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There is a distinct chill in the air, a crunch under the feet and a definite brown hue has...
As Halloween approaches, we’ve put together a list of some of the UK’s spookiest locations; from ancient castles and abandoned villages to forgotten graveyards and crumbling abbeys, there is a spine-tingling place for everyone!
Regardless of whether you’re a thrill-seeker looking to catch a glimpse of a ghoul or a history lover curious about the eerie past, our guide to the most haunted places covers the creepiest corners of the UK and will undoubtedly leave you questioning whether we are ever truly alone!
Read on to uncover the list of most haunted places in the UK; if you dare…
Kicking off our guide to the most haunted places in the UK is one of the capital’s most recognised landmarks and visited by tourists from all across the globe. The Tower of London is also one of the oldest surviving Norman fortresses, built shortly after William the Conqueror’s arrival in England almost a thousand years ago.
Here, many famous figures were imprisoned and executed, some of the most notable being Sir Francis Drake and two of Henry VIII’s wives (Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard), as well as the elusive ‘Princes in the Tower’, a tale that still puzzles historians to this day.
Having such a rich history, it should come as no surprise to hear that this attraction is also one of the UK’s spookiest and most haunted locations, said to be home to around thirteen ghosts.
Some of the most famous include the likes of Guy Fawkes, whose screams are said to be heard rattling around the tower. However, one of the strangest reported ghosts is that of a bear, which was formerly kept in the Royal Menagerie on the western side of the complex!
Postcode: EC3N 4AB
Opening Times: Open 7 days a week, last entry at 3:30 pm
Tickets: Tower of London Tickets
Known for the infamous “Pendle Witch Trials” that took place here in 1612 and saw the execution of 12 women for their suspected involvement in ten gruesome murders, Pendle Hill in Lancashire has long been one of the UK’s spookiest locations. Found just a few miles from the town of Clitheroe, it’s long been a site of interest for both historians and ghosthunters alike.
Today, over 400 years after the controversial trials, you can walk the moors and follow in the footsteps of this unbelievable event. There was even a ‘witch’s cottage’ uncovered in 2011 by engineers who were undergoing construction work in the village of Barley.
During the building works, they found the skeleton of a cat, which had been hidden within the bricks of one of the walls within a sealed room – It is believed that cats were buried alive in such a manner to protect inhabitants from any evil spirits!
If you want to follow in the ‘witch’s’ footsteps, you can download the route map of The Witches Trail.
Postcode: BB9 6LG
More Information: Visit Lancashire, Pendle Hill
Another of the most haunted locations in the UK overlooks the sea in Whitby. Built as a Christian monastery in the 6th century, Whitby Abbey is arguably one of the town’s most iconic and visible landmarks, used by sailors for hundreds of years as a way to spot the rocky headland it sits upon.
Today, the Grade I-listed ruins are owned and protected by English Heritage and draw in thousands of visitors every year. Not only that but it’s also reported to be home to a handful of ghosts, making it one of the UK’s spookiest locations and one of the best ghost tours in the UK.
One of the most notable ghosts here is of The Phantom Coach, a horse-drawn carriage that’s said to appear at the top of the 199 steps leading up to the abbey. Ghost hunters have said that the coach appears to charge towards the abbey from the steps, with the driver whipping the horses frantically before stopping at the abbey’s entrance. Here, the horses are said to rear up on their hind legs before disappearing into thin air.
Another hotspot for ghost hunters in Whitby is ‘The Screaming Tunnel’, also known as ‘Dracula’s Tunnel’, a short passageway which cuts through the headland. Just as the name suggests, it’s a haunted place where people have reported hearing ghostly screams echoing through it…
Postcode: YO22 4JT
Tickets: English Heritage, Whitby Abbey
This Victorian cemetery, found in the heart of Scotland‘s largest city, is often eerily referred to as the ‘city of the dead’ and was home to a big vampire myth back in the 1950s. No wonder it features in our guide to the most haunted places in Britain.
A police officer was called out to the cemetery one evening in 1954 and was greeted by hundreds of young children armed with knives and other sharp weapons, who told the officer they were hunting a 7ft tall vampire (Gorbal Vampire) who had kidnapped and eaten two local boys with its fangs made of iron.
