OK, so Halloween is less than a week away. 

And for today's little nugget of Norfolk paranormal, we bring you the screaming Cockler at Stiffkey. 

Now, I'm going to call it Stiffkey throughout this, apart from when we refer to Stewkey Blues. I know there are other ways to pronounce it, but I apologise. That's what I'm going to go with.

So, in the 18th or early 19th century, it goes that a girl named Nancy worked the dangerous salt marshes and mudflats like Black Knock Sandbank, to gather Stiffkey's famous blue tinted cockles known locally as Stewkey Blues. 


One winter morning, while she was out working, a thick sea fog rolled in, and the fast moving tide rose rapidly, cutting off her escape. Villagers rushed out in boats when they heard her desperate cries, but the heavy fog distorted the sound, making it impossible to locate her before she drowned. Her body was found the next day holding her shucking knife, and she was apparently buried in the local churchyard. 

Locals and walkers say that on cold, foggy nights, Nancy's ghost still roams the treacherous salt marshes, and you can hear her terrified and angry screams, echoing through the mist a ghostly warning to you about the deadly, unpredictable tides of the North Norfolk coast. 

So, next time you're out walking on the salt marshes, listen out for Nancy. And if you hear her warning, maybe it's time to turn back and head home straight away.