One of the most noted urban legends from London, and in particular from the very close vicinity of the coordinates provided, is the story of the Blackwall Tunnel Phantom Hitchhiker. It’s a frequently trafficked tunnel located under the River Thames, connecting Greenwich with Tower Hamlets. The dark and echoing confines of the tunnel have been the scene of many a ghostly sighting since the 1960s.
Drivers have often reported picking up a hitchhiker described as a young man in his twenties dressed in 1970s fashion, often near the tunnel entrance. He’s described to have a suppressed look and carries a backpack while sporting the long typical hair of that era.
According to the numerous accounts, the driver would strike up a conversation with the hitchhiker, but he would either remain silent or respond in monosyllabic answers. Then, as the vehicle comes out on the other side of the tunnel, the man would disappear without a trace, leaving the driver startled and confused.
There are variations of the story where the hitchhiker is a woman or the disappearance happens at a certain point within the tunnel. The reports of the phantom hitchhiker have been so frequent that it has become known as ‘the most haunted tunnel in London’.
Anyway, nobody seems to know who the phantom might be, or why he or she seems to be bound to the tunnel. Some suggest it might be relating to one of the several fatal accidents which have occurred in the tunnel’s history. These stories continue to add a certain eerie atmosphere to an already uncomfortable tunnel drive.