Heanton Court, Barnstaple

In 1983, Mr and Mrs Coates encountered a ghostly hooded figure on the A361 near Heanton Court, Devon. The apparition appeared suddenly in front of their car with its hands raised, forcing Mr Coates to brake sharply—yet there was no impact and no one to be found. Locals later told him that others had seen the same figure near the remains of an old monastery beside the road. A later unexplained fatal crash nearby deepened the story’s mystery, leading Mr Coates to reconsider his disbelief in the supernatural.