The mysterious story of the phantom hitchhiker of Stockport

If you’ve ever seen a ghostly figure roaming the streets of Stockport as you drive through, you’re not alone.

That’s because an eerie hitchhiker supposedly haunts the town centre, with numerous tales and sightings of the mysterious woman.

According to eyewitness accounts, the woman appears near Mersey Square on Wellington Road South and thumbs down a lift.

Wellington Road South, Stockport, from the air – Credit: Mike Pennington / Geograph

One sighting featured in a book called Supernatural Stockport by Martin Hills. The story goes that a biker picked up the woman and gave her a lift to her home in Hazel Grove – but when they arrived, she had completely vanished.

This is where it gets really creepy, as the biker knocked on the address he was given and was greeted by a couple, who revealed their daughter had tragically died in a crash on Wellington Road several years earlier.

Another eyewitness, Harold Smith, recalled his early 1990s run-in with the hitchhiker, saying: “As I came down the long hill, I saw a figure on the left-hand pavement. She was slim with dark, straight shoulder-length hair, wearing a short jacket and trousers and holding a helmet.

“As I approached, she walked to the kerb and stuck her thumb out. People don’t usually thumb lifts from motorcyclists. When I stopped in the lay-by and looked back over my shoulder, I couldn’t see her any more. I waited, revved the engine, but gave up and rode home. The whole thing was very strange.”

Shops on Wellington Road South – Credit: Gerald England / Geograph

The mystery has intrigued many paranormal experts, including doctor Rob Gandy, 64, who became fascinated by the phantom woman five years ago.

He told the Manchester Evening News in 2015: “I have always had an interest in strange things. I take urban legends with a pinch of salt but they are great stories. But there have been several reports about the phantom hitchhiker in Stockport and I want to get to the bottom of it.”

Rob says he was contacted by another man who claimed to have experienced something similar to the biker while researching another project.

Mersey Square and The Plaza – Credit: David Dixon / Geograph

He said: “It’s intriguing but I always take a sceptical line and look for something natural that may have caused it. For example, if you are driving in stressful conditions your imagination can go into overdrive.

“But the guy who contacted me was very genuine and level-headed. You have to keep an open mind and not have any preconceived ideas.”

At the time Rob was looking into patterns of locations, times and dates, and promised to publish his findings – but it seems his investigation didn’t come to anything, as there’s no article to be found online.

As it stands, the mystery of the phantom hitchhiker of Stockport remains unsolved.