Wherever you are in the UK, you won't be far from a chilling haunted castle or presence-filled priory with stories of ghosts walking the hallways at night.
It's fear for all the family at Halloween with English Heritages Haunted Heritage season. Come and explore these spooky sites at a time when ghosts and ghouls allegedly roam the ruins and haunt the houses.
No tour of spectral Britain would be complete without a visit to Berry Pomeroy in Devon, the most haunted castle in the country. Watch out for the White Lady, the ghost of Lady Margaret Pomeroy, who was starved to death by her sister in a jealous rage over a man. The castle is so terrifying dogs hate to walk near it, and sinister presences even disrupt cameras and videos.
How about visiting the romantic Tintagel Castle, home to the Arthurian legends? Overlooking the wild coast of Cornwall, the Tintagel ruins whistle with the winds, creating a wild, abandoned sensation of being surrounded by mysteries. Legend has it that the wind around Tintagel drops only once a year, revealing the castle standing in all its former glory.
Osborne House on the Isle of Wight is also home to a number of ethereal presences ? a man in Victorian clothing, the shadow of Queen Victoria?s sickly son Prince Leopold, a small Indian servant boy and even Queen Victoria herself have been spotted by staff and visitors.
Ghost-hunters in the Midlands will be entranced by the tragic tale of Goodrich Castle in Herefordshire. In 1646, Alice, the niece of revolutionary Colonel Birch, became trapped in the castle keep with her Royalist ssecret love Charles Clifford whilst under siege from her uncle?s troops. The lovers managed to escape one stormy night, but were tragically swept away by the ferocious river and drowned. Legend has it their spirits still haunt the castle ? some say shrieks can be heard during bad weather.
The rugged Yorkshire moors are the perfect backdrop to many a haunted ruin. The grisly history of Clifford?s Tower in York will send shivers down the spine ? the ruins are so tainted by past events that they are said to drip with blood. Whilst many dismiss this phenomenon as the release of iron oxide, the mystery is far from solved ? no other stone taken from the same quarry as the walls of Clifford?s Tower has ever contained iron oxide?
It is easy to see why the eerie ruins of Whitby Abbey inspired Bram Stoker to include the location in his gothic tale Dracula. It is said that a phantom choir can be heard each January 6th at dawn and sightings of a coach pulled by headless horses have also been reported.
The scene of many bloody battles between the Scots and the English, Carlisle Castle remains plagued by restless spirits. Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned at Carlisle and some say her presence remains there to this day. More gruesomely, the ?licking stones? in the castle dungeons are smooth from generations of prisoners licking the moisture from them in a desperate attempt to stay alive!
As well as the sites themselves there is also a host of spooky events planned this Autumn to celebrate Halloween. From scary stories at some of Britain?s most haunted locations, to psychic ghost hunts, to creepy craft workshops, there is something for Halloween revellers of all ages this October.