Rob's Books, Medium Readings, Animal Rescue Fundraisers

BOOKS: Pets and the Afterlife, Pets and the Afterlife 2, Pets and the Afterlife 3, Pets and the Afterlife 4, Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead, Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation, Ghosts of the Bird Cage Theatre on a Medium's Vacation, Kindred Spirits: How a Medium Befriended a Spirit, Case Files of Inspired Ghost Tracking and Ghosts and Spirits Explained BEST SELLERS: All of Rob's books have reached "best-seller" status on AMAZON.com in various paranormal categories. PET SPIRIT READINGS: Now offered via email and done on weekends. Reserve a spot thru Paypal. Email me at Rgutro@gmail.com Send 1 Photo of your pet, their name, and any questions.ANIMAL RESCUE FUNDRAISING LECTURES : Rob is a dog dad, volunteers with Dachshund and Weimaraner rescues and does fundraising lectures for dog and cat rescues.
Showing posts with label haunted. Show all posts
Showing posts with label haunted. Show all posts

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Psychic Source.com Q&A w/ Rob About Ghosts, Spirits, and Science Behind Them

Recently, Psychic Source.com did a question and answer session with me about my experiences with ghosts, spirits, pets and people. We also talked aboiut the science of energy, and the difference between a ghost and a spirit. Here's the interview:

Psychic Source.com: An Interview with  Rob Gutro 

Rob Gutro, author 7 paranormal books is not your typical medium. He's a meteorologist who's decided to use his psychic abilities to help comfort those grieving from the loss of a pet.

Just published in March 2020
Q:  When did you first realize you could communicate with the other side and what was that experience like? 
A:   The experience was startling. I was 13 years old and saw my grandfather materialize. I was home alone, sitting at the kitchen table drawing, when I saw lights out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and two rooms away in the living room, the lights came together and formed my grandfather in full color. I grabbed the family dog and ran outside where I sat on the stairs for an hour until my parents came home from shopping. My mother wasn’t surprised at all—she had the gift, too. It turned out that my grandfather appeared during the month of his birthday, which is a common time for spirits to communicate.

Q: Why do only some pets come through or send signs while other don’t? 
Q: What would you tell someone who is desperately trying to reach their pet on the other side to no avail? 
A:  Pets, like people, only come through when they have something to tell us. People and pets usually return around the times of birthdays, anniversaries or holidays. They all give us signs—we just miss them—so I wrote the books to educate people on how to see them!

 Grief blocks out signs. When we’re desperate to see something, we tend to dismiss things for something more "concrete." Spirits and ghosts use subtle signs because it takes a lot of energy for them to communicate. If people are sick with grief, that's when they should rely on a medium. They should also take comfort in knowing spirits come around from time to time, they're not always with us. They don't belong here because they're beings of energy. Your book goes into detail about what a pet’s ashes can do.
Rob's books available on Amazon.com

Q: Could you explain this briefly? 
A:  Sure. In Pets and the Afterlife, I explain that ashes can act as somewhat of a draw to help bring pets (and people) to you. The physical remains, even ashes, hold residual energy. It's all a good thing because the love we share with them is a positive emotional energy and helps them "power up" to give us signs from time to time.

 I will caution that if a relative you weren’t fond of passed and you have their ashes, you may want to bury them! People who were not nice in life are often not the nicest on the other side, although they do usually learn their lessons there and improve.

Q: What’s the difference between spirits and ghosts? 
A: This is my favorite question. The words are often used to mean the same thing but they're really not. When we pass, the physical energies that run through our bodies couple with our memories and personalities as an entity of energy. Then we make a conscious choice to stay here on Earth as a ghost, or cross over and join the energies of the universe/Heaven/Valhalla/Paradise (whatever you want to call it) as a spirit. Both use the same physical energies to manifest or give signs: heat, light, water, electricity.
  Ghosts draw on negative emotional energy—fear, anxiety, depression, and anger—which doesn't mean a ghost is a bad personality; it's all about location.
  Spirits draw on positive emotional energy—love, faith and hope—to "power up" and communicate.

Q: Rob is a member of Inspired Ghost Tracking It’s very interesting that you’re both a meteorologist and a medium. In your bio, it says that you “provide scientific and logical explanations about spirit communications.” 
Can you give us an example of how this applies? 

A:  You don't have to be a religious person to know there's an afterlife; all you need is science. The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be destroyed, only transformed. Think of how scientists measure the thoughts in our brains with little electrical impulses. Think of the energy of the blood pumping in our bodies.

Rob Gutro
Q: Where does the energy go after our bodies give out?
A:  It couples with our memories and personalities to become a ghost or spirit. As energy, spirits and ghosts can manipulate electricity. We detect them with scientific equipment like electromagnetic field detectors, digital recorders, infrared cameras, and digital thermometers.

