insideKENT Magazine Issue 162 - October 2025 | Page 62

DAYSOUT
The Garden of Eerie cont...
LEEDS CASTLE
at the scene and Suzanne Browne and another friend a few days later in hospital.
Since then, there have been numerous sightings of a‘ ghost bride’ on the stretch of road where the accident occurred. Several motorists have reported hitting a girl who‘ jumps’ in front of vehicles, only to realise there’ s nobody there when they get out to check. Others have reported picking up a female hitchhiker, but when turning around, they discover she’ s vanished and is no longer on the back seat.
MOTE PARK Visitors Say the Ghost of a Girl Haunts This Popular Park
Maidstone’ s 450-acre park is known for being a popular place for families to visit and dog walkers to frequent, but it’ s also got a spookier side.
Mote Park was once a country estate, before being converted into landscape park land at the end of the 18th century. It includes former stately home, Mote House, and there have been several reports from people living local to the area of seeing a little girl dressed in white running through the trees at night.
The girl’ s identity is unknown, but witnesses say she appears as a glowing white light before taking the form of a young girl in a white dress.
LEEDS CASTLE Two Ghostly Black Dogs Are Thought to Roam Here
Leeds Castle is perhaps Kent’ s most iconic castle – but aesthetics and family-friendly days out aside, it’ s also home to plenty of spooky tales( and tails!).
The most prolific is the‘ Legend of the Black Dogs’. It’ s believed there are two ghosts; one that brings good fortune and one that foretells danger or even death. Legend has it that one person was saved after spotting a black‘ retriever-like’ dog, moments before danger occurred.
The person was sitting in a bay window seat in what we know now as the Henry VIII Banqueting Hall, when a black dog appeared, barking excessively. After disappearing then coming back several times, it was clear the dog was desperately trying to get their attention. The moment after the person stood to tend to the dog’ s barking, the window to which they were sitting suddenly fell into the moat. The dog is said to have saved them from falling.
However, sightings of the other black dog are not believed to be so fortuitous; it is said when the dog was spotted in passageways and rooms, a death or tragedy would occur.
Halloween Event: From 18 October to 2 November, take part in a haunted Halloween quest, where young adventurers become spell-seekers on a thrilling interactive journey through the mystical Leeds Castle estate. Entry is included with your ticket.
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