Christmas has Santa Claus and Halloween has Jane Dickens. 

While James Bond is packing out cinemas, she likes nothing more than leaving people feeling shaken and stirred in an altogether different way.

This is the busiest time of the year for Jane who pulls on her widows weeds and transforms into The Lady to lead ghost walks.

She resurrects the horrors and mysteries of Keswick and Cockermouth and we can’t get enough of them.

She has been taking two walks every night this week - one through the streets of Cockermouth and one through Keswick.

Jane is so busy tomorrow that she’s actually leading three different walks – and Jane even thought about adding a fourth at midnight to meet demand.

“People love it and they come dressed up in Halloween gear,” she smiles.

“This is the busiest time of year, though Christmas is a busy time as well.

“Especially between Christmas and New Year when people have family up and are looking to do something a little bit different and show off our fantastic towns.

“Doing the walks under the Christmas lights is a great time for me.”

She tells her tales all year round – Valentine’s night is one of the most popular – and says that summer evenings can be especially atmospheric as the light dies, the bats come out and the swifts screech overhead.

She also holds fireside tale sessions at the C12th Hayton Castle near Aspatria.

All her stories are local, though Jane can’t say if they really happened or not.

“Every story happens where I say it happens.

“Every story on the walks is true – as it was told to me. Not every story is a ghost story and I can’t say whether ghosts exist or not – apart from The Lady, the resident ghost...”

The Lady, ah yes. Dressed all in black she’s a long way from Lady Mary in Downton Abbey , but nor is she the evil presence of The Woman In Black.

“She is local and that is all I can say about her,” says Jane who by day is a sparkly character with a flashing smile.

“She has developed over time. I started off with her being severe and stern, now she is delightfully deranged.

“Her perception of the world is skewed and has spent a lot of time in dark places.

“Her back-story is drip-fed to you during the walk.

“She is more quick-witted than I am!”

The Lady can lead up to 30 people on a walk which lasts an hour and a half and is a mile and a quarter in length.

Jane says: “I like to tell the story to each individual person.”

“Each individual feels that the story is directed entirely at them.”

Jane stays in character for the duration.

Once she is in the Victorian dress and her hair is piled high, that’s the end of Jane for the evening.


Jane Dickens Even when she’s warning her walk-goers of traffic, or dealing with passers-by, she does so as The Lady.

“The people or Keswick and Cockermouth are my extras, “ laughs Jane.

“People are really pleased to see you as you walk about with a big crowd behind you and they want to interact with you.

“I’ve even had a marriage proposal!

“It has to be The Lady who deals with the situation. Jane Dickens can’t tell people off or deal with interruption, it would break the spell.”

The Lady appears before Jane leaves her house, as she explains: “I’m sure some people think I just turn up and do it.”

“The walks starts in my head two hours before it actually takes place.

“I have my rehearsal to do, the costume to put on and once the dress is on, The Lady is there.

“Sometimes I’ll speak to people when I’m dressed as her and I have to apologise afterwards because I have not engaged with them as I should.

“I talk to my cats in The Lady’s voice before I leave the house. It is The Lady, not me. I’m possessed by her.

As well as haunting the streets of Cumbria and on-stage acting, Jane has worked for the past 20 years with storytelling group Gripping Yarns in schools around Liverpool and in Cheshire.

Instead of tales of woe and horror from centuries ago, these tales deal with explaining how to deal with more modern-day terrors such as cyber-bullying, racism and domestic abuse.

Originally from Braithwaite, near Keswick, Jane started acting at a young age with her parents Ann and Ron Dickens performing in murder mystery nights with them for HF Holidays.

She joined the Workington Playgoers group, but when she went to university in Liverpool she took a degree in sociology rather than performing arts.

“I came out with a degree I’d never use and an equity card and I’ve acted ever since,” she grins.

She worked in Liverpool for 20 years and returned to Cumbria in 2010. 

She reasons: “An old school friend told me there was a big magnet in Skidda’ that draws you back. You try and leave, but it draws you back.

“A lot of my friends have done exactly that. they have moved away, had their career and young lives and returned because this is an unbelievable place to be.”

She was involved in some ghost walks during her time in Liverpool and when she returned to Cumbria, launching Lakeland Hauntings was an obvious move.

“There has always been mystery, darkness and the macabre in my career,” she laughs.

She spent around a year researching her stories and started the walks two years ago.

Cumbria’s rich history provides plenty of material for her and she includes the tale of the disappearing army of Souther Fell on her walks.

But she has discovered her own as well and says: “I went round shops and businesses saying ‘do you have any ghost stories?’

“The general reaction was ‘No, although....’ then they come out with a story.”

If you’re not booked in to one of today’s trips, don’t worry, there are plenty more organised for December.

Booking for the walks is essential.

For more information and to book, go to www.lakelandhauntings.co.uk , email janedickenslh@gmail.com or call 07949 909365.