As energy, they draw energy even from the fast moving molecules of air (warm air) and take the kinetic energy (motion) to slow down those molecules (slower moving molecules of air are colder; that's why we feel "cold spots" whenever there's a ghost or spirit around).

Further, we use digital recorders to pick up spirit voices that are at a higher frequency—a frequency that dogs and cats can hear. I think it's a matter of time until science actually catches up to the paranormal and proves that it's "normal" for us to become entities of energy after we pass from the physical.
Rob's dog Sprite

Q:  What’s one of the most memorable moments you’ve had or felt while connecting with one of your dogs in the afterlife?

A: After my late dachshund Sprite passed in 2013, he sent us a butterfly. Spirits have the ability to manipulate and influence things in nature, like birds, butterflies, feathers, flowers, etc. All summer long, we hadn't seen a butterfly in our backyard, despite having two butterfly bushes. However, after Sprite's passing when we let our other three dogs out in the backyard, a large yellow and black butterfly flew around them for quite a long time and they didn't chase after it (usually they would). The butterfly landed on the grass near them and sat (I took several close up photos of it). The dogs walked around it, as if they were walking around Sprite. We knew Sprite sent the butterfly.

 When I wrote about it later on my personal blog, two friends in different states got a visit from Sprite as they read about his butterfly on their IPads while sitting outside. As they were reading, a yellow and black butterfly landed on them—in Maryland on my friend Jill's stomach, and in New Mexico on my friend Layla's shoulder. They contacted me immediately and told me Sprite's spirit had just visited them and acknowledged that they were reading about him.

Q: What advice would you give someone who can’t seem to grapple with the loss of a pet or find closure? 
A:  Know that they are around you. Close your eyes and know that the love we share binds us together forever. Love is an amazing energy and energy can't be destroyed. Keep your mind open, too. Don't discount anything that may be a sign because there's no such thing as a coincidence when it comes to spirit.

 Pets, like people who pass, don't want us to be stuck in grief. Although grieving is a natural part of experiencing physical loss, it should not cripple you and prevent you from enjoying life and love. Our late pets (and people) want us to be happy, to live our lives and to help other pets who don't have homes or the love that our late pets enjoyed.

One of the best ways to pay tribute to a pet that passed is to adopt or foster another and give that pet a chance to experience love (and not waste the love you have to give).

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Please Review "Case Files of Inspired Ghost Tracking" on Amazon

Although I just published my new book "Case Files of Inspired Ghost Tracking" on March 31, if
you've had a chance to read it, please post a review on Amazon.  One person who already read it told me that she felt as if she were along on the investigations. That's the highest compliment I could receive!
 
    I'm a medium on the team, and worked with founder Margaret Ehrlich and other team members to bring these haunting cases to the world. The book is available on Amazon.com in paperback ($9.99) and Ebook ($3.99). TO ORDER Click here 

 Here's what the book is about 

Release: Shocking and True Ghostly Encounters in New Book, "Case Files of Inspired Ghost Tracking"

A new book called "Case Files of Inspired Ghost Tracking," by best-selling paranormal author Rob Gutro takes readers on paranormal investigations into private and historic homes where ghosts were traumatizing families. Rob, a medium in the Inspired Ghost Tracking paranormal group, announced the release of his seventh paranormal book that brings readers along on investigations and reveals some bizarre and shocking things the group found and how they helped the ghosts and families.     

"When earthbound ghosts have traumatized families in their own homes, Inspired Ghost Tracking (IGT) of Maryland has gone in to cross them over," Gutro said. "Every case is different, too. Some have had earthbound ghosts that were friendly, others were not. IGT experienced a lot of bad energies that caused people to become physically sick or mentally traumatized. IGT investigators had to figure who, what, when and why things were happening, to finally bring peace to the living and the dead."  

In this collection of IGT cases, you’ll read about the "Burned Ghost," ghosts of two different time periods in one home, dark things that Ouija boards brought into homes, a very haunted Maryland mansion, many ghosts of Baltimore’s Federal Hill, a ghostly attachment, a Steelworker’s ghost, poltergeist activity, the famous IGT “Double Murder Ghost Investigation” and many more.

You'll find answers to questions like why ghosts choose to stay in a place, the differences and similarities between ghosts and spirits, why energy is the key to the paranormal and much more.

Although Rob has become known as a "Pet Medium" through the success of his best-selling books "Pets and the Afterlife" and "Pets and the Afterlife 2," he also connects with human earthbound ghosts and spirits.

Gutro is the first in the paranormal field to make the distinction between earthbound ghosts and spirits who have crossed over. Rob has three books about his experience with human ghosts and spirits, called "Ghosts and Spirits," "Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead," and "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation," and most recently, "Kindred Spirits: How a Medium Befriended a Spirit."   


