Folklore & legend

Llwybr y Cythraul, the Devil's Path

Also known as: The calf-shaped devil of Skewen

Llwybr y Cythraul, near Skewen (exact route uncertain)

Published 1925

A young farm girl was walking home late one night when she realised she was being followed by a creature that looked like a calf. When she reached the farm she told her master straight away that the Devil had followed her home.

The farmer took his gun and went out to search for it. He found nothing that night, but the next morning strange footprints were discovered along the way she had come. From then on the path was known as Llwybr y Cythraul, the Devil's Pathway.

The story is a good example of a place-name explained by a supernatural encounter. The Devil, or a bogey, taking the shape of a calf, a dog or a pig is common in Welsh tales. The date of the original publication, 1925, may be when it was written down rather than when it happened.

The path is not precisely located; the point marks the Skewen area.
Evidence
Long-standing local tradition
Access
Open ground
Location
51.664, -3.845 (Parish-level only, treat as an area)

Sources: Great British Ghost Tour, "Haunted Skewen" [other]

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