Daylight Ghosts

Why Do We See Ghosts at Night?

It is an interesting quirk of ghost hunting that it is largely carried out at night. Why is this? Are the spirits more active during the nocturnal hours or does the daylight itself banish them, in the same way that vampire lore would have us believe? Some estimates have it that 70% of ghost sightings happen during daylight hours, yet we very much associate them with the quiet atmosphere of darkness and dwell on ghost sightings at night. It is a perception I encounter regularly on our Bath Ghost Tours. Does this perception stem from the behaviour of the ghost, or the attitude of the observer?

Human Psychology and the Fear of the Dark

There are several factors at play here. First of these, and arguably the most important and interesting, is to do with human psychology. There can be no doubt that people respond to the night. This is an evolutionary response, honed by millions of years of experience of our ancestors. When you walk through a dark forest, your biology responds. Danger could lurk behind any of the trees. We hear a noise, we imagine it must be a monster, or a bear. We are on high alert. Aware of all the hiding places and ambush points around us. We see a movement, our mind fills in the blanks. The falling leaf becomes a ghostly hand, the wind shifting bushes becomes a hooded figure. Before you know it, the spirits are all around you. I notice this as a tour guide; ghost stories at night are simply more atmospheric and impactful.

Bath Ghost Tours: The Man in the Black Hat

One of the most famous (and chilling) ghosts that we address on our Bath Ghost Tour is the Gravel Walk’s Man in the Black Hat. This is a very troubling haunting that has been reported both during the day and night. The story has it that even when he is seen by one person, another person standing beside them might not be aware of his presence at all.

Daytime Ghost Sightings

So, of course people are more alert to all kinds of threats at night. Daylight calms our senses and relaxes us. But is it possible that we see ghosts in the daylight and don’t recognise them as such? Think carefully: have you ever noticed someone who looked out of place, whose clothes seemed outdated, or who had a strange gaze. Perhaps some of these characters are ghosts. Walking around in plain sight with most people never even considering them.

The Grey Lady of Glamis Castle

In 1537, Janet Douglas, Lady Glamis was executed for witchcraft, one of a reported 4000 people executed in Scotland for witchcraft in the 16th and 17th centuries. Today, at Glamis Castle, the setting for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, her ghost is often reported seen around the clock tower and openly drifting around the grounds of the castle during daylight hours.

The Ghost of Stephen Decatur

Commodore Stephen Decatur was a naval hero who received a house in Washington DC, not far from the White House, in recognition of his military exploits. In 1820 he died as a result of a stomach injury received in a duel. To this day, reports are made of seeing a figure (commonly identified as Decatur) standing at the window of his house, or leaving the house with duelling pistols. This haunting is often seen clearly during daylight hours. 

Bath Ghost Tours Paranormal Experiment

As a part of our Bath Ghost Tour, we carry out a paranormal experiment where we visit a location associated with significant paranormal activity and invite our guests to take photographs. Over the years, we have seen some very strange anomalies and heard reports from our guests of experiences that are hard to explain.

My personal experience as a guide has been that in the summer, when our UK daylight stretches past 10pm, we see fewer in the way of ambiguous results – for example streaks of light, or indistinct orbs. Nevertheless, the results we do see are just as compelling and intriguing as the images we capture in darkness. It’s an experience our guests encounter for themselves on the Bath Ghost Tour.

Ghosts Don’t Change; We Do

These accounts suggest that while the cover of darkness adds a layer of intrigue, mystery and atmosphere to the experience, the ghosts themselves are as happy in daylight as under the cover of night. Put simply, the ghosts don’t respond differently to darkness and daylight, but as humans, we do. Ghosts don’t hurt us. But at night we feel threatened - and ghosts become another potential threat. What changes? The Watchers? Or the Watched?