Rob Gutro has been featured in the Washington Post and nationally syndicated radio programs like "Coast to Coast AM." Rob is a volunteer with Dachshund and Weimaraner rescues and gives fundraising lectures for animal rescues around the U.S., teaching grieving pet parents how pets communicate from the afterlife.   
Some of the Core investigators of IGT

TO ORDER A COPY IN PAPERBACK OR EBOOK: https://www.amazon.com/Case-Files-Inspired-Ghost-Tracking/dp/B0863TVNX7/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=gutro&qid=1585682117&s=books&sr=1-7

ABOUT ROB GUTRO:

Rob Gutro is an author, paranormal investigator and medium with Inspired Ghost Tracking of Maryland. He's become known as a pet medium, although he communicate with pets and people who have passed. Since he was a child he could receive messages from ghosts or spirits (who have crossed over). He wrote the books "Pets and the Afterlife," "Pets and the Afterlife 2," "Ghosts and Spirits," "Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead" to teach others how ghosts and Spirits communicate with the living and to give proof of the afterlife. Rob also wrote about the ghosts he met on vacation in "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation," and his latest book "Kindred Spirits: How a Medium Befriended a Spirit." As a scientist, he also provides some scientific explanations about how energy is the baseline for the afterlife and the medium that entities use to communicate.

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Airing Tonight on Radio and Podcast: House of Mystery Radio w/Rob Gutro on "Case Files of Inspired Ghost Tracking"

 Tonight, April 21 on U.S. West Coast on Radio in CA and UT (and Podcast Tomorrow): House of Mystery Radio welcomes Rob back to talk about his new book, "Case Files of Inspired Ghost Tracking."
 LIVE  at 9pm PDT/12 a.m. EDT- Episode airs on KCAA 106.5 F.M. Los Angeles/ 102.3 F.M. Riverside/ 1050 A.M. Palm Springs / on 540 A.M. Salt Lake City at 4 P.M . AFTER Airing- it becomes a PODCAST on many platforms which can be found at http://www.houseofmysteryradio.com/where-to-listen/


Thursday, April 2, 2020

Tonight! Facebook Live at 7:30pm EDT- IGT Presents Rob Gutro's tour "Ghosts of the Causey Mansion"

Join a Facebook Live event tonight, April 3 at 7:30 pm EDT from the halls of the Inspired Ghost Tracking team, as Author/Medium Rob Gutro takes you on a tour of a famous mansion, now luxury Bed and Breakfast in an historic Delaware town, in tonight's presentation "Meet the Ghosts of Causey Mansion."   TO SEE IT (and ask questions):  link https://www.facebook.com/inspiredghost/







Saturday, November 2, 2019

Recap/Photos: Great Halloween Tea Event at the Strathmore Mansion!

On Wednesday Oct. 30, I was honored to return for the 3rd year in a row to speak at the Special Afternoon Halloween Tea at the Strathmore Mansion in Bethesda, Maryland. I spoke about Haunted Places in Maryland and Paranormal Investigations and about the special spirit named Ed. He's the topic of my newest book called "Kindred Spirits: How a Medium Befriended a Spirit."

 The mansion has wonderful afternoon teas filled with elegant sandwiches and desserts. Check their website for the next events. You'll love it. Where: Strathmore Hall Foundation, 5301 Tuckerman Lane (Strathmore Mansion), Bethesda, Maryland. https://www.strathmore.org/
The Strathmore Mansion 


The event was full of people! There was wonderful piano music in the beginning of the event and the mansion and especially the room were decorated nicely for Halloween. During and after my talk, there were many great questions and some people told me they found the answers they were seeking about spirits and Earth-bound ghosts.
Full house for the Halloween Tea

Fortunately, no one lived in a haunted house (that's not a good thing and you can read why in my books "Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead" and "Ghosts and Spirits.")

It was a wonderful way to celebrate Halloween for me, and I thank Mary Mendoza Godbout, the Strathmore Mansion Tea Room
Lynn and Janet in the Halloween mode!
and Volunteer Coordinating Manager at the mansion, for inviting me and coordinating this wonderful event!

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Last Night's Public Ghost Tour of Belmont Manor

Randy and Margaret do introductions
Last night 5 members of the Inspired Ghost Tracking or IGT group of Maryland, myself included,
gave a public tour of the Belmont Historic Mansion in Elkridge, Maryland. There were 33 people who signed up and showed up to meet the ghosts of this historic mansion.
IGT 'S FIRST INVESTIGATION  -
The Belmont Manor
   IGT conducted our first investigation of the Belmont in 2015 when it re-opened as an event facility. The property dates back to 1732, and the house had occupants who endured their own tragedies. In fact, some of them never left and remain as Earthbound ghosts. There are a couple of others who linger in the home that were not family members, however, and were just at one time, visitors. 
ORGANIZING THE EVENT - 
   Margaret, the founder split the groups into three sections. Margaret and Diane covered one side of the first floor, Randy and Ronda covered the other side and I (Rob) was on the second floor. 
THE IRRITATED GHOST - 
Ronda of IGT at the start of the night
  The "General" as I call him, is a ghost who helped plan the Iraq war of 1991 there at the Belmont (yes, it was planned there) and came back to haunt one room because he regrets the war (planned on bad intel as we all know now). He causes a LOT of people headaches, pressure and discomfort in one of the rooms and he was acting up last night giving me a big headache!


