Do you have a ghost story to share? Craig Spence of Mid Island Focus is looking for people in the mid-island region willing to share personal experiences. If you’re interested, your account may become part of a feature story that includes me talking about The Haunting of Vancouver Island. For more information, watch the attached video with me in it. Don’t mind how excited I sound, you’d think I was really into ghosts or something. Sheesh.
Had an odd experience at Tigh-Na-Mara resort near Parkville, where my husband and I went for a getaway in September 2019. Place is relatively new and buildings not spooky. The Grotto spa was really great and we were enjoying ourselves. We had a suite of rooms in one of the cabins that are attached in a group area across from the spa, and we had a spa tub in our room. My family has a lot of psychic inheritances and I have had many paranormal experiences during my life. I woke up during the first night of our stay and the room was quiet and pitch dark, but not scary. I heard a voice speak to me saying “I see you.” I thought it was pretty weird but took it in stride and went back to sleep. The next night my husband and I returned from a day of sightseeing and sat down to snack and watch tv in the sitting room area. While we were doing this, all of a sudden the lights in the bedroom began flickering and then the spa tub turned on all by itself, making a very loud noise because the tub had no water in it. You could only turn the spa on on by placing your hand on a large flat button flush with the tub edge. I entered the completely empty bedroom and turned the spa and lights off, and they stayed off, but it was clear that something invisible was making its presence known. (There was no overall electrical outage to our cabin or the other cottages or the Grotto.) That night I heard the same voice saying “I see you” when I was coming out of sleep. On our third day I sought out a shop to buy some incense, and found some sticks with a nice combo of sage, cedar, and sweetgrass. We brought it back to our rooms and liberally offered it to the spirits there. No recurrence of any of the visitations happened that night. Based on my visits on the Island and the vibe of many of the outdoor places I visited, it is abundantly clear that Vancouver Island has a powerful presence of the spirits of nature and the ancestors of the native people of BC everywhere, and I would hesitate to visit wild places there, or places of significance to native peoples without making an offering first. I think history reveals that the early island settlers committed many violent acts against the native people and the spirits of the place, and a lot of crimes were committed against the poor white settlers in the name of capitalism (as many of the stories in your book describe). It is unsurprising to me that this place is so charged, and I think more could be done to dispel the residue of the dark acts of the past and to make amends with the spirits of the place. I feel that’s the work tasked to those persons who are sensitive to these experiences. I’m sure there’s another whole book that could be written on the non-white spirits to be found on the island. I’d prefer to keep my email address anonymous.
Thanks for sharing your story Maureen! I’m familiar with Tigh-Na-Mara but have never stayed there. It’s interesting what you said about the voice. I’ve had similar experiences. Recently, with the old folks home being torn down next to where I live (they are building a new, bigger facility) I heard a male voice say “call a doctor.” It sounded so external to my half asleep mind – not something I would conjure up or think to say. This was near the beginning. They have been working on this site for a month or more and I have not heard it again. I doubt myself and what I heard, but it was so distinct.
Much of The Haunting of Vancouver Island is about the history of colonialism and settlement as well as nonwhite ghosts. You might enjoy it! It includes an interview with Chief James Swan of Ahousaht and several historical accounts, as well.
What room num we was it? We just had the jacuzzi jets start by themselves with no water in the tub. We also woke up at 3am from a bat flying around the room
” The Ghost of Gladstone villa”.
My family and I lived at a large property called Gladstone villa in the former mining town of Bargoed in the Caerphilly county borough of the South Wales valleys from 1969 to 1978.
We experienced phenomena that simply defied rational explanation.
We had minor poltergeist activity, I actually witnessed electrical cables being pulled by unseen forces from upstairs as well as lights going off and on.
We also had the occasional sighting, but this was very rare indeed, in all the years I was there I never saw anything but my mother did on at least two separate occasions.
One night she told us she saw the full solid figure of a monk standing behind the sofa by the door way.
She later described it to us in detail with typical brown habit complete with hood over the head, so she didn’t see the face.
There was regular footsteps that were heard every evening in the main bedroom when we’d all be downstairs watching television, one of us would turn the volume down to hear the footsteps more clearly walking about directly above us.
It got so bad that we slept downstairs with the lights on and we had the spirit for so long that my grandmother called him, ”Johnny the ghost”. We left Gladstone villa in the Summer of 1978 when two local business men bought the property and Gladstone villa was converted into a hotel some time in the 1980’s, and it was renamed ”Redz Parc hotel”. I had my 40th birthday there in 2009 for old times sake and the staff told me of their own personal experiences, sightings in room five. Redz parc hotel closed in 2014 and was converted into flats.
The property is still there in Cardiff road, Bargoed and it can be googles if you type in ”Redz parc hotel, Cardiff road, Bargoed”. What I have said here is true and I wouldn’t share this with you if I couldn’t back it up. I have challenged famous skeptics like Dr Chris French to stay there but as of yet he has not replied, he would indeed question his belief system, of that I have no doubt at all what so ever, I’m that deadly serious, and quite sincere about it.
Hi Andrew, that’s really fascinating! Thanks for sharing your story. I can tell you are sincere about the experiences and nothing sounds over-the-top at all so you have me convinced. I found the site you are talking about where you share more. Really interesting account. Thanks for sharing this!
Hi Shannon:
I was a first year cadet at Royal Roads Military College during 1970-1972.
In the fall of 1970, I was studying late one night in the college library on the top floor of Hatley Castle. The room was extremely cold, I heard a noise behind me. I turned around and near the entrance to the library, I saw a young lady in a gray and white maid’s outfit (white hat, white apron and gray dress). The lady’s hair was in brown and tied up in a neat bun. I asked if I could help her and she turned to walk away. I did not recognize the lady – she was not part of the college staff. I followed after her, but when I went out into the hallway, the lady had disappeared. I thought to myself, have you seen a ghost? It gave me goose bumps and shivers.
I left the library shortly afterwards. Back in Nixon Block, I had a physical reaction and I nearly collapsed. My cadet officer called a doctor , who could not explain my reaction to the event. While I told the doctor, I did not tell my fellow cadets. The doctor gave a sedative. I wrote about my experience in a 2005 master’s assignment, which I called “Ghost in the Castle.” I put the experience down to stress and imagination, but you never know – perhaps I saw a ghost.
I bought your book at Bolen’s Books in Victoria. I have not read the complete book, but I have skimmed some of the pages. It’s well written and is easy to read. I think you will have a good book and I hope the sales will be high. My oldest daughter is getting the book as a Christmas present.
Thanks for writing about “The Haunting of Vancouver Island.”
Regards,
David Wilson
Thank you for sharing your experience David. As you’ve probably know by now, there’s a chapter about Craigdarroch and Hatley Castles in The Haunting of Vancouver Island. I have heard people have seen a maid in the castle before, so I believe what you’ve shared. There is a story that a maid jumped from an upper floor window. Really interesting about the physical reaction you had after. Your master’s assignment sounds fascinating. There are so many possibilities as to what these experiences are. It could be stress and imagination as you say, or maybe they are just factors in something more complicated going on.
Thanks for buying the book and for passing the stories to your daughter as a Christmas present! That makes me really happy to hear. I also appreciate that you’ve enjoyed the writing and content so far 🙂
Hi Shannon, I have given but a brief description of my own experiences here, please would you be kind enough to check out a much more detail version of my account by searching youtube, ” THE GHOST OF GLADSTONE VILLA” A genuine case that occurred in Wales UK throughout the 1970’s. This really did happen to us and it needs to be told. Thank you most sincerely indeed, all the very best for 2018.