Beyond the Veil at Fort Widley: A Night with the Lantern Man?
- Dr Iain M Lightfoot
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
At 8 PM sharp on May 2nd, the doors to Fort Widley’s deep, mysterious tunnels opened once again to welcome an eclectic mix of ghost hunters, sensitives, sceptics, and curious minds. While most of our guests trickled in between 7:30 and 8:00, the energy began building from the moment the first boots hit the gravel.
This wasn’t just one group, this night we were four distinct teams of investigators, each with their own style, focus, and methods. Some went solo, some joined in for the vigils, and others floated between the main investigation and their own experiments. What shone through, however, was a strong cooperative spirit that shows why these events matter: we come together, not just to chase the unexplained, but to connect and share in our search.
Raising the Energy; Investigating; Fort Widley at it's Best
The evening unfolded in three parts:
Raising the vibration and grounding ourselves during the walkthrough.
Main investigations using cat balls, EMFs, EVP sessions, vigils and focused inquiry.
Smaller group investigations in the more charged areas of the fort.
Early on, the human pendulum brought forth the name William, while during a powerful meditation session, a spirit named Thomas Allen came through to me with a heart-breaking message:
“Gemma, she abandoned me.”
The energy was already shifting, and emotions bubbled under the surface.
Wet Legs, Cold Tunnels, and Invisible Cobwebs
As we made our way into the tunnels, something odd happened to me, I felt my right leg go wet. Not just cold, but distinctly wet from below the knee. Later, both legs felt drenched. It’s moments like these that remind us how difficult it is to separate subjective feelings from the empirical, but the sensation was undeniable. Everyone knows what a wet leg feel like? Or was it just me?
The tunnels themselves felt deeper and more labyrinthine than Fort Purbrook and as we journeyed downward, I experienced intermittent headaches and that unmistakable sensation of walking into a field of energy, how to describe, like goosebumps with 'take your breath away' feeling, tinged with a sense of awe / dread combination.
At the tunnel’s base, we turned off all lights. Darkness swallowed us whole. Was that the Lantern Man some saw flickering ahead? I wasn’t convinced at first, and I am still not because ambient light can play tricks, however, soon things escalated.
One guest became visibly shaken after claiming she saw a shadowy figure standing between us. Moments later, a REM pod triggered and another investigator claimed she saw a figure in uniform darting across the upper level. A second REM pod lit up with no one near it. We tested, measured, and confirmed: there was no physical explanation for the activation.
Something in the Darkness
During one tunnel vigil, we encountered what felt to me like a deeply inpatient presence. While standing on the lower level with Barry, I believe that a surge of thick, dark energy rushed toward me. I gasped, instinctively stepping back. Barry later admitted it was the first time he had felt genuine fear during an investigation, alas because of my reaction I think.
Soon after, I caught what I thought was an incredible capture: a thick, swirling mist moving in front of my camera. I rushed to show others, only to later realise (after careful review) that it was likely my breath picked up by the IR camera. It’s moments like these that reinforce the importance of debunking. When we explain what’s explainable, our credibility grows and that matters especially when we capture the unexplainable.
Footsteps, Lights, and the Lantern Man
After a break to recharge (never underestimate how important this is!), Barry and I went back down into the tunnels, alone. We set up cat balls and proximity sensors, expecting a quiet session. What happened next still sends shivers down my spine and remains unexplainable.
As we were watching one tunnel Barry and I saw flickering light reflecting on the wall and approaching footsteps, we were relaxed as it was another group right? Wrong... no one appeared. Hastily we checked the tunnels, it got icy cold and I mean icy cold... and all around, no-one was there; quickly Barry asked out for louder footsteps and then we absolutely heard stomping, both loud, and deliberate. We each checked the tunnels again. No one. Not a soul. Yet the light had been reflecting from the tunnel entrance, not just bouncing ambiently. There was no explanation for where we saw the light and now still remains a mystery... A part of the story.
We’d heard stories. Legends. The Lantern Man of Fort Widley, a towering shadowy figure seen silently pacing the tunnels, carrying a flickering light, sometimes vanishing before your eyes. That night, I’d begun as a sceptic to the light we 'saw' and still am, but by the end, I had no explanation for what I had expereinced there. I just do know what I saw, and thankfully there were two of us to share our amazement
A Bang and a Response
Later, we asked spirit to mimic a rhythm by tapping in reply. We banged on a metal sign and, moments later, from deep within the tunnel, two perfect bangs echoed back. Coincidence? Perhaps. Yet it felt deliberate. Timed. Intelligent.
Then the air shifted again. The atmosphere calmed. The energy softened. We set up a laser grid for shadow play but found no further interaction. The night had given us what it was going to give.
A Final Thought
What made this night remarkable wasn’t just what we saw or heard, it was absolutely the sense of being watched, of something responding, and that uncanny moment where we thought we were seeing another group only to find… no one. I was relaxed, casual, and entirely unprepared to be spooked. Maybe that’s the key. When you drop your guard, something stirs.
To finish the evening off on a lighter note, and yes, contrary to rumours, Mick’s burger van does serve chips after 3 AM. I must also happily report also a decent flat white to boot.
Until next time…
Stay safe, stay curious, and see you beyond the veil as, the adventure continues...
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