Every summer, thousands of hikers enjoy the spectacular views from the Offa’s Dyke footpath running along Hatterall Hill. This is the highest and most easterly ridge of the Black Mountains and forms the border between Wales and Herefordshire. Most of them will be unaware that they may have unseen company.

 

The ghost of a poor old woman dressed in an oblong four-cornered hat, tatty clothes and apron, is said to roam the mountainside around Llanhilleth. It is thought to be the ghost of one Joan White (or Juan White) who locals claim to have been a witch in centuries past.

In the 18th century, one Llanhilleth man has a very unnerving experience:

 

"Thomas Andrew, living at a place called the Farm, in this Parish, coming home by night, soul, by the side of the wall, this multitude of a dark man, creeping on all fours, scraping the ground, and looking aside one way and another, also making a dreadful noise; at which he was terribly frightened; for it was, to everyone that will consider it, a dreadful appearance." Jones 1767, 33

 

The same Thomas Andrew was also unfortunate enough to meet the Cwn Wybr (Sky Hounds), also known as the Cwn Annwn (Hounds of Hell). These were a pack of spectral hounds lead out at night by the King of the Otherworld to hunt the souls of the damned.

 

"As Thomas Andrew was coming home one night, with some persons with him, he heard, as he thought, the sound of hunting: he was afraid it was some person hunting sheep, so we hastened on to meet and hinder them: he had them coming towards him, though he saw them not: when they came near him, their voices were small, but increasing as they went away from him: they went down the steep towards the River Ebwy, dividing between this parish and Mynydduslwyn, whereby he knew that they will not called Cwn wybir, – (Sky Dogs) but in the inwards part of Wales, Cwn-annwn (Dogs of Hell). I have heard say that these Spiritual Hunting Dogs have been heard to pass by the eaves of several houses before the death of someone in the family. Thomas Andrew was an honest religious man, who would not have told an untruth either for fear or for favour). Jones 1967, 38–39

At Llanhilleth there once lived a giant called Ithel, who decided to build himself a house and began collecting boulders from Cefn Crib above Hafodyrynys. As he was carrying them back to Llanhilleth in his apron, the string broke and he dropped the boulder.

 

And that, so legend has it, was how the castle mound next to St. Illtyd’s Church was first built.