In a special feature celebrating Halloween, readers have identified some of the most frightening locations across the UK. The winning tip highlights Dunnottar Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, described as one of the country's eeriest sites perched above the North Sea. The castle's most haunting section is the Whigs Vault, where over 160 prisoners were held in dreadful conditions in 1685. Visitors can see names written on the walls and feel the atmosphere created by whistling winds and thundering waves, with one contributor noting a personal connection to the Fraser family history recorded there.
Other recommendations include Pentre Ifan in Pembrokeshire, a Neolithic burial chamber featuring a 16-ton capstone balanced on sharp points. A reader recounted visiting the site just before dark, describing an unexplained low hum and a sense of unease that prompted a hurried departure. In Somerset, Shepton Mallet prison offers tours through original cells used since 1625, including Victorian blocks associated with the Kray twins. The site provides both daytime visits and night-time ghost tours where guests can hear stories of spooks or even stay overnight in a cold cell.
In West Yorkshire, the roofless shell of St Thomas à Becket church in Heptonstall stands as a 13th-century ruin alongside its 19th-century successor. Destroyed by a storm in 1847, the gaunt arches and hollowed-out tower create a dramatic scene that evokes the Tower tarot card. Staffordshire's Four Crosses Inn is cited as England's most haunted pub, located on the edge of Cannock Chase moor. Formerly owned by one reader's family for generations, the historic building features dank cellars and creaking attics linked to local murder stories.
Northern Ireland contributes Cooneen Ghost House near Fivemiletown, an abandoned farmhouse known for poltergeist stories that can be glimpsed from the road. Nearby Crocknagrally Forest offers a secluded setting for walks where folklore seems woven into the landscape of dark trees and lonely roads. On the Llŷn peninsula in Wales, the abandoned quarrying village of Nant Gwrtheyrn sits at the foot of Yr Eifl. The site is associated with the tragic tale of Rhys and Meinir, a hide-and-seek game that ended in death, adding to the eerie atmosphere created by crashing waves and wild goats.
Further spooky suggestions include Slains Castle in Aberdeenshire, whose ruins evoke images of bats and aristocrats despite rumors about inspiring Dracula being untrue. The site is noted for its precarious cliffside location and the sounds of rooks and jackdaws. On the South Downs in West Sussex, Chanctonbury Ring is an Iron Age hill fort surrounded by beech trees where folklore claims walking around it seven times reveals the devil. Writer Robert Macfarlane documented a terrifying experience there involving human-sounding screams from the tree canopy.
Finally, Whitby Abbey in Yorkshire is highlighted for its Gothic atmosphere and dramatic ruined arches overlooking the coast. The site, which inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula, offers a haunting experience at dusk with mist drifting from the North Sea. Readers emphasize that these locations combine history, landscape, and legend to create truly memorable spooky experiences.
Sources: The Guardian Travel.