The Wayfarer’s Weird: Wild Tales of Uncanny Rambles

by Weird Walk (Editor)

A Welsh valley holds an ancient, and rising, evil; a lonely castle on the Scottish Borders gives up its terrifying secret; a strange woodland reveals the fate of all who dwell in the village below.

Join Weird Walk for a second journey into the ghostly and bizarre, heading for the wild spaces where paths falter. This collection of fourteen tales forges a way through perilous crags, desolate moors and collapsing coastlines, into the mystery, magic and fear still pulsing in these sublime landscapes.

Featuring disorientating classics from Walter de la Mare and Algernon Blackwood alongside more recent warnings to the intrepid from Lisa Tuttle and Dorothy K. Haynes, The Wayfarer's Weird leads you deep into Britain’s eerie wild places.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Paranormal

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2025

Reviews

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of really good ones! I liked The White Sack, and House of Balbother, and All Hallows was really good. Really only a couple of not so great ones.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wide range of weird stories within the theme of walking and exploring the wilder parts of Britain. There are perhaps too many modern (or semi-modern) tales for my liking, most of which are the weaker tales in the collection; however, Redcap by Lisa Tuttle is a fantastic cautionary tale with an ending that is as satisfying as it is expected. Of the older tales, Blackwood’s ‘the wood of the dead’ was atmospheric and full of his usual use of beautiful descriptive language, with a nice twist at the end. Likewise, E.F. Benson’s ‘The Face’ was very enjoyable, nicely paced and with a very satisfying ending. Finally, the first story in the collection ‘the wraith of Barnjum’ was incredibly amusing and unlike anything I’d read before. Overall, not the best in the Tales of the Weird collection, but enjoyable and very easily read over a few days travelling.

[p. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5☆

A solid selection with a very solid and consistent theme and quality. And yes, it did make me want to start travelling around the UK more so a job well done right there (though maybe it should have scared me into less rambling?)

Favourite entries: "The Wood of the Dead" by Algernon Blackwood, "The Face" by E. F. Benson, "The House of Balfother" by William Croft Dickinson, "Redcap" by Lisa Tuttle, "The Pharisees' Glass" R. B. Russell

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

"He did not die til dawn." /b>

[Alice Vandommele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a lovely selection. Not all of them were hitters, but The Wraith of Barnjum was a delight, All Hallows was gorgeous and The Pharisees' Glass did Machenesque horror better than Machen himself.

[Polly White · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Mixed feelings about this one, I thought I would like it a bit more than I did. I found some of the stories a bit lacklustre, and All Hallows was so long winded. But I did enjoy The House of Balfother and The White Sack.

[Hollye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this and the transformation in writing you witness from the beginning story to the last. Really fascinating and a few descriptions are really going to stay with me!

[Lizixer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a wonder anyone goes on holiday in Britain. If the ancient stones don’t get you, then the local pagan god probably will. Mind you, you’re not safe if you’re a local, because if you break some code or do something that you haven’t been punished for, then the land will make sure you get what’s coming to you.

These tales begin in 1879 and the last was published in 2014. Across decades, lone travellers are faced with ghosts, mysterious mists, murderous fairies, their own guilty conscience. They set out sometimes to defy the superstition, sometimes to confirm the supernatural and sometimes they are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pan is here, of course, and Machen inspired ancient folk that we can no longer see. Ancient savage history in borderlands is replayed in another age. Not every traveller lives to tell the tale of his own encounter with the weird (all but one of them are men) and sometimes we are left to guess.

As always, I liked some more than others. Of the modern tales, Alison Littlewood’s was the one I enjoyed the most, it is clever and well-written. Of the older tales, Walter De La Mare’s is wonderfully creepy and atmospheric, The Cairn is classic folk horror, as is L.T.C Rolt’s Cwm Garon. All the tales are enjoyable however so this is a purely subjective view.

So next time someone invites you to climb a creepy old hill with a weird legend attached to it, it might be an idea to hark to the wisdom of the locals and stay by the fire with a pint of ale…assuming the locals aren’t in on it.

[Annabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sixth ‘Tales of the Weird’ books I’ve finished and I am a firm believer that they are some of the best short story collections that I’ve ever heard of/read.
‘Tales of the Weird’ are wonderful way to experience short tales from a wide range of authors in many themes relating to the strange, supernatural, horror and suspense.

The Wayfarer’s Weird is full of some wonderfully creepy tales- one of my favourites of these is ‘On Ilkley Moor’ by Alison Littlewood- and also a handful of mystical tales which are more wondrous than creepy. They all build up so much suspense in only a few pages which is an amazing feat.
For anyone who loves a good story, the outdoors or simply a way to enjoy new authors I’d definitely recommend either this book or any of the books in the ‘Tales of the Weird’ collection.

[Jonathan Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

well, i survived my first fiction book. i had almost vowed to never read fiction, barring anything Harry Potter, but dipped in for night time reading. i have my main book i read daily and then fiction to read before bed... i enjoyed it and now intend to carry on and let my love for reading allow this new genre.

found the stories good, i love a good ghost story and this was just right.

[D T · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous collection of strange and atmospheric stories, each one like stumbling upon something just off the beaten path.
A well curated set of tales.

[Jay Rothermel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent cross-section of weird locations, including several by living (or should we say undead?) authors.

[Nothingtoread]

Read half of the stories. The best is Redcap by Lisa Tuttle.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining anthology that includes some super stories. I was especially taken with R.B. Russell's tale, which is both a pitch-perfect impersonation of Arthur Machen and a fascinating story in its own right, but there were lots of others to repay the reader's investment. Lisa Tuttle's story is nicely worked, Walter de la Mare's is poetic and mysterious (if rather ponderous), F. Anstey's is amusing (not something that you can often say of contributions to BL anthologies), and E.F. Benson and Algernon Blackwood's pieces live up to their reputations. The weak links for me were Jacqueline Simpson (a brilliant folklorist but not a great writer) and the perennially overrated Ramsey Campbell, who offers a great last line after what felt an eternity of ham-fisted description. One day I'll find a Campbell story I like...the search continues. Overall, a worthy collection that will fit snugly in your rucksack with your flask and bar of Kendal mint cake as you go a-wandering along the mountain track.

[Richard Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous tales about the relationship between the landscape and the supernatural. My personal favourites from this are 'The Wood of the Dead', 'The Face' and 'Redcap'.

[Book Jester · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable collection of 14 spooky stories, all with an overall theme of haunted hikes, filled with mysteries and legends. As a lover of hill walking and nature in general these stories really appealed to me, especially as I was able to quite clearly picture some of the settings - even if I haven't actually visited some of the locations, the descriptions of forests, hill tops and rapidly descending fog felt very familiar.

My favourite of the stories were probably: The White Sack by A. N. L. Munby, The House of Balfother by William Croft Dickinson, Redcap by Lisa Tuttle and On Ilkley Moor by Alison Littlewood.

[Michael John Paul McManus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent collection of weird short stories from the British Library of the Weird. And nice to know that all the sites mentioned for walks or climbing are actual places around this country. Very enjoyable. 10/10