GHOST ENCOUNTERS: The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon

by Helen Hollick, Kathy Hollick

Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile. Actually, most of them are not.

You either believe in ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not. But when you share a home with several companionable spirits, or discover benign ghosts in public places who appear as real as any living person, scepticism is abandoned and the myth that ghosts are to be feared is realised as nonsense.

A genuine Medium or Spiritualist will not need to demand, “Is there anyone there?” but will immediately notice a presence and simply offer a welcoming, “Hello.”

It is a matter for individual consideration whether you believe in ghosts or not, but for those who have the gift to see, hear or be aware of people from the past, meeting with them in today’s environment can generate a connection to years gone by. Kathy and Helen Hollick have come across several such departed souls in and around North Devon and at their 18th-century home, which they share with several ‘past residents’.

In GHOST The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon , mother and daughter share their personal experiences, dispelling the belief that spirits are to be feared.

Ghost Encounters will fascinate all who enjoy this beautiful region of rural South-West England, as well as interest those who wish to discover more about its history... and a few of its ghosts.

(Includes a bonus of two short stories and photographs connected to North Devon)

cover avalon graphics
cover Chris Collingwood

180 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 26, 2025

About the author

I escaped London in January 2013 to live in North Devon - but was born in Walthamstow, North East London in 1953 I began writing at the age of 13. Desperately wanting a pony of my own, but not being able to afford one, I invented an imaginary pony instead, writing stories about our adventures together at every spare opportunity. In the seventies I turned to science fiction - this was the age of Dr. Who, Star Trek and Star Wars. I still have an unfinished adventure about a bit of a rogue who travelled space with his family, making an honest(ish) living and getting into all sorts of scrapes. Perhaps one day I might finish it.

I had wanted to become a journalist when leaving secondary school, but my careers advice was not helpful. "Don't be silly," I was told, "you can't type." (I still can't, I use four fingers.) Instead, I worked in a Chingford library where I stayed for 13 years although I was not very happy there - I did not realise it, but I wanted to write. The one advantage of the library, however, was the access to books, and it was there that I came across the Roman historical novels of Rosemary Sutcliff, the Arthurian trilogy by Mary Stewart, and the historian Geoffrey Ashe. I was hooked on Roman Britain - and King Arthur!

Reading everything I could, I eventually became frustrated that novels were not how I personally felt about the matter of Arthur and Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere).

By this time, I was married with a young daughter. I had time on my hands and so I started writing my idea of Arthurian Britain . I deliberately decided not to include Merlin and Lancelot, there was to be no magic or Medieval myth. My book was to be a "what might have really happened" historical novel, not a fantasy, and most certainly not a romance! What I didn't know, when I started, was that my one book was to grow into enough words to make a complete trilogy.

I found an agent who placed me with William Heinemann - I was accepted for publication just after my 40th birthday. The best birthday present I have ever had.

I had previously had a smaller success with a children's personal safety book (stranger danger) called "Come and Tell Me," a little story that I had written for my daughter when she was 3. I wanted to tell her how to keep safe in a clear and simple manner - with a message that could be easily remembered. "Always come and tell me before you go anywhere with anyone" fitted nicely. I was immensely proud when my little story was taken up as an official safety book by the British Home Office to be used nationally by the police and schools. An updated and revised version of "Come and Tell Me" was re-published by Happy Cat Books but is now out of print.

I followed on with two Saxon period novels A Hollow Crown and Harold the King - both are about the people and events that led to the Battle of Hastings in 1066 - from the English point of view.
(these titles are published as The Forever Queen and I Am The Chosen King in the US)

When Heinemann did not re-print my backlist I took my books to a small UK independent publisher with their even smaller mainstream imprint, adding my historical adventure series the Sea Witch Voyages to my list.
Unfortunately Discovered Authors / Callio Press, were not as organised as they should have been and the company closed in the spring of 2011. Not wanting my books to fall out of print in the UK I took them to an indie company - SilverWood Books of Bristol UK - and with their technical assistance "self published"

I am also with Sourcebooks Inc in the US, with Artemis Yayinlari in Turkey, Sadwolf in Germany at Catnip Edizioni in Italy.
I was delighted to make the USA Today bestseller list in 2011 with The Forever Queen (US title of A Hollow Crown)

I have published two non-fiction books: Pirates Truth and Tales with Amberley Press and Smugglers : Fact and Fiction with Pen & Sword.

