If you’re looking for some family frights this Halloween, why not explore these ghostly UK locations together.
How do we love thee, autumn? Let’s take a minute and count the ways. First the flaming golden leaves that blaze on trees and fall to coat fields and footpaths. Next the crisp, chilly air and sunsets whose golden light fades ever earlier into darkness. Finally the tingle on the back of your neck that warns, Halloween is coming.
If you, like us, can’t wait to embrace the spooky folklore that surrounds All Hallow’s Eve, make time for an autumnal break to explore one of the UK’s most haunted corners. This map of the best places to hunt mythical creatures across the globe will send you on the hunt for mysterious sea-creatures and legendary gods as far-flung as Asia and South America. Our list introduces haunted spots that are scarily closer to home…
Pluckley Village in Kent, England
Often described as the most haunted village in England, Pluckley in Kent is rife with rumours of uncanny sightings which have never been fully explained. Among the chilling tales are the story of the Watercress Woman, an old lady who once smoked her pipe and drank gin on a bridge as she sold the watercress she picked from the stream below. Some locals believe she accidentally burned to death when ashes fell onto her gin-soaked dress, but returns in spectre form to haunt the village.
Winter’s Gibbet in Northumberland, England
At the desolate peak of Steng Cross in Redesdale, Northumberland, you can gaze up at the creaking wooden frame that once held a human-shaped cage. In this hanging cage was left to die a man named William Winter, who – along with two accomplices – was responsible for the murder of Margaret Crozier. He was brought to justice when a shepherd boy noticed him cutting his food with the same knife used to slay the innocent woman. His spirit is still believed to trudge the bleak surrounding moorland, one of many ghost stories from the area.
Black Mausoleum in Edinburgh, Scotland
Perhaps one of the of the bloodiest bad-guys in Scottish history was George MacKenzie, who brutally punished many who signed the National Covenant in 1638, a document pledging allegiance to Presbytarianism. Known for his heartless, bloodthirsty approach, MacKenzie imprisoned and executed many so-called Covenanters, earning the nickname ‘Bluidy MacKenzie’. Hot and cold patches, strange sounds and blotched red skin are just some of the peculiar goings-on reported at the Black Mausoleum, one of the most haunted cemeteries in Edinburgh.
Llancaiach Fawr Manor House, Wales
The 16th-century manor house known as Llancaiach Fawr in Nelson, Caerphilly, South Wales is a competitor for most haunted house in the kingdom. Its most spine-chilling story is that of Mattie the housekeeper who burned to death in an accidental fire. It’s said that visitors to the room have on occasion burst into inexplicable tears, feeling fine again after they exit the space. Other rumoured poltergeists at the manor include a mysterious hooded girl and the sound of a falling boy screaming. Visit if you dare…
