The spookiest places to visit for Halloween 2024

posted on 16 October 2024

As the nights draw in and the air becomes chillier, thoughts of Halloween’s eeriness come to mind. If you’re ready to up the thrill factor this year, head out on a Halloween road trip to explore Britain’s spookiest places with a side of adventure and mystery.

London

Jack the Ripper Tour, London

What could be more haunting than venturing through London’s gloomy alleyways following in the footsteps of Jack the Ripper, a notorious killer of the Victorian era? On the chilling Jack the Ripper Tour, you’ll hear gruesome tales of the murders and the mysterious figure behind them.

The London Dungeons

With live actors and special effects bringing horror to life beneath the streets of London, a visit to The London Dungeons isn’t for the faint-hearted – especially when they up the ante around Halloween. This year, there’s a séance where you can step inside a gloomy Victorian parlour to meet a spooky psychic.

The Langham London

The Langham London is one of London’s most lavish hotels. Amid the plush interiors, it appears anything but haunted. But rumours swirl around Room 333 – thought to be the most haunted hotel room in London – where sightings of a Victorian-era doctor, a German prince, and a shoeless butler have all been reported. Treat yourself to a night or two here and see if you get a glimpse of them.

The Ten Bells pub in London — The Ten Bells pub in Spitalfields, a key stop on the Jack the Ripper Tour, where some of the infamous killer’s victims were said to have frequented.

Scotland

The Witchery

One of Edinburgh’s most atmospheric hotels is The Witchery, the perfect setting for a Halloween getaway. The hotel gets its name from the people burned at the stake during the 16^th and 17^th centuries. There are just nine rooms, each individually finished but all equally opulent, and some have views over the Royal Mile.

Edinburgh Castle

If you’re staying at the Witchery, you’re close to the famous Edinburgh Castle – a lovely place to visit anytime, but chilling at Halloween when stories of the castle ghosts are whispered. There are Halloween activities to join in with, like the Potion-Maker’s Quest to hunt for hidden ingredients or hear from the executioner about crime and punishment in medieval times.

Culloden Battlefield

For a spooky encounter on a Scotland road trip, stop on the moor where the battle of Culloden took place, marking the end of the Jacobite rebellion. Today, legend has it that a lone Highlander haunts the battlefield.

Edinburgh castle — Edinburgh Castle looms over the city, with ghostly legends and eerie Halloween activities making it a must-visit spot for those seeking a spine-tingling experience in the heart of Scotland.

Yorkshire

The Original Ghost Walk

If your road trip takes you to Yorkshire, don’t miss the Original Ghost Walk of York, a tour that ventures into the city’s winding alleyways, where you’ll hear spine-tingling tales of ghostly encounters and the spirits said to haunt the medieval buildings.

Whitby Abbey

As well as being a much-loved literary location for its role in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the haunting ruins of Whitby Abbey are something of an annual pilgrimage for fans of All Hallow’s Eve. On the days around Halloween, the abbey is spectacularly illuminated, and a theatre group puts on an immersive production that draws you into a gothic world.

The Forbidden Corner

For a family-friendly Halloween experience, The Forbidden Corner in Yorkshire’s Tupgill Park has mazes of tunnels and chambers, disorientating revolving floors, talking statues and secret passageways, but goes a little lighter on all-out fear and horror.

A spooky cobbled street in York — A winding medieval street in York, where the narrow alleys and historic buildings create a perfect setting for the city’s many ghostly tales and haunted legends.

South of London

The Mermaid Inn

While all quaintness and charm from the outside, The Mermaid Inn in Rye has some spooky secrets. The 600-year-old inn is steeped in tales of ghostly apparitions, and checking in here means running the risk of spotting spectres moving through walls, unexplained movements of rocking chairs, and sudden temperature drops.

Thorpe Park Fright Nights

The ghosts here might be fictional, but they’re about as terrifying as they come. At Halloween, Thorpe Park unleashes a dark and scary world designed to terrify the unterrifiable during its infamous Fright Nights. Can you stomach it?

Leeds Castle

Things are far more family-friendly over at Leeds Castle in Kent. Halloween here is more magical than menacing, with whimsical characters bringing stories to life on the grounds around the castle.

Cornwall

Jamaica Inn

The setting of Daphne du Maurier’s novel of the same name, Jamaica Inn, has an instantly eerie feel. Such is the prevalence of spooky goings-on here that the Inn has its own paranormal team, and you can join them for spooky investigations that reveal more about the chilling happenings here.

Pendennis Castle

Beautiful Falmouth doesn’t look like it harbours ghostly secrets, but venturing around the coastal Tudor fortress of Pendennis Castle might reveal another side to this picture-perfect seaside town. The laughter and screams of ghosts are believed to have been heard in the darkest corners of the castle. If you’re bringing kids, it’s good to know that there are child-friendly Halloween activities that go light on horror.

Bodmin Jail

Stay in a luxury cell at the Bodmin Jail Hotel, where, these days, things are much calmer than in its long and gruesome history. Look out for murder mystery weekends and a spine-tingling guided tour that reveals more about the previous inmates. There’s also a paranormal ghost walk through the original prison buildings—chilling stuff.