Every country has its ghost stories, mythical monsters, and creepy urban legends.
But the UK, home of Gothic novels and the birthplace of paranormal investigations, can lay claim to being the most haunted country in the world. With the world's highest concentration of castles and a significant lack of centuries-old pubs and inns, there are plenty of purportedly haunted locations where you can enjoy a drink, a meal, or even stay the night, if you're feeling brave. Plus, the country's relatively small size means it's possible to combine several of these places to create a spooky itinerary. Here are where paranormal-loving travelers should go to get spooked this Halloween.
1. Skirrid Inn, Abergavenny, Wales With a history spanning 900 years, the Skirrid Inn, on the eastern edge of Banauw Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park, is the oldest pub in Wales. And if you believe the locals, it's also one of the most haunted. The building's ghostly atmosphere evokes its former life as a courthouse and prison, where hundreds of prisoners were executed by hanging from the wooden beams that still stand behind the bars. Accounts dating back centuries tell of glasses flying over the bar, eerie laughter echoing from the rooms above, and sudden drops in temperature. It hosts ghost hunting nights several times a month, and you can stay in rooms that are just as cosy and traditional as the pub downstairs, with stone log fires, fireplaces and hearty home-cooked meals. It's also a great base for exploring nearby Coed-y-Celig, a forested glacial valley hidden in the Black Mountains.
2. Chillingham Castle, Northumberland In a remote corner of the countryside in Northumberland, one of England's most beautiful yet underrated counties, you'll find Chillingham, a historic castle said to be the most haunted in the country. Chillingham began as a monastery in the 12th century and was frequently attacked by raiders from Scotland, just 25 miles away. Because of its strategic importance for English troops heading north, the abbey was expanded into a castle in 1344. Edward I, for example, stayed here in 1298 on his way to battle Sir William “Braveheart” Wallace. Throughout the Middle Ages, Chillingham held many prisoners, the most unfortunate of which ended up in the dubious care of torturer John Sage, who was rightly nicknamed the Scottish Butcher. Today, replicas of Sage’s horrific torture instruments, including the spiked chair, rack, and iron maiden, are on display in the castle’s dungeons. Some of the ghosts reported to roam the hallways are on the castle’s evening ghost tours, including “Blue Boy,” a glowing ghost of a child who is said to haunt the corridors. Another commonly reported phenomenon is a ghostly woman who is said to roam the courtyard at night, begging passersby for water. To get the most out of your Chillingham experience, stay in one of the castle’s historic rooms. Modern self-catering apartments located in the former dairy barn, guard room, observation tower and other parts of the building. Be sure to wander the grounds, too. The immaculate herd of rare, pristine cattle, unchanged since the Middle Ages, adds to the ghostly beauty.
3. Whitby, North Yorkshire Though Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, was Irish, not English, it was the English seaside town of Whitby that inspired his groundbreaking novel, which later became the basis of modern vampire mythology. It's hard to imagine a building in a more impressive location than 7th-century Whitby Abbey, whose ruins stand skeletal and battered on a windswept cliff. It is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the abbey's founder, St. Hilda, and of Constance de Beverley, a nun who broke her vows of chastity and was imprisoned within the abbey walls. The beach below the Abbey is where Stoker introduced Count Dracula, who comes ashore in the form of a beastly dog and trots up 199 steps to St. Mary's Church, which still stands next to the ruins of the Abbey. Horror fans should make Whitby the end of a hike through the nearby North York Moors, a rugged and beautiful national park of heather-covered uplands that was the setting for another eerie classic, The Werewolf of London. In the opening scenes of this cult horror comedy, two backpackers get lost in the wilderness and encounter strange locals and even stranger beasts under the light of a full moon. Ideally, time your visit to coincide with Whitby Goth Weekend, a twice-yearly celebration of goth culture that takes place in late April and early November.
4. Ancient Lamb Inn (Gloucestershire) The quiet market town of Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire is home to the Ancient Lamb Inn, said to be the most haunted pub in Britain. True to its name, the inn is very old, dating back to 1492, and the low, squat Tudor-style timber-framed building is overgrown with ivy, which has warped and twisted over time, giving it an eerie appearance. Head into it through the Hall of Mirrors. Once inside, the otherworldly atmosphere is even stronger. At first glance, it looks like an atmospheric old country inn, with rough-hewn stone walls, decorative horse tack, roaring fireplaces and wooden beams. But look closer and you'll notice some strange artifacts: a sheep's head mounted on the wall, a mummified cat in a glass case and, next to a dartboard, a grate on the stone floor marking where a body was placed. A woman and two children were found - victims of human sacrifice, the story goes. More like this: The 5 scariest places in the worldThe Skirvin: America's most haunted hotel? Paulding's Light: An American mystery you can see but not touch The weirdness is in the ghostly monks and Civil War soldiers, as well as strange orbs of light and popping shadows.
5. Edinburgh Castle, Scotland Not all of the UK's haunted places are found in quiet villages or country inns. As well as London, Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, is home to a huge amount of ghost stories, and it's said that the most haunted place in the city is its most famous building, Edinburgh Castle. Overlooking the city from the top of Castle Rock, a huge volcanic cone, Edinburgh Castle has existed in some form for almost 1,000 years and has accumulated many myths and legends in its time. As with many English castles and stately homes, the ghost of the Grey Lady is often spotted here, in this case that of Janet Douglas, who was burned at the stake outside the castle in 1537. Other ghosts recall the Anglo-Scottish Civil War. One of the ghosts sometimes reported is that of a headless drummer who led a march to warn Oliver Cromwell of the impending danger in 1650 and is still occasionally spotted on the battlements today, beating his drum inside the castle. A ghostly black dog has also been sighted roaming the castle. But the strangest of all is the ghost of a former prisoner who tried to escape by hiding in a wheelbarrow full of manure, which fell from a great height off the castle battlements, meeting his untimely death. This unfortunate prisoner is not only one of the most unusual ghosts in Britain; it may be all you can smell before you see it.
Post a Comment