Roman Road, East Kent

Roman roads are dispersed across the country and the majority are still used as modern highways obliterating their past. In certain cases they have survived as minor tracks across the country side.

Ghost Connections have been scouring the countryside to find one that is quiet enough to spend some time at and found one within Kent. The tracing of a near 10 mile stretch of road located a small section that deviates from the modern highway and over a small stretch is visible in its original form of small knapped flints driven into the natural surface. From this small section the road then becomes a track through some woods bordering an ancient settlement site in a field.

It is a site we have returned to again and again although previously we have found it difficult to investigate due to the activity of other persons in the area or the inclement British weather.

To investigate the area of ancient settlement and Roman road.

Background:

There are no reports on this site although rumours and legends abound. Are they true? We were about to find out.

Apparatus:

Video camera-
Sony DCR-HC19 with night vision and Sony HVL- IRM IR light
Samsung VP-D351 with night vision and Sony HVL-IRM IR light

Digital Camera-
Fuji Fine Pix S5500
Fuji Fine Pix S5500
Fuji Fine Pix S5000
Pentax K-100 Digital SLR

Voice recorder -
Olympus VN-2100PC
Olympus DM20

Other:
Tripods, Torches, Video tapes (MiniDV)

Team:

Kim
Ian
Paddy
Dean
Graham
Dave

Method:

Using visual and scientific methods combined with spiritual information investigate the background to alleged paranormal phenomena at this venue. On this occasion Ian had prepared for an Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) experiment having translated some questions in English into Latin. Would this prompt a change in the atmosphere? Read on to find out.

Investigation:

After previous investigations had been troublesome due to being disturbed by other people we always make sure of locating any other persons and being aware of any people arriving on site. In this instance there were a number of people present in nearby woodland but no noise or lights were encountered in connection with them during the investigation. Other persons arrived while we were there but due to the natural lighting most people can be seen unless in an area of complete darkness and can certainly be heard anywhere in the area walking through the debris on the ground. All motor vehicles can be seen on approach and watched until they have passed or parked and their occupants accounted for.

On this occasion similar would occur but the events described here cannot be attributed to any living persons or vehicles nearby.

The ancient track here has a natural embankment on one side which appears to be man made but a cross section observable at one end indicates that it is entirely natural.

The team first explored the old track heading off towards a farmstead but returned for the rest of the evening to the area of the original surface just off the highway covering the old Roman surface.

For the initial EVP experiment Ian, Dean and Dave stood approximately 4 meters from the rear of our cars whilst Kim, Graham and Paddy sat within the front of our two cars with the doors open within easy hearing of us. Ian then asked the predetermined questions followed by playing the latin translation.

Following the EVP experiment all of the team would stand at the same location with an open lit view of the ancient track in front of them. The view would diminish into darkness in the far distance.

However on return to the rest of team, still seated in the car, revealed an interesting occurrence. Kim, Graham and Paddy had all heard loud footsteps approach the car from the rest of the teams direction and stop right outside of Paddy's open car door. Fully expecting this to be one of the rest of the team returning they had all looked expectantly to see one of us. There was no one there. It was only a few moments later that Ian, Dean and Dave returned and were asked who had approached the car. No one had.

The team then all stood where Ian, Dean and Dave had been and asked for anything to show itself.

Dave saw a silhouette of a solid figure approaching them head-on out of the darkness on the course of the trackway until a point about 5 metres away where it then vanished.

Shortly afterward both Kim and Dave saw a similar figure walk left to right across the track about 5 metres away, again in lit conditions.

Due to the presence of another person arriving nearby Dave then opted to move nearer this person so that their location could be accounted for at all times. Dave ended up about 30 metres from the rest of the team in an area of darkness and was not visible to the team. He remained there for approximately 40 minutes during which time the following was reported.

Kim saw another silhouette of a person again walk left to right across the trackway and Ian on this occasion also saw it although described it as more of a black mass.