The "General's" Hallway

Rob's sketch of ballroom ghost
SOME SENSITIVE VISITORS -
  There were three people in the groups who were sensitive to ghosts and spirits and each had different gifts. One was psychic, one was a medium and the other read energy.

WANT TO GO? - 
  If you're interested in attending a tour of the Belmont and meeting the many (and there are many) ghosts who still dwell there, . Here's the info: It's the Belmont Manor Ghost Tour, at the Belmont Manor and Historic Park, 6555 Belmont Woods Road, Elkridge, MD Info: www.belmontmanormd.org or 410-313-0200.
   We give these public tours about twice a year! 

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Part 3: Buying a House? Check for ORBS in photos!

In Part 3 of this week's blog on orbs, you'll see a photo from an actual home for sale in Florida... that has an orb in it! 

In the photo (Right) of this basement in a home in Florida, there are a couple of orbs, with colors and designs in them. This house (I won't tell you where in Florida) is currently for sale. I  thought it odd that the realtor didn't notice the orbs. In some states, realtors DO have to tell you if a house has a ghost in it. 

HAUNTED HOUSES IN MY BOOKS - I've investigated many private residences and historic homes and even Castles in England that have interactive ghosts (intelligent haunts). You can find my books here: Rob Gutro Books on Amazon

A Dictionary definition of an orb is "an unexpected, often circular photographic artifact. In terms of paranormal activity, orbs are the most simple form a ghost or spirit can take. However, you need to be careful in calling something an orb. A white colored-circle is more likely a reflection off dust or pollen."


I've found that orbs that are associated with a ghost or spirit can be differentiated from non-orbs in a couple of ways. One is that they usually have designs or colors in them. Reflections, bugs, dust or pollen do not have designs or colors in photographs and are often mistaken for orbs. Further, genuine orbs may also have a face in them!

Learn more about Orbs in books by Rob Gutro - available on Amazon.com

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

TUNE IN On-Line: Tuesday at 9:30pm EDT- Belmont Haunts with Rob Gutro | Edge of the Rabbit Hole

TUESDAY NIGHT @ 9:30 PM EDT/ 8:30 PM CDT Rob Gutro - Ghosts and Spirits takes us inside the haunts of Belmont Manor, a fantastic haunted and historic mansion in Elkridge, Maryland, in which he has investigated extensively.
TUNE IN On-Line: Tuesday at 9:30pm EDT-  Belmont Haunts with Rob Gutro | Edge of the Rabbit Hole!  Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/hauntedroadmedia
 




Rob Gutro is an author, paranormal investigator and medium with Inspired Ghost Tracking of Maryland (and a scientist by day). Since he was a child he could receive messages from ghosts or spirits (who have crossed over). *He wrote the books "Pets and the Afterlife," "Pets and the Afterlife 2," "Ghosts and Spirits," "Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead" to teach others how ghosts and Spirits communicate with the living and to give proof of the afterlife. He also published “Ghosts of England on a Medium’s Vacation” about his encounters with many ghosts in the U.K. on holiday! As a scientist, he also provides some scientific explanations about how energy is the baseline for the afterlife and the medium that entities use to communicate.

Website: www.robgutro.com or www.petspirits.com or http://ghostsandspiritsinsights.blogspot.com/

Also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsandspirits.insightsfromamedium or https://www.facebook.com/robgutroauthormedium

Also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/GhostMediumBook

Hosts Mike Ricksecker and Vanessa Hogle are back for more paranormal and supernatural phenomenon in another new Livestream broadcast brought to you by Haunted Road Media! And "Chat Shananigator" Shana Wankel will be stirring up the chat and the #MadHatters as usual!

#history #paranormal #teamrabbithole #teamhrm

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Part 12: Haunted Devon, U.K.: Unmarked grave on Dartmoor

St Peter Tavy Church
Photo: St Peter Tavy Church
My latest book is called "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation" (by Rob Gutro) and conveys all of the ghosts I met as I traveled throughout England. There are a LOT more ghosts in England that I  did not (yet) meet, and here is the twelfth of several postings from Devonlive in Devon, U.K about some of them.. - Rob

Unmarked grave on Dartmoor





Near Peter Tavy Moor, marked by a granite post, is the grave of poor farm labourer George Stephens (d. 1763), who is said to have committed suicide after losing the prospect of marriage to Mary Bray, a farmer's daughter.

