Gates of hell
Nether Lypiatt is great for hiking or horse riding, but stay away from this beauty spot, four miles out of Stroud, at midnight on 25 January. On this date, the iron gates of Nether Lypiatt Manor fly open and the ghost of the blacksmith who made the gates rides through on a huge white stallion. The air is filled with moans as the spectre recalls his cruel fate. In 1704, he was convicted of murder by notorious Judge Coxe, who owned the Manor. The judge said he could go free if he made him some flawless gates. After months of stressful toil, the gates were fitted, but the judge had been playing a game. He found a trivial fault and on 25 January 1705, had him hanged. The Manor is also haunted by the judge’s son, who committed suicide.