Can we uncover the true story behind the witch who haunts Tuck’s Wood and Tuck’s Lane? Maybe. And either way, we’ll have fun walking the path she is said to haunt. Keep a keen eye — and an even keener ear — for ghosts…

All my ghost stories this year are rooted in real places across the British Isles, and Nan Tuck’s tale takes us to Buxted, a village in East Sussex, England.

Local legend tells of Nan Tuck, a woman associated with witchcraft who is said to have fled into the woods while being pursued by villagers. Her ghost is reputed to wander the area after dark, particularly around Tuck’s Lane. But the story is far from settled: different versions tell of Nan dying while fleeing, or being drowned during a witch trial.

How much of Nan Tuck’s story can we trace to historical fact, and how much has grown from generations of Sussex folklore? There’s only one way to find out — follow the path, listen carefully; there are some twisting repetitions and conflicting retellings! And together we’ll see who might be waiting in the woods.

A gentle warning: while these stories are not excessively gruesome, they do touch on themes of death, witch-hunting and persecution. Please keep this in mind when listening.

Books Mentioned

Haunted Britain, a guidebook by Antony D. Hippisley Coxe, 1973