He was buried outside the parish boundary, as was the custom for suicides, and it is said that his ghost still haunts the nearby moor to this day.

He was said to have been so in love with his fiancé he would pace outside her home every night, only to find that a week before they were due to marry she was cheating with his best friend.

He killed her and later himself with a poisoned apple, and was buried under the unmarked post which is still visible on Dartmoor.

SOURCE: Devon Live: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/viking-ghosts-still-haunt-bloody-2286420 

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Part 11: Haunted Devon, U.K.: White lady of the Water

My latest book is called "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation" (by Rob Gutro) and conveys
The White Lady waterfall at Lydford
all of the ghosts I met as I traveled throughout England. There are a LOT more ghosts in England that I  did not (yet) meet, and here is the eleventh of several postings from Devonlive in Devon, U.K about some of them.. - Rob

Old Kitty lured to her death by famous White Lady waterfall



Photo: The White Lady waterfall at Lydford 
 
Kit’s Steps at Lydford are said to have been named after a woman called 'Old Kitty' who had slipped and fallen to death as she returned home one day.
Legend holds the 'White lady of the Water' had lured her to jump in, and some local residents used to say they often felt the same call. Other tales say Kitty had tried to jump her horse across the water but it fell and they both plummeted to a sudden death.

SOURCE: Devon Live: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/viking-ghosts-still-haunt-bloody-2286420  

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Part 10: Haunted Devon, U.K.: Sheepstor Village Hung a Man for Cholera

My latest book is called "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation" (by Rob Gutro) and conveys
all of the ghosts I met as I traveled throughout England. There are a LOT more ghosts in England that I  did not (yet) meet, and here is the tenth of several postings from Devonlive in Devon, U.K about some of them.. - Rob

How Sheepstor villagers hung a man for bringing cholera



Image: Blue Moon Over Burrator as seen from Sheepstor at 6.15pm by Sheepstor Hub on Facebook
In 1832, a group of cottagers died after cholera came into their family in a strange fashion. When a wealthy merchant and his family died of the disease in Plymouth, two thieves raided their home in search of valuables.

On the run from police, one fled to Sheepstor, posing as a wealthy man in order to gain shelter with a family. Cholera spread to the family and the people of Sheepstor hunted down and hung the thief for bringing sickness to their village.

SOURCE: Devon Live: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/viking-ghosts-still-haunt-bloody-2286420  

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Part 9: Haunted Devon, UK: Legend of Dewerstone Rock

My latest book is called "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation" (by Rob Gutro) and conveys
all of the ghosts I met as I traveled throughout England. There are a LOT more ghosts in England that I  did not (yet) meet, and here is the Ninth  of several postings from Devonlive in Devon, U.K about some of them.. - Rob

The legend of Dewerstone Rock



The Dewerstone Rock near Bickleigh has sparked rumours of Satanic visitation for years.

People have reported seeing blue lights, and torch-lit processions on the paths around the rock, but claim they disappear at the sight of humans. Legend tells that a naked human was once spotted and where the human footprints ceased a cloven hoofprints continued. It is even rumoured that a farmer was handed the body of his baby son by the devil himself.

SOURCE: Devon Live: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/viking-ghosts-still-haunt-bloody-2286420  

Thursday, March 14, 2019

Part 8: Haunted Devon, UK: Spinsters Rock

Photo: The so-called Spinsters Rock near Drewsteignton
My latest book is called "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation" (by Rob Gutro) and conveys
all of the ghosts I met as I traveled throughout England. There are a LOT more ghosts in England that I  did not (yet) meet, and here is the Eighth  of several postings from Devonlive in Devon, U.K about some of them.. - Rob


  Spinsters Rock



This rock formation is a Neolithic dolmen near Drewsteignton on Shilstone Farm west of the village near the A382 road.
Legends surround these rock formations and stone circles in Dartmoor often tell of young maids being turned into stone for dancing on the Sabbath. But it is in fact a neolithic tomb. The distinctive leaf-shaped flint arrowheads used by Neolithic man have been found nearby on the Moor.

SOURCE: Devon Live: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/viking-ghosts-still-haunt-bloody-2286420  

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Part 7: Haunted Devon, UK: Crazywell Pool has mystic powers

My latest book is called "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation" (by Rob Gutro) and conveys
all of the ghosts I met as I traveled throughout England. There are a LOT more ghosts in England that I  did not (yet) meet, and here is the Seventh  of several postings from Devonlive in Devon, U.K about some of them.. - Rob


  Crazywell Pool has mystic powers at night but turns into a 'pop up lido' by day


Crazywell Pool, a Dartmoor beauty spot which was turned into a 'pop-up lido' for Devon's hardy wild swimmers
PHOTO: Crazywell Pool, a Dartmoor beauty spot which was turned into a 'pop-up lido' for Devon's hardy wild swimmers
This pool in Dartmoor has been said to be bottomless with mystical powers. If you simply stare into the water on Midsummer’s Eve, legend claims you will see the next parishioner to die in the water. One Midsummer’s night the legend was being told in an inn and a challenge was laid to go to the pool. Two boys went, and died on their way home.

