“The wisht wind on Dartmoor carries whispers of stone, spirit, and story – may these mysteries guide your steps across the moor.”
The West Country dialect word wisht, refers to; ‘eerie, uncanny or the Devil’. The Dartefacts’ ‘Wisht List’ (pun intended) has 31 eerie items for every day of October, leading towards All Hallows’ Eve..
Featuring tales from; “Dartmoor Myths & Legends” by Emma Cunis and Tim Sandles’ “Legendary Dartmoor” website.
Inside every seemingly strange story of giants, pixies, witches, dragons and big black hounds with fiery eyes, there is often a small kernel of truth (Emma Cunis).
CLICK HERE to purchase Emma’s book through the ‘Dartmoor’s Daughter’ website.
CLICK HERE to visit Tim Sandles’ website: ‘Legendary Dartmoor‘.
Introduction:
Step into Dartmoor, where the wisht winds whip across lonely tors and shadows cling to every hollow. The land itself seems alive, whispering secrets of those who walked here long ago. On misty nights, the cries of phantom hounds echo across the moor, while headless riders gallop along forgotten tracks. Stone circles stand frozen, yet their silent watchers never rest, and the twisted shapes of ancient cairns hint at long-forgotten rites.
Here, the past refuses to sleep. Ghostly figures appear where no one should tread, pixies lead the unwary astray, and curses linger in the wind. From abandoned cottages to windswept peaks, every path hides a story — of love lost, vengeance taken, or terror unspoken. Dare to walk these wild, lonely expanses, and you may feel the gaze of unseen eyes. Listen closely… the moor remembers, and it will not let its secrets go.
31 Tales of Terror!
Welcome to.. The Wisht List! Mwah-ha-ha-haa!
The “Wisht List”:
| Paranormal Subject | The Tale.. | Dartefact Link & D365 / D1044 Squares | Further Information |
|---|---|---|---|
1. The Black Pig of Lydford Castle Judgment’s Curse | Lydford Castle, once dreaded prison, still chills. Legend claims Judge Jeffreys haunts it, remembered as a monstrous black pig’s ghost. | Lydford Castle (G3) D1044: No.51 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
2. Stephen’s Grave Sorrowful Crossroads | George Stephens, heartbroken and poisoned by despair, died at a crossroads. Denied holy burial, his restless ghost haunts Dartmoor’s lonely moors. | Stephen’s Grave K4 D1044: 120 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
3. Piskie’s Cave Offer Gifts | Hidden in Sheeps Tor’s boulders, Piskies’ Cave tempts visitors. Leave gifts, or risk changelings, midnight pinches, and eerie cries of stolen babes. | Piskie’s Cave, Sheeps Tor (Q6) D1044: 200 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
4. Lady Howard’s Coach of Bones Eternal Toil | Lady Howard’s ghost rides nightly in a coach made of bones, drawn by a skeletal hound, collecting blades of grass until redeemed. | Okehampton Castle A7 D1044: 289 | Emma Cunis Dartmoor Myths and Legends (Book) |
5. Fiery Dragon at Drizzlecombe Dragon’s Demise | A fiery dragon once haunted Drizzlecombe, spewing flames among its ancient stones, until locals drove it off, leaving only legend behind. | Drizzlecombe R8 D1044: 299 | Emma Cunis Dartmoor Myths and Legends (Book) |
6. Old Crockern Nature’s Wrath | Old Crockern is a spirit of Dartmoor’s Crockern Tor who guards the moor. He curses anyone who exploits or disrespects the land. | Crockern Tor M10 D1044: 383 | Emma Cunis Dartmoor Myths and Legends (Book) |
7. The Haunting of Parson’s Cottage Wander Cautiously | A lone sportsman wanders Dartmoor’s snow, finds refuge in Parson’s Cottage, tormented by spectral angler and restless spirits till dawn breaks. | Parson’s Cottage (M10) D1044: 383 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
8. Wistman’s Wood Vanishing Enchantment | In Dartmoor’s Wistman’s Wood, twisted oaks shelter legends: wee grey men haunt mossy boughs, mistaken for rabbits, forever vanishing when sought. | Wistman’s Wood L9 D1044: 385 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
9. Nine Dancing Maidens Petrification Punishment | Nine maidens danced on Sabbath, against church law. For their sin, they were turned to stone, forming the Nine Maidens cairn circle. | The Nine Maidens (Cairn Circle) B9 D1044: 400 | Emma Cunis Dartmoor Myths and Legends (Book) |
10. The Hairy Hands Hostile Haunting | On Dartmoor’s B3212, ghostly Hairy Hands seize reins or steering wheels, forcing travellers off the road, causing crashes and terrifying encounters. | The Hairy Hands K11 D1044: 464 | Emma Cunis Dartmoor Myths and Legends (Book) |
11. Grey Wethers Petrified Sheep | On Midsummer’s Eve, a peat cutter mistook Grey Wethers for sheep; attempting to shear them, he was petrified into stone forever. | Grey Wethers Stone Circles H11 D1044: 471 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
12. The Temperance Hound Haunting Thirst | A spectral bloodhound haunts Postbridge, following vanished spirits from inn to river, sniffing dregs before disappearing into the dark moorland night. | The East Dart Inn, Postbridge (K12) D1044: 506 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
13. Faithless Wives Penitent Pilgrimage | Chagford’s faithless wives, cursed for betrayal, trudged in penance from Cranmere to Scorhill, passing through the Tolmen and ending at Grey Wethers. | Scorhill Stone Circle E12 D1044: 555 | Emma Cunis Dartmoor Myths and Legends (Book) |
14. Wo Brook Dragon Moor Terror | Dragon haunted Wo Brook, devouring beasts and men. Moormen bound it, dragged to Dart—yet its roar still echoes through the Valley of Woe. | Wo Brook Valley (O12) D1044: 579 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
