About The Great British Ghost Tour

A Passion for the Paranormal and Haunted Heritage

The Great British Ghost Tour was founded in January 2010 by Dylan Jones (pictured left at Traitors Gate, Tower of London), who has had an avid interest in apparitions and hauntings since childhood. Here, he explains all about it.

 

My interest in the paranormal began when I was about 8 years old. I can still vividly remember a very personal experience at that time. This sighting, although perhaps now explainable by rational means, left me intrigued. This experience was to be followed after by being taken to see a certain film released in 1984 - "Ghostbusters". Although initially focused on the entertainment in the film, it later prompted me to ask questions of my own personal experience and whether any members of my family had encountered the unknown. Some responses peaked that interest and a life-long fascination was triggered. From that point on, I read any book on the subject I could get my hands on, because at that time there were no television programs on the subject. How times have changed. We are now bombarded with such shows, and although the debate regarding their worth is for another time, I am glad that they were not on. Reading gave me a chance to grasp theories and understand viewpoints. It allowed me to reflect rather than simply consume. It also meant that there was no sensationalism that seems to be integral to the shows. However, it also taught me that there was a due process to undertake before doing an investigation.

 

The books, such as those by Ashby, Auerbach and Underwood, all emphasised that what lay at the heart of the matter was a very human experience. A witness neaded to be spoken to, in order to fully understand what happened and then critically evaluate the situation. The locale of the experience would also be studied. Only then would an actual observational vigil be considered. Nowadays, these aspects seem largely ignored, and nightime "investigations" take precident. With an interest in local and national history - and also the media (specifically radio) - my teeneage years revolved around those three core areas and I was fortunate to start building a skill base. I began to understand the link between the paranormal and our culture in Great Britain. My ghostly library continued to grow, gradually filling one bookshelf.

 

By the time I was 20, I had joined the police service and spent 17 years as a constable. I soon realised the benefits of applying police investigative techniques to the study of spontaneous cases. I founded a group to uncertake investigations and wrote a comprehensive report on Llancaiach Fawr Manor, which won me the Michael Bentine Award from ASSAP. However, it was difficult to find those who wished to be as thorough in the investigative process, instead wishing to focus on the crystals, dowsing rods and thrill-seeking aspects. I had, and still have, no objection to those who wish to engage in those areas, but for me they could not add any actual evidential weight. A certain television program became very popular and soon garnered a cult following. People flocked to join investigative groups, bought EMF Meters and haunted locations started to cash in on the whole business it had quickly blossomed into. Rightly or wrongly, I became dishillusioned. I stepped back from the investigative side and maintained an armchair interest, which was devoid of complicated entaglements.

 

When a period of ill-health started in 2010, I decided that with much time house-bound I would work on a website called The Great British Ghost Tour. The site has evolved ever since, and I hope will be a user-friendly guide to the anomalous and paranormal around the wonderful countries of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. I hope you enjoy it! Having now retired from the police service due to an injury sustained on duty, this has now become part of my life as a Ghost Hunter, Media Consultant, Presenter and Producer.

 

I always look forward to correspondence and welcome you to get in touch if you so wish.

Dylan Jones