It is actually an old shallow-cast mine, which is fed by a natural spring and is now a popular spot for wild swimming. The pool is high up on the moors, so expect to be exposed to the elements, and be prepared for the water to be cold. The area enjoys uninterrupted views across the moors, making it the perfect place to get back to nature, floating in the breeze, listening to the birds.



In 2012 the Dartmoor beauty spot turned into a 'pop-up lido' for a group of Devon's hardy wild swimmers complete with an art installation consisting of a portable lifeguard's chair.
Between 50 and 70 people took part in the 'living artwork', setting up deckchairs and towels around the 'pool', swimming, picnicking and listening to their portable radios.

SOURCE: Devon Live: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/viking-ghosts-still-haunt-bloody-2286420  

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Part 6: Haunted Devon, UK: Ghost of St. Thomas Beckett's Murderer

My latest book is called "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation" (by Rob Gutro) and conveys
all of the ghosts I met as I traveled throughout England. There are a LOT more ghosts in England that I  did not (yet) meet, and here is the Sixth of several postings from Devonlive in Devon, U.K about some of them..
  This one is special because I encountered the GHOST of Thomas Beckett! 
- Rob  

Why the ghost of St Thomas à Beckett's murderer haunts Ilfracombe


Mortehoe Cemetery
Photo: Mortehoe Cemetery
Ilfracombe is said to be haunted by the ghost of one of the murderers of Thomas à Beckett, Sir Will de Tracey. He hid on Crookham Common between Mortehoe and Ilfracombe where his daughter fed him bits of food.
On his death, legend tells that he would haunt the shore forever, which already is said to be cursed and a danger to ships as five vessels were wrecked on the winter of 1852.

SOURCE: Devon Live: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/viking-ghosts-still-haunt-bloody-2286420  

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Part 5: Haunted Devon, UK: Viking Ghosts

My latest book is called "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation" (by Rob Gutro) and conveys

all of the ghosts I met as I traveled throughout England. There are a LOT more ghosts in England that I  did not (yet) meet, and here is the fifth of several postings from Devonlive in Devon, U.K about some of them.. - Rob   

How Viking ghosts from 'the first Battle of Britain' still haunt Bloody Corner
Bloody Corner in Appledore where 1,000 died in a Viking battle
Photo: Bloody Corner in Appledore where 1,000 died in a Viking battle
Visitors to North Devon beaches claim on clear nights they can hear battle noises and shadows of fighting men, as the “bloody corner” battle haunts Appledore. Viking raids were a great threat to Devon villages during the reign of Alfred the Great.
Ancient records of Northam exist from around the 10th and 11th Century and they retell the story of a battle with “Hubba the Dane” at Bloody Corner in the late 9th Century.
Tradition says he landed at what is now Boathyde (Hyde meaning a Cove) with a fleet of more than ships and marched to attack the “Hill Fort” at Kenwith.
The legend is that they were defeated by Odun, Earl of Devon. Hubba and 1000 of his men were said to have been killed. The men were buried at Bonehill (Bunhill was the old name for a burial ground) and Hubba was buried in a Cairn, in the area now known as Hubbastone. There is a stone tablet at Bloody Corner in Northam (above), erected by Charles Chappell, which reads:
“Stop Stranger Stop,
Near this spot lies buried
King Hubba the Dane,
who was slayed in a bloody retreat,
by King Alfred the Great”
But in 2008 the best selling author of the Horrible Histories books claimed to have discovered the long-lost site of the ancient 'Battle of Cynwit' - a bloody clash which saved England from the Vikings.

Nick Arnold, author of the children's book series, says he has solved a 1,200 year mystery and located the site of one the most important conflicts in Britain.



Photo: This is where Horrible Histories author Nick Arnold thinks the battlefield near Appledore really was.
The famous battle in 878 saw the rampaging Viking armies overruning the country except for Devon and Cornwall. England's ruler, King Alfred the Great, had gone into hiding and the last of the Saxon soldiers took refuge in a fortress named Cynwit or Cynuit (corr).
The stronghold was surrounded and besieged by the 1,200 strong Viking force - but according to historical accounts the English made a final charge. In a last ditch act of defiance the remaining English stormed from the fortress and overcame their invaders - banishing them from the country forever.

The clash has been dubbed the 'first battle of Britain' but the site of the fortress became lost and all attempts to definitively identify it have failed. For 300 years historians have speculated its location.
But Nick claims they were looking in the wrong place and says he has located the remains of the fort and the battlefield at Castle Hill near Beaford.

