THE STORY
Reported Haunting
Dering Wood is said to be haunted by a highwayman who was captured, lynched, and decapitated by villagers during the 18th century. Visitors have reportedly seen his apparition wandering the forest surrounding Pluckley, often described as England's most haunted village.
The woodland surrounding Pluckley has accumulated centuries of ghost folklore. Its best-known apparition is said to be an 18th-century highwayman who was captured by villagers, killed, and decapitated before his spirit began wandering among the trees. Internet stories also describe mass deaths and missing campers within the forest, but Atlas Obscura notes that these modern accounts appear to have originated as online creepypasta rather than documented events.