The children returned to the site night after night in search of the vampire, and it was thought that playground whispers over this rumoured monster were the cause of the escalation and sheer panic amongst the children. Some people believe the children may have seen ‘Jenny wi’ the ‘airn teeth’, an old hag who has roamed the area since the 19th century, said to lure children away and eat them with her metal jaws.
There are many other paranormal sightings said to have taken place at the Necropolis, including a ghostly white lady who is said to wander through the cemetery at night and whispered voices have also been heard. Visit If you dare…
Postcode: G4 0UZ
More Information: Glasgow Necropolis
Tours: Glasgow Necropolis Walking Tours
Found in the heart of the ancient city of York, The Golden Fleece is one of the most popular, most recognisable and undoubtedly most haunted pubs anywhere in the city. With a rich history dating back to 1503 when the pub first opened, it’s long been linked to many spooky goings-on since its founding.
Inside, you’ll find this pub to have a lovely, cosy feel… but don’t be deceived by first appearances! It’s considered to be one of the most haunted pubs in York, drawing in both punters and ghosthunters from all over the country.
Thought to be home to around half a dozen ghosts, many have spotted them over the years and have been reported to pop in in pretty much every room in the building! Sightings have included a young woman all dressed in black walking past a window, a ghost dressed in a wig and red coat and a grumpy-looking old man crouched in an alcove.
Some guests who have spent the night at the pub have also described the feeling of invisible weights pushing down on their shoulders and the ghost of a WWII airman, who is thought to have died there during battle, has been reported to stand over people’s beds in the night and sometimes touch their hands.
The Golden Fleece is featured in many of the ghost walks and tours taking place across the city and for that reason alone it had to feature in the top 11 most haunted places in the UK.
Postcode: YO1 9UP
More Information: The Golden Fleece, York
Once a hotspot for sailors and smugglers who operated off the Cornish coast during the 17th and 18th centuries, The Jamaica Inn is one of the most visited locations in Cornwall and one of the UK’s spookiest locations.
Found almost right at the centre of the gigantic Bodmin Moor, this unique and interesting building is often packed full of visitors who come here to enjoy its fantastic restaurant, bar and hotel. However, many also come here in the hope of spotting one of the many ghosts that roam the complex. It was even featured on the popular TV show Most Haunted back in 2004.
Many people who have stayed at the inn have reported strange occurrences through the night, including conversations being overheard in a foreign language, believed to be old Cornish. Other incidences have included the sound of horses’ hooves running along the cobbles outside and a man in a hat and cloak who walks through solid doors.
Postcode: PL15 7TS
More Information: The Jamaica Inn, Cornwall
Another spooky inn to make our list of the most haunted places in the UK is The Ancient Ram Inn, nestled on the edge of the stunning Cotswolds. This spooky location is believed to be one of the most haunted buildings in the country and has appeared on several TV shows, including Most Haunted and Ghost Adventures.
Originally built in 1145 and once owned by the nearby St Mary’s Church, the building was constructed over two Ley Lines, which are said to have a high spiritual significance. It’s also believed to be the site of a Pagan burial ground that’s thought to be over 5000 years old. One of the legends surrounding the inn is that of a witch who was burned at the stake in the 1500s and is said to haunt one of the rooms in the pub, known as ‘The Witch’s Room’.
The current owner of the inn, John Humphries, who acquired the property in 1968, attests to supernatural claims, stating that on the first night he stayed in his new home, he was grabbed on the arm and dragged across the bedroom.
Postcode: GL12 7HF
Book: Overnight Ghost Tour
Found just a few miles south of the town of Malton in the beautiful Yorkshire Wolds, Wharram Percy is one of England’s most well-known abandoned medieval villages. Managed and protected by English Heritage, this unique and well-preserved location is often used by historians to study how human development took place during that time.