SOURCE: Devon Live: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/viking-ghosts-still-haunt-bloody-2286420  

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Part 4: Haunted Devon, UK: True Story Behind Hound of the Baskervilles

My latest book is called "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation" (by Rob Gutro) and conveys

all of the ghosts I met as I traveled throughout England. There are a LOT more ghosts in England that I  did not (yet) meet, and here is the fourth of several postings from Devonlive in Devon, U.K about some of them.. - Rob   

  The true story behind the Hound of the Baskervilles



Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stayed at the former Duchy Hotel at Princetown, now the Dartmoor visitor centre
Photo: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stayed at the former Duchy Hotel at Princetown, now the Dartmoor visitor centre
This is the story that inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write The Hound of the Baskervilles when he was staying at the former Duchy Hotel in Princetown, which is now the Dartmoor visitor centre.
Legend has it that evil Squire Richard Cabell was much feared during his lifetime around Dartmoor - but he war even more fearful in death when he led a pack of black hounds.
To this day you can see where he was buried in Buckfastleigh Church and his coffin was secured with a giant slab to ensure his hounds wouldn’t ride on the moor.




The Cabell tomb in Buckfastleigh church
Photo: The Cabell tomb in Buckfastleigh church

Legendary Dartmoor says you can still see the spooky 'sepulchre': "As you walk up the main pathway you will find a huge building that defies description. Known locally as ‘the sepulchre’, this ‘penthouse tomb’ would probably be more suited to Colditz.

"If it reminds you of a prison then you are not far wrong because in it are the incarcerated remains of the Cabell family and in particular Squire Richard Cabell.

"If you peer through the heavy metal bars you will see a tomb with a gigantic white slab on top of it. The building and the heavy slab will give you a hint that we are not dealing with the normal family burial plot. It will strongly suggest that somebody is trying to contain something and there we have the legend.

"Squire Richard Cabell lived during the 1600s and was the local squire at Buckfastleigh. He had a passion for hunting and was what in those days described as a ‘monstrously evil man’. He gained this reputation for amongst other things immorality and having sold his soul to the Devil. There was also a rumour that he had murdered his wife.

"On the 5th of July 1677 he passed away and was laid to rest in ‘the sepulchre’ but that was only the beginning of the story.

"The night of his internment saw a phantom pack of hounds come baying across the moor to howl at his tomb. From that night onwards he could be found leading the phantom pack across the moor usually on the anniversary of his death.

"In an attempt to lay the soul to rest the villagers built a large building around the tomb and to be doubly sure a huge slab was placed on top of the grave to stop the ghost of the squire escaping. Even after taking these measures people have reported a strange red glow emanating through the iron bars. Other folk have reported seeing a whole host of demonic creatures gathered around the grave trying to get the promised soul for their master."
SOURCE: Devon Live: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/viking-ghosts-still-haunt-bloody-2286420  

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Part 3: Haunted Devon, UK: The Great Ball of Fire at a Church

My latest book is called "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation" (by Rob Gutro) and conveys all of the ghosts I met as I traveled throughout England. There are a LOT more ghosts in England that I  did not (yet) meet, and here is the 3hird of several postings from Devonlive in Devon, U.K about some of them.. - Rob  

The Great Ball of Fire that killed four and injured 62 churchgoers at Widecombe


Snow returns to Dartmoor, Widecombe Church in 2004
Photo: Snow returns to Dartmoor, Widecombe Church in 2004
No explanation has ever been found for this terrible event that stuck on sunday October 21 1638.
The Reverend George Lyde was preaching in Widecombe Church when a great ball of fire fell through the roof killing four people and injuring 62. The phenomenon is said to have occurred during a thunderstorm.

There are gruesome contemporary accounts telling how 'an extraordinary flame passed right through the church, filling it with a loathsome smell, like brimstone and a great ball of fire fell through the roof'.

The whole congregation dropped to the floor as a large beam crashed down between the parson and his clark. Neither was hurt but the congregation was hit. One man 'had his head cloven, his skull rent into three pieces and his brains thrown on the ground whole, but the hair of his head, through the violence of the blow struck fast to a pillar near him where it remained a woeful spectacle a long while after'.Rumours began flying around that Satan had come to take sinners - including Widecombe Jan, a wild young bachelor of the parish who was sleeping off his hangover in church when the lightning struck.


It was claimed that the devil was seen tethering his horse outside the church and dropping through the roof with the ball of fire: "Seizing Widecombe Jan, he threw him violently against a pillar, dshing his brains out, while the storm raged throughout the rest of the church, diverting everyone's attention from what was going on."

