BRITS, CHIPS, DIPS, BEERS, SCARES, WAILS & ALES “THE SPOOK-EATS UK TOUR”
By Amanda R. Woomer (Spook-Eats)
A
British Invasion, eh? No, we’re not talking about the ghosts of John Lennon or Keith Moon (though I’m down for that, too). I’m talking about my very own British Invasion where a Yankee girl like me ate and drank her way through England, Scotland, and Wales. From the end of August through September, I visited Britain’s haunted cemeteries, battlefields, castles, and pubs, and came out with a deep-seated jealousy of the haunted hospitality scene happening in Great Britain at the moment. If I had a buck (excuse me, a quid) for every time I saw a pub claiming to be the most haunted pub/inn/tavern/ public house in Britain, I’d be able to drink my weight in cask ales. The way that British pubs and restaurants wear their hauntings like a badge
of honour got me scratching my head, wondering why it isn’t the same in the Colonies. In America, I’ve found a vast spectrum when it comes to restaurants, bars, and hotels and their haunted histories. Some places are ambivalent—they’ll talk about it if asked but are rather wishywashy. Others use it as a marketing technique, highlighting their haunting in their dishes and décor. But I’ve found in my Spook-Eats journey that more often than not, places aren’t as open to talking about their ghost stories as one might think. Where you and I might find an unsolved murder in the basement or a poltergeist smashing glasses in the bar totally awesome, these places like to keep their skeletons in the closet, shushing anyone who might try to ask questions.
Haunted Magazine
As you might expect, as a paranormal researcher (much less one who focuses on restaurants and bars), this is not only infuriating but also disheartening. Enter stage left: British pubs. Even when they’re not trying, pubs in Britain are far superior in their spook factor than the bars in America. Not only do these places share their ghost stories, but (more importantly) they share their ghost’s stories.
51