In fact, Archaeologists have learned a lot about the villager’s belief in the ‘living dead’ and how bodies would be dismembered and burned to stop ‘vampires’ returning from the dead and attacking the living…
Abandoned over 500 years ago, Wharram Percy is also thought to be one of the spookiest locations in the UK, with multiple reports of supernatural sightings by visitors over the years. One such account was from a visitor who came to the village in 2002, and upon visiting the abandoned church, had the doors slammed shut behind them without explanation.
Postcode: YO17 9TD
Parking: 3/4 of a mile from the site, £2 charge
More Information: Wharram Percy Deserted Medieval Village
Tucked away behind the bustling streets of Beaumaris, one of Anglesey‘s most visited tourist towns, Beaumaris Gaol was opened in 1839 and closed in 1878, when it became the town’s police station. However, during its time as a prison, whilst considered ‘humane’ by Victorian standards, was anything but that…
Now operating as a popular museum that sees around 30,000 visitors each year, the jail once housed up to 30 prisoners, many of which were put to work on treadmills to pump water to be used in the cells. It was also where a handful of notorious criminals were hung, and where many saw brutal punishments including being placed in dark and dingy isolation cells for up to three days at a time.
As well as being popular with tourists visiting the town, it’s also a hotspot for ghost-hunters, as one of the most haunted places in the UK, many people report hearing ‘wandering souls’ through its creepy hallways. However, one of the best-known is that of the jailer, who is said to enjoy wandering the corridors knocking on cell doors and clanging his keys on the metal banisters.
Postcode: LL58 8EP
Taking the penultimate spot on our guide to the UK’s most haunted places is Talacre, or ‘Point of Ayr’ Lighthouse which was built in 1776 to guide ships away from the sandbanks whilst they made the journey between Liverpool and Llandudno.
Unusually for a lighthouse, it was built right on the sand of one of North Wale’s best beaches, Talacre Beach and when the tide is in, it gives the appearance that the lighthouse is floating amongst the waves. The lighthouse has been unoccupied since the 1840s and there is much mystery surrounding it.
Many people believe it to be haunted and there is an endless supply of accounts and opinions to suggest all is not what it seems. There have been many reports of a figure roaming about the balcony and the light room, even during the daytime. The figure is thought to be one of the old lighthouse keepers, who died of a fever.
There was a story published by the BBC that claimed a woman named Jo took her five children to this popular beach, and within 24 hours, four of them had been struck down with fevers. Others say their dogs have been too afraid to walk near the lighthouse or that they have taken photographs with mysterious dark shadows appearing in them or that they have begun to feel physically unwell when exploring the interior.
Talacre is rightly considered the most haunted lighthouse in the country and easily one of the UK’s spookiest locations.
Postcode: CH8 9RS
Tucked away deep in the woods near the village of Berry Pomeroy in Devon, this castle is one of the most fascinating abandoned places in the UK and was originally a gift from the King of England to Ralph de Pomeroy to reward his loyalty during the Norman invasion.
The castle remained in the Pomeroy family for around 500 years but was damaged during the Civil War and by a fire in the early 18th century. Today this haunted building is managed by English Heritage and they offer audio tours of the castle, recounting many ghostly goings-on associated with the grand building.
One of the ghosts thought to roam the building is that of the White Lady, who haunts the dungeons. She is allegedly the ghost of Lady Margaret Pomeroy, who was placed in the dungeons by her sister, Lady Eleanor, who was said to be very jealous of her sister.
There’s another ghost known as the ‘Blue Lady’, who was given the name due to being seen wearing a long blue cape. It’s claimed that she would lure men to their deaths by drawing them towards unsafe parts of the castle.
Postcode: TQ9 6LJ
Tickets: English Heritage, Berry Pomeroy Castle
Have these haunted places in the UK got you interested in a spooktacular getaway this Halloween? Then browse our range of Halloween cottages that are still available to book!
Image credit: Son of Groucho – CC BY 2.0; Nigel Renny – CC BY-SA 2.0; Brian Robert Marshall – CC BY-SA 2.0; Ian Taylor – (CC BY-SA 2.0); Bernard Gagnon – (CC BY-SA 3.0); Ackers72 – (CC BY-SA 3.0)
I'm Rob and I joined the Sykes team in February 2024. I am a passionate writer and have always enjoyed holidays in the UK, especia...
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