I also run an historical fiction review blog, Discovering Diamonds, with a dedicated and enthusia

Reviews

[Patricia Furstenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are histories that are recorded and histories that are felt. Not in dates or documents, but in the way the air shifts, the sense of a presence, the inexplicable certainty that a place remembers more than it reveals. So, when we walk through a landscape shaped by centuries, are we ever truly alone?
Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon by Helen Hollick and Kathy Hollick is a Devon travel guide that resists the theatrics of the supernatural and instead offers something far more enduring: the suggestion that the past does not haunt, it remains.

Set within the layered landscape of North Devon, the book unfolds as a lively journey through place rather than a catalogue of fright. From narrow hedged lanes to the wide solitude of Exmoor, from timeworn inns to the intimate space of the authors’ own farmhouse, each encounter is rooted in location. And it is precisely this grounding that gives the narrative its authority.

The stories from Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon are not adrift in imagination; they are observed and, above all, lived.

What distinguishes this collection is its tone. There is no urgency to convince, no reliance on spectacle. Instead, Helen Hollick and Kathy Hollick approach each presence with measured curiosity. A grieving young woman, a dutiful farmhand, a man forever bound to his final errand — these are not apparitions to be feared, but lives interrupted, emotions unfinished. Even the more unsettling encounters are handled with restraint, shaped by empathy rather than alarm.

And history is never absent. Each account is gently contextualised, drawing the reader into the rhythms of rural life, the echoes of national upheaval, the quiet tragedies that ripple outward through time. The result is a narrative that feels intimate, where the boundary between past and present is not forcefully broken but naturally thinned.

There is also a subtle argument at the heart of this book.

Against the noise of modern ghost-hunting and its appetite for spectacle, the authors offer a solid perspective: that what lingers does so not to terrify, but to be acknowledged. Memory, after all, does not vanish simply because time has passed. Isn’t it?

Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon is not a book that demands belief. It is a volume that invites reflection. It asks the reader to consider whether history is ever truly absent or whether, in certain places, it simply chooses to remain close – as is evident through the large array of lavish black and white photographs included in it.

[Elizabeth John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Delightful and Enchanting Journey Through Haunted North Devon

Helen Hollick’s Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon is an utterly captivating blend of travel guide, personal memoir, and ghostly intrigue. Together with her daughter Kathy—who possesses an extraordinary sensitivity to the unseen—Hollick takes readers on an enchanting tour of her beloved North Devon, revealing not only its breathtaking landscapes and rich history but also its spectral inhabitants.

Whether you are a believer in ghosts or a staunch skeptic, this book will challenge your perceptions. Through vivid storytelling, Hollick and Kathy share their firsthand experiences with spirits who are not the terrifying phantoms of folklore, but rather, lingering souls who coexist peacefully in the places they once called home. From centuries-old pubs to misty hidden valleys, each location is steeped in history and infused with an atmosphere that is both mysterious and inviting.

What makes Ghost Encounters so compelling is its warm, conversational tone. Hollick’s love for North Devon shines through on every page, and her ability to weave historical insight with supernatural tales makes for an engrossing read. The mother-daughter dynamic adds a unique charm, as Kathy’s intuitive encounters provide a fascinating contrast to Helen’s historical perspective.

This book is not just for those intrigued by the paranormal—it is also a beautifully written tribute to the magic of North Devon, its past, and its present. Whether you are planning a visit or simply looking for a delightfully eerie escape, Ghost Encounters is an absolute must-read. Hollick has crafted a truly special book—one that lingers in the mind like the very spirits she so wonderfully brings to life.