Review: 'The Long Dark'—new podcast about winter paranormal phenomena in Scotland

Just finished the three-part series 'The Long Dark' from Grampian Paranormal Collective. It's available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and their own website. Each episode is about 90 minutes, released fortnightly since October.

The podcast focuses specifically on paranormal reports from the Scottish Highlands during winter - ghostly sightings, cryptid encounters, unexplained phenomena - all set against the backdrop of 17-18 hour darkness periods. They interview locals, paranormal investigators, and historians. Production quality is very good: atmospheric music, decent recording, minimal ads.

The good: Well-researched, engaging hosts who actually know Scotland rather than just parachuting in. They discuss the Skinwalker-like entities reported in the Highlands (something I'd never heard of before). Good skepticism balanced with openness. The bad: A bit slow-paced in places, sometimes feels like they're padding out stories that could be told quicker. Also, their analysis of the electromagnetic theory for paranormal activity is a bit hand-wavy - not enough rigour there.

Overall: 8/10. Recommended if you like Scottish folklore mixed with contemporary paranormal investigation. Worth a listen if you've got a long winter drive ahead.

Thanks for the review! I've added it to my list. I'm always hungry for good paranormal content that isn't just recycled American cryptid stories. The Scottish angle is appealing - our paranormal phenomena get overlooked compared to Bodmin Moor or the Pennines.

I'm three episodes in and really enjoying it so far. The interview with the gamekeeper in episode two was genuinely unsettling. Whether you believe it or not, the storytelling is compelling. Also agree about the EM stuff being underdeveloped - would love them to do an episode with an actual physicist.

their analysis of the electromagnetic theory for paranormal activity is a bit hand-wavy

This is my main criticism too. It's a shame because the rest of the research is solid. They seem to treat EM as a catch-all explanation without really understanding the physics. But honestly, most paranormal podcasts are guilty of that.

Listened to episode one and found it a bit slow, but I'll stick with it. The production quality is definitely professional. Have you listened to 'Shadows in the Cairngorms' by comparison? That's been my go-to Scottish paranormal podcast, but I'm always open to new stuff.