15. The Throwleigh Serpent Ghostly Slither | Sheep perish on Dartmoor’s foggy slopes. Villagers glimpse a colossal serpent, yet it slips into the mist, its secret never revealed. | Throwleigh C13 D1044: 598 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
16. Hangman’s Pit Pit of Despair | Farmer sold cattle, drank deep, bought worthless pony. Ruined, he hanged himself in the gully—forever haunting bleak Hangman’s Pit. | Hangman’s Pit O13 D1044: 618 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
17. The Bloody Meadow War Echoes | On February 8th, 1643, Chagford’s fields ran red with war. Each year, ghostly cries and clashing swords recall the bloody battle. | Bloody Meadow E13 D1044: 635 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
18. Jan Coo Dart Claimed | By Rowbrook, voices called “Jan Coo.” The young cowman followed to Langamarsh Pit—never returned. The Dart claimed another heart. | Jan Coo of Rowbrook Farm O14 D1044: 657 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
19. The Aces Fields Devil’s Claim | Jan Reynolds gambled and fell asleep in church, thus the Devil claimed his soul; four aces fell onto Dartmoor forming the shape-fields. | The Four Aces I14 D1044: 666 | Emma Cunis Dartmoor Myths and Legends (Book) |
20. Pixie Ointment Pixie Punishment | A Holne midwife aided pixies, used their ointment, saw hidden secrets, but betrayed them; punished, she lost the enchanted sight forever. | Holne Q15 D1044: 723 | Emma Cunis Dartmoor Myths and Legends (Book) |
21. The Devil rides into Poundsgate Temptation Looms | The Devil visited Poundsgate Inn, leaving claw marks and terror. Locals whisper of his infernal presence, especially on stormy, moonlit nights. | The Tavistock Inn, Poundsgate (O15) D1044: 726 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
22. Wisht Hounds Sacred Duty | Moorman meets ghostly Wisht Hounds; black rider gifts him a bundle. At home, lantern reveals horrific truth—his unbaptised baby’s corpse. | Hamel Down J15 D1044: 734 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
23. Fickle Maidens Petrification Punishment | The fickle maidens of Chagford rejected many suitors cruelly; cursed for their vanity, they were turned to stone on the moor. | Chagford E15 D1044: 741 | Emma Cunis Dartmoor Myths and Legends (Book) |
24. The Chagford Cavalier Poet’s Doom | Poet and Royalist MP Sydney Godolphin died fighting at Chagford, February 1643. His ghost haunts the Three Crowns Hotel porch. | The Three Crowns Inn (E15) D1044: 741 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
25. The Devil’s Storm Faith Endures | During a terrible storm, Widecombe Church endured lightning and fire. Parishioners survived, yet the legend of the Devil’s fury still haunts it. | Widecombe in the Moor Parish Church (L16) D1044: 764 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
26. The Watcher Highway Fear | Gallows, plague offerings, parole limits, highwaymen—many stories linger. Now a ghostly hand seizes bridles, unseating riders at the Watching Place. | The Watching Place G15 D1044: 772 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
27. Kitty Jay Restless Spirit | A shamed woman took her life and was buried at a remote crossroads. Her grave is now well-known, always mysteriously adorned with fresh flowers. | Jay’s Grave J16 D1044: 829 | Emma Cunis Dartmoor Myths and Legends (Book) |
28. Pact with the Devil Fortune’s Price | On foggy Dartmoor, Jan Reynolds cursed his luck, swore his soul away; the Devil appeared at Blackslade Cist, struck bargain, vanished. | Blackslade Cist (M17) D1044: 825 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
29. Giant of the Moor Petrification Punishment | Bowerman, a legendary Dartmoor hunter, disturbed a witches’ ritual. In revenge, they turned him to stone, creating Bowerman’s Nose and companions. | Bowerman’s Nose J17 D1044: 857 | Emma Cunis Dartmoor Myths and Legends (Book) |
30. The Phantom Coach of Smokey Cross Speeding Spectre | At Smokey Cross, a spectral coach and horses thunders past, terrifying a mother and children—then vanishes, leaving only dread behind. | Smokey Cross (L19) D1044: 926 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
31. Dunsford’s Chimney Ghost Haunted Chimney | Ghosts were thought to enter empty Dunsford homes. Boys hurled stones, policeman spied from pigsty, chimney rattled—‘ghosts!’ cried court. Fines followed. | Dunsford D21 D1044: 1018 | Tim Sandles Legendary Dartmoor (Website) |
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IN DEVELOPMENT
“Step into the shadows of Dartmoor on a long, haunting journey from the crumbling, spectral ruins of Okehampton Castle to the ancient, enigmatic stone rows of Drizzlecombe. Cross windswept moorland where mist clings to the earth like memory, and shadows seem to move with a life of their own. Every path and hollow whispers of ghostly hounds, headless riders, and figures glimpsed at twilight.
Along the way, encounter Dartmoor’s most chilling paranormal sites, where myths and legends seep from stone circles, cairns, and abandoned cottages, and the air itself hums with stories of the restless dead. For the bravest, the night offers even greater trials: the chance to sleep in a haunted inn, or risk camping alone beneath the tors, where whispers of forgotten rituals and ancient magic drift on the wind. Dare to walk the moor, and you may feel the gaze of unseen eyes, hear voices that are not your own, and sense that Dartmoor does not easily relinquish its secrets.”
