferret joined CJ to investigate the phantoms of the Stray on Wednesday afternoon.
Almost as soon as he got out his rods out, he picked up the spirit of a woman sitting on a bench. He ushered the woman to move into the light whilst his rods jumped back and forth.
But isn’t there a perfectly rational explanation for why his dowsing rods move so much on the Stray? There is a body of water underneath the grass after all.
No, says, CJ, as that doesn’t account for the fact he can see them too. Seeing is clearly believing.
He has his own ghostbusting crew, called North Yorkshire Paranormal Investigators. They’ve investigated ghosts at Harrogate Theatre, Spofforth Castle and the Nidd Gorge Viaduct.
They are recruiting for new members and full training is provided.
They even have a Tik Tok account where they hope to reach a new audience.
CJ says he communicates with spirits daily and claims to have cracked unsolved murders in the USA. He says sometimes the police listen to his tip-offs, sometimes they don’t.
He claims he’s been communicating with spirits for five years, although he said it’s sometimes a frightening experience.
“Once you’ve opened Pandora’s Box it happens every day. I’ve had experiences in our house. I had a picture of a cross on the wall, that flew forwards into the air. One day I found a spirit level laid on the top of the stairs.”
His message to the sceptic's who say it’s all made up:
“They have a right to their opinion, but at the end of the day, they can’t do it.”
While on vacation with the family in Scotland to watch the Edinburgh Tattoo, we decided to call in for a business meeting with the owner of a building where they used to hold Witch Trials in days gone by.
What this guy doesn't know about witches isn't worth knowing.
We entered the building and right off the bat the feeling was electrifying, taking a real hold of my breathing.
We proceeded upstairs and he continued to tell me floor by floor what had happened over the years in the tower.
Eventually we ended up on the roof of the tower and could see out to sea and up the coast towards Edinburgh ... I tell you, what a view and what a treat.
We left the roof and began heading back down the spiral staircase to the floor below. I was halfway down when out of the room we were approaching flew a full floating male apparition! The only way to describe it was like a Death Eater from the Harry Potter films, his cloak torn and fluttering in a breeze.
And that ladies and gentlemen was the start of my paranormal experience.
I look forward to reading your own stories.
Thanks CJ Myers - Team Leader
What a great story Jonty. Thank you for
sharing your experiences with us.
Best Wishes CJ N.Y.P.I.
A STORY BY RICK BREWIS
THE HAUNTED FARMHOUSE
The entrance to Penny's Attic,
The Penny Farthing Inn, St. Augustine, Florida
An Apparition in York
by Jonty Olivier
Back in the early 1990s, I visited Fairfax House which in normal non-Covid times, is open to the public. Well worth a visit in my opinion. It's an 18th century Georgian townhouse with much interesting history. One of the large upstairs rooms was, I recall, being used as an information gallery with many banner signs and a large space in the centre where visitors could cross from one side to another.
A familiar feeling came over me whilst in that galleried room. A chill and shiver down the spine and across the face and scalp and immediately there was a shuffling beside me. It was the shuffle of a period dress on a female that wafted passed yet appeared to glide across the floor to the far side of the room. I thought it odd that no-one else in the room, of which there were several, took any notice of the figure. I guessed she was probably an actor of some kind, dressed in clothes of the Georgian period.
A Ghost Story from the USA - Jonty Olivier