A38 Taunton Road Phantom Hitchhiker
Drivers on the A38 near Taunton pick up a hitchhiker who disappears from the moving vehicle, leaving only a wet patch on the seat.
The A38 between Taunton and Wellington in Somerset is haunted by one of Britain’s classic phantom hitchhiker tales. Since at least the 1950s, motorists traveling this stretch have encountered a young woman standing by the roadside with her thumb out, seeking a lift. Those who stop describe her as wearing dated clothing, often appearing wet as though caught in rain, even on dry nights. She is polite but quiet, typically asking to be taken to a specific address in the Taunton area.
The encounter follows a disturbingly consistent pattern. The driver allows the hitchhiker into the vehicle, and she settles into the passenger seat or rear. Conversation is minimal, with the woman staring straight ahead or out the window. At some point during the journey—sometimes after just a few minutes, sometimes after several miles—the driver glances over or checks the rear-view mirror to find their passenger has vanished. The vehicle’s doors have not opened, and there has been no sound or movement. All that remains is a damp patch on the seat where she sat, and an overwhelming sense of unease.
Local theories suggest the phantom may be the spirit of a young woman killed in a road accident on the A38 in the 1940s or 50s, eternally trying to complete her final journey home. Some versions of the legend claim she is attempting to reach her family to warn them of danger, while others suggest she is simply replaying the last moments before her death. Whatever the truth, the A38 phantom hitchhiker remains one of Somerset’s most enduring ghost stories, joining the ranks of similar apparitions reported on lonely roads across Britain.