SOURCE: Devon Live: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/viking-ghosts-still-haunt-bloody-2286420  

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Part 2: Haunted Devon: -The pirate who haunts Burgh Island

My latest book is called "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation" (by Rob Gutro) and conveys
all of the ghosts I met as I traveled throughout England. There are a LOT more ghosts in England that I  did not (yet) meet, and here is the second of several postings from Devonlive in Devon, U.K about some of them.. - Rob  


The pirate who haunts Burgh Island

Photo: Burgh Island

In modern times Burgh Island in Bigbury Bay is most often associated with Agatha Christie’s haunting murder mystery novel ‘And Then There Were None’. But in the 14th century it was the hideout of a notorious pirate who was hunted down and hung on the island and his ghost is said to haunt the Pilchard Inn pub.

At the height of its fame the elegant hotel on the island attracted guests including Noel Coward, King Farouk, Lord Mountbatten, Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, Winston Churchill, Amy Johnson the aviator, Gertrude Lawrence, and later The Beatles.

But long, long before that the hotel was the lair of the pirate Tom Crocker. Because Burgh Island is cut off by the tide twice a day it is an easy spot to defend and Crocker made the island his hideout at a time when the south Devon coast was notorious for piracy.
But Crocker was tracked down and hanged there, at a gateway to the island in the third week of August 1395. It is said he still walks the island every year on the aniversary of his death. Locals still report an almost tangible feeling of melancholy at the spot.

Up until a few years ago the bright young things at the hotel organised celebrations on that date and everyone went out looking for him.

Another relic of Tom Crocker on the island is a face said to be etched into the granite chimney-breast of The Pilchard Inn at the entrance to the hotel driveway.

SOURCE: Devon Live: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/viking-ghosts-still-haunt-bloody-2286420   

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Part 1: Haunted Devon, UK - Part 1: -Why Devonians think Sir Francis Drake was a wizard

My latest book is called "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation" (by Rob Gutro) and conveys
all of the ghosts I met as I traveled throughout England. There are a LOT more ghosts in England that I  did not (yet) meet, and here is the first of several postings from Devonlive in Devon, U.K about some of them.. - Rob   

Did Sir Francis Drake have  mystical powers? Does the pirate of Burgh Island still haunt the place where he was hung on the anniversary of his death? And were pacts made with the devil which have left a Satanic chill hovering over these Devon landmarks to this day?

Why Devonians think Sir Francis Drake was a wizard



Both the Spanish and the British believed that Sir Francis Drake was a wizard who used supernatural methods. The swashbuckling Elizabethan sea hero helped defeat the Spanish Armada apparently against all the odds.


After Drake was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I he took his duties to the people he represented very seriously. One summer during a particularly bad drought it is said that he rode up on to Dartmoor until he found a spring to deliver drinking water to the people of Plymouth.
He is said to have 'bewitched it with magic incantations and then galloped into town with the stream at his heels.

The stream is still visible as Plymouth leat which rises three miles north and Sheepstor and threads it was down into a reservoir to the north of Plymouth.
In places the Devonport Leat appears to travel uphill, which some believed was against the laws of nature.

The leats were designed to carry water, by means of gravity.The art of the leat builders was a skilled job as they had to ensure the flow of water was not too fast so as to flood and not to slow as to stagnate. This was achieved by following the natural contours of the landscape. On the eastern flank of Beardown where the Devonport Leat flows down towards Plymouth, a section appears to flow uphill.
Drake's Leat at Roborough Down
Photo: Drake's Leat at Roborough Down
There are still Devonians who believe the spirit of Drake reincarnates with every successive British naval hero.
Even Drake's drum is supposed to have supernatural powers. Drake took the drum with him when he circumnavigated the world. Shortly before he died he ordered the drum to be taken to Buckland Abbey and vowed that if England were ever in danger and someone was to beat the drum he would return to defend the country. According to legend it can be heard to beat at times when England is at war or significant national events take place.
As recently as World War II the drum was said to bang again although many said it was the sound of Ack Ack antiaircraft guns.

Drake's Drum
Photo: Drake's Drum
Now owned by the National Trust, Buckland Abbey was once the home of Sir Francis Drake who is now believed to haunt the Abbey.


After returning from his three-year circumvention of the globe, Drake was sold the Abbey in 1580. However the locals believed he possessed supernatural powers granted to him through a pact with the devil.

According to reports, Drake’s ghost is said to travel across Dartmoor in a black coach driven by several headless horses, followed by a pack of howling hounds. It is also believed that any living dog that hears the packs’ cries will die immediately.



This picturesque Yarcombe Inn pub was once owned by Drake and is now said to be haunted by his spirit. The grade II-listed building, on the Devon/Somerset border, dates from the 14th century. Its other claim to notoriety is that Admiral Lord Nelson stayed at the inn when he travelled between Portsmouth and Honiton.

  SOURCE: Devon Live: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/viking-ghosts-still-haunt-bloody-2286420