The weather is beginning to turn crisp and the leaves are starting to fall, which can only mean one thing - Halloween is on its way.
If you’re looking for places to test your nerve this spooky season, there’s no shortage of venues to check out in the North East . From theatres and libraries to ancient pubs, many locations in the region claim to be haunted by the ghosts of centuries past. Visitors have reported everything from eerie noises to spectral sightings in these old buildings.
Of course, they don’t come much older - and more spectacular - than the North East’s collection of medieval castles. Northumberland has more castles than any other county in England, and many are home to bone-chilling ghostly tales.
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But one particular castle in the region takes the top spot when it comes to the scariest venues to visit this Halloween. A study by Tombola looked at thousands of reviews left by visitors on Tripadvisor to determine which castles in the UK were most associated with hauntings and spookiness - and Northumberland’s Chillingham Castle emerged at number one.
The 13th-century stronghold calls itself Britain’s most haunted historic castle, boasting hundreds of ghost stories as seen and heard by visitors over the centuries. Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote about Chillingham in the 19th century: “Through the open doors the harmless phantoms on their errands glide, with feet that make no sounds upon the floors.”
The castle retains its eerie reputation to this day, offering regular ghost tours of its rooms and grounds. From the armoury and the dungeon to rooms that were once stayed in by kings, there’s plenty to explore at Chillingham - but it’s not for the faint-hearted.
The castle’s Pantry is said to be haunted by a frail white figure, with many accounts of footmen seeing this apparition as they guarded the silver. While over in the Chapel beside the Great Hall the disembodied voices of two men can often be heard talking, and visitors have reported seeing shadowy figures in the Courtyard - just a few of the many ghost stories that Chillingham is home to.
Chillingham wasn’t the only North East castle to feature on the list - Alnwick Castle came in at number five for its links to haunted and spooky stories. This magnificent castle, which is still home to the Percy family, has plenty of ghostly tales of its own.
Famous eerie legends that surround the castle include that of the Alnwick Vampire, a man who after falling to his death was said to rise from the grave and stalk the castle grounds attacking livestock. There’s also the tale of the Grey Lady, thought to be the ghost of a young Victorian woman who worked as a maid at the castle and has apparently been spotted by many visitors wandering the tunnels deep within the castle.
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