A1 Great North Road Phantom Highwayman

The A1, known historically as the Great North Road, is the longest numbered road in Britain, running 410 miles from London to Edinburgh. For centuries, this was the main route north, traveled by kings, armies, merchants, and mailcoaches. It was also the hunting ground for highwaymen during the 17th and 18th centuries, when isolated stretches offered perfect opportunities for robbery. Today, the A1 is haunted by spectral figures from its lawless past, with the phantom highwayman being the most frequently reported apparition.

The classic encounter involves drivers seeing a figure on horseback at the roadside, dressed in period clothing including a tricorn hat, long coat, and sometimes a mask or scarf covering the lower face. The horseman appears suddenly, often seeming to emerge from hedgerows or wooded areas, and may ride alongside vehicles for short distances before vanishing. Some witnesses report the highwayman raising a hand as though signaling them to stop, echoing the famous “Stand and deliver!” command. The apparition is most commonly reported on stretches through Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, areas that were notorious for highway robbery in the 1700s.

Specific locations include the section near Ferrybridge in West Yorkshire, where the ghost of a hanged highwayman is said to appear near the site of the former gallows, and around Tuxford in Nottinghamshire, where several coaching inns once served travelers on the Great North Road. Some researchers have attempted to identify the phantom with historical figures—the area had numerous documented highwaymen, many of whom met violent ends on the gallows or in shootouts with authorities. The A1 also hosts other ghosts: phantom coaches, spectral travelers, and the victims of road accidents. As one of Britain’s oldest and most historically significant routes, the Great North Road carries the weight of centuries of drama, tragedy, and adventure, with its ghosts ensuring that history is never truly past.