Dean was standing on the raised bit of earth, and was the closest to woods on the teams right when he started to have a sensation of something on his face which initially thinking that it may be a spider or mosquito,he brushed it away. This was repeated a few more times. The next moment he felt a heavy presence on his head like a hand squeezing ever so slightly and this was through his woolly hat.

He described it as follows, 'It was such a shock and unexpected considering the way the evening had gone that I quickly whipped off my hat, the others could see something was up as Graham asked if I was all right. I moved to the opposite side but to be honest I have never felt a solid presence like that before, it never happened again but I became very aware after the event.'

Kim also heard footfalls and a rustling noise along the roadway at this point.

At one point Dean moved closer to Dave's location and the rest of the team heard footsteps in front of them and thought this may have been Dean and Dave returning but using their torches could see there was no one to be seen in the area of the noise.

Ian then felt, as he describes it best, 'all swimmy' and lost his footing with Graham having to grab him to prevent him falling.

During our stay a certain amount of other information was forthcoming to the team of a clairvoyant nature. As Ghost Connections conducts scientifically based investigations we do not publish such observations, however, this information is held on a separate database and may prove interesting when compared to other peoples experiences. Should you wish to discuss this information please email us.

Camcorder footage, still photographs and voice recorders were later examined and nothing of note was found.

The noises in the undergrowth heard by Dean, Ian and Dave during the EVP experiment did not result in a human being emerging from the undergrowth and when checked there was nothing to be found. It seemed to approach the team before it was not heard any more. Initial thoughts would suggest that this was a mammal of some kind although this is reconsidered in the light of the events described by Kim, Graham and Paddy. They heard, at a similar time, the footsteps approaching them in the car. These are described as 'heavy' and indeed so heavy and deliberate that they believed it was one of the rest of the team returning.

Nothing was seen to account for either noise but the second occurrence is more pertinent being described as a human type series of footfalls. How could this be if no-one visible walked past the initial part of the team, and maybe heard by them, only to stop by the rest of the team? Were we really visited by a presence that we only heard the physical signs of? It seems we could have been.

Similarly the same would apply to the footfalls and rustling heard by Kim later and also those heard by the rest of the team in Dean and Dave's absence later still.

The figures seen are of interest.

One walking the length of the Roman Road then vanishing into thin air and two other sightings of a similar figure walking across it. The initial sighting was by Dave only. He is adamant it was solid in form until it vanished. There was no other person nearby at this time. There was no other creature known to be about that could be mistaken.

The other two are similar in make up and presence walking from one area of darkness to another. One was seen by Dave and Kim together and remarked upon simultaneously. The other was seen by Kim and Ian simultaneously and initially believed to have been Dave until it was realised how much further away he indeed was.

Pareidolia is one possible explanation although unlikely in the night lit surroundings that we were in.

See here for explanation of the term.

The power of suggestion based upon Dave's initial sighting is one other explanation although the team have been together long enough to be convinced of the truth of their descriptions of any events and as such this is unlikely.

There is a remote chance that there was another person responsible although this would have meant that they made no noise moving through the woodland in the area and made no noise moving away again and managed to do so through areas of darkness with no illumination something which is nigh on impossible.

The solid nature of the figures separates them from the more common descriptions seen at different venues and again this is noted.

We cannot explain the figures.

The 'whispy' effect on Dean's face was believed to be an insect initially but was not able to be brushed off in the normal fashion. It is possible that it was still some kind of persistent insect or spiders web although the repeated brushing off make this seem unlikely. The increased pressure like a hand is more difficult to explain as he insists he was not near any overhanging trees at this point to cause anything to rest on his head. This cannot be explained.

Ian's light headedness is difficult to explain. He was not ill or suffering any ailments that have manifested later. He was not on a loose or inclined surface and is not prone to losing his balance. He described no other sensations such as a pushing motion so we cannot offer an explanation for this.

Despite the interruptions of others this investigation has proved to be one of our most interesting at this site and makes sure of a return visit.

Did history come alive for us on this occasion? Did the Latin based conversation prompt the raising of Roman spirits? Whatever it was that happened we will return to The Roman Road.