SEASIDE SPECTRE

I felt compelled to write after reading Guy Grieve's recent column [A Highland Haunting, March 2019]. I enjoyed his spooky tale of a malevolent presence encountered while camping in the woods and it made me want to tell a story that still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end to this day.

In the late 1980s I went camping with my then boyfriend and some of our friends on one of Northumberland's most beautiful and very often deserted beaches. As darkness fell, with our bravery buoyed by a few drinks, we decided to brave the icy waters of the North Sea and go for a dip.

As we walked towards the water's edge we saw fresh footprints coming out of the water, clear imprints in the sand, heading up the beach towards our camp. Apart from our group, the beach was entirely empty and despite our bravado at the time it's something that bothered me enough to recently do a little research. I found a photo online that had been taken on that very beach. The photographer claims that the beach was deserted when he took the picture, but when it was developed you can clearly see a family, wearing what appears to be Victorian or Edwardian dress standing by the rocks. Jessica Brown, Kelso