GHOSTS are set to be hunted in North Cornwall this winter as the Cornwall Festival of Ghost Stories returns for its second ever event.

At the start of the year, Launceston hosted the first ever Cornwall Festival of Ghost Stories. The brainchild of two locals, Lawrence Patrick McNeela, and Emily Partridge, owner of Black Cat Books, the event is named after the Kernowek translation of ‘phantom’: Tarosvan.

This November, the event is set to make a return with Lawrence leading the charge once more.

Visitors are set to be given an insight into some of Launceston’s spooky stories and haunted houses, with walking tours, author talks and even a live ghost hunt planned for the festival.

Speaking to us, Lawrence said: “We’ll be kicking off the festival with a ghost walk around Launceston on November 19, but there will be plenty to get involved with, including a headline ghost hunt at The White Hart Hotel.”

Attendees will be looking to speak to spirits on the other side, as paranormal investigators lead them round the historic inn.

Former landlord at a haunted pub, Lawrence has had plenty of experiences with the pararnormal and hopes that Tarosvan will open people’s eyes to the spooky side of their town.

He said: "My own introduction to the spooky side of things came much later in life, although Dartmoor was also the setting. I used to own a pub there, one haunted by a very noisy female ghost!”

“Launceston has an incredible history and it's filled to the brim with ghost stories. Virtually every building in the old town centre is haunted. This really sets the town apart from other places in the region. It's the haunted capital of Cornwall.

“On one of our tours last year we had access to the Southgate Arch, following the tour one of the ladies who had joined our group on the tour stopped me to say that when I was talking with my back to the window, there was a man sat on the window ledge in old-fashioned clothes and a tricornered hat. She told me how he was there smirking, listening to what I was saying.”

Along with ghost hunts, the event will also feature book signings, ghost walks, and storytelling activities from November 19 to November 21.