The Wayfarer’s Weird: Wild Tales of Uncanny Rambles

by Weird Walk (Editor)

“Come to-night,” I heard the old man say, “come to me to-night into the Wood of the Dead.”

Join Weird Walk for a new journey into the ghostly and bizarre, striking out from the shelter of the inn for the places where the path begins to fade, from the sublime wilderness of mountains, coasts and ravines to forbidden, ancient tracts of woodland.

Featuring disorientating classics from John Buchan and Algernon Blackwood alongside modern, thrilling (and sometimes violent) warnings to the intrepid from Lisa Tuttle and Dorothy K. Haynes, The Wayfarer’s Weird leads you towards fae dangers, down lost tracks in time and deep into the liminal spaces of Britain and beyond.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

288 pages, Paperback

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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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'.

[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