Halloween is fast approaching and what better way to get your spook-on then by booking a night’s stay in one of the scariest hotels on the planet.
‘Scariest’ isn’t even an exaggeration, these places have randomly moving objects, terrifying histories, unexplained sounds of laughter and so much more.
So if you think your fearless, why not try one of these bone-chilling, haunted hotels in the UK. They’re sure to get your blood thundering in your ears and your knees knocking together like coconuts:
Drovers Inn, Scotland
The Drovers Inn is located at the top of the beautiful Loch Lomond in Scotland, but its stunning surroundings have also been the setting for some terrible tales.
In the depths of winter in 1792 a young family desperately trying to reach the safety of the inn got caught in a snowstorm and froze to death, never reaching their destination. Or did they?
Previous guests in the inn’s 15 rooms have reported sightings of the family, happy to have finally reached shelter. Other ghostly guests are said to include Angus, a cattle drover brutally murdered by a rival clan.
Getting there: The Drovers Inn is just over an hour by road from Glasgow, with the drive winding through the beautiful Lock Lomand & The Trossachs National Park.
Skirrid Mountain Inn, Wales
Said to be one the oldest pubs in Wales, the Skirrid Mountain Inn is believed to have a dark history.
Local legend has it that as many as 180 criminals were tried and executed in the building when it was used as a criminal court, with markings from the hangman’s noose still visible on an oak beam in the stairway.
Are the spirits of those departed responsible for the many strange occurrences that have happened at the inn, such as glasses flying across the bar, and mysterious laughter and footsteps echoing from dark corners?
No-one knows for sure – find out for yourself by booking a stay.
Getting there: The Skirrid Mountain Inn is a great place from which to explore the Brecon Beacons National Park, and is just over an hour by road from Cardiff.
Ballygally Castle, Northern Ireland
Dating from the 17th century, Ballygally Castle overlooks the golden sands of Ballygally Bay, and offer stunning views out to sea.
Now a hotel with 54 bedrooms, the castle is said to be haunted by a friendly ghost – the spirit of Lady Isabella Shaw, believed to have been imprisoned in a tower by her cruel husband.
For the best chance of an encounter with Lady Shaw, head to the castle’s ‘ghost room,’ open to all guests.
Getting there: The castle is perfectly situated along the Causeway Coastal Route, a 120-mile long driving tour around some of Northern Ireland’s most stunning scenery. It’s around 35 minutes from Belfast’s international airport.
Ettington Park Hotel, Warwickshire, central England
Ettington Park Hotel (link is external) is a spectacular neo-Gothic mansion close to Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Britain’s most-famous playwright William Shakespeare.
It’s said to be one of the most haunted hotels in Britain, with at least eight different spirits seen by guests and staff.
Within its walls you may encounter Lady Emma, a woman in a white gown who glides along corridors at night before disappearing in to walls, or a man and his beloved dog pacing across the floor of the library.
Getting there: The hotel is around ten minutes by road from Stratford-upon-Avon and its many attractions – it’s also within an hour’s drive of Oxford.
Jamaica Inn Hotel, Cornwall, south-west England
Built in 1750, the Jamaica Inn Hotel is said to be Cornwall’s most famous smugglers’ inn.
It was immortalised in Daphne du Maurier’s 1936 dark and atmospheric novel Jamaica Inn, later adapted for the screen by the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock.
Throughout its long history there have been countless unexplained events at the inn, from managers overhearing mysterious conversations in a foreign tongue, to footsteps pacing empty corridors, to a mysterious man in a tricorne hat and cloak appearing and then disappearing through solid doors.
Visit on a moonlit night, and you may just hear the sound of wagon wheels and horses’ hooves on rough cobbles.
Getting there: The inn is situated high on Bodmin Moor – a walker’s paradise with a rich mining history, which has also been featured in popular TV series Poldark.
Black Swan Inn, York, north-east England
You won’t just find one lonely ghost at this York hotel.
It’s said to be teeming with spirits, including a workman in a bowler hat who fidgets and fusses, giving the impression he is waiting for someone, and a young woman in a long white dress, who stands against the bar in the back room gazing into the fireplace.
But if those two apparitions aren’t quite terrifying enough, then gear up for the fright of your life.
Numerous guests have also reported seeing two detached legs strutting around the property—without any sign of a body in sight!
Getting there: The Black Swan Inn is in the heart of the city of York – a short walk from The Shambles, the city’s famous historic shopping area and one of the best-preserved medieval shopping